# Unmasked (트리거) (TV series)
**Unmasked** (트리거, *Trigger*) is a 2025 South Korean television series about a team of investigative television journalists who expose unsolved crimes while fighting to save their program from cancellation. It was produced as a Disney+ original, ran for 12 episodes from January 15 to February 19, 2025, and stars [Kim Hye-soo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-hye-soo), Jung Sung-il, and Joo Jong-hyuk.[1](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/trigger-2024/) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2025)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | 트리거 (Trigger); international title Unmasked[1](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/trigger-2024/) |
| Run | 12 episodes, January 15 – February 19, 2025, on Disney+[1](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/trigger-2024/) • [3](https://thetvdb.com/series/unmasked-2025/seasons/official/1) |
| Director / writer | Yoo Seon-dong / Kim Gi-ryang[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2025) |
| Lead cast | Kim Hye-soo (Oh So-ryong), Jung Sung-il (Han Do), Joo Jong-hyuk (Kang Gi-ho)[4](https://tv.apple.com/no/show/unmasked/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js) |
| Premise | The investigative program Trigger pursues cases the prosecution and police could not solve, including a 20-year-old cold case of a vanished famous actor[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/unmasked-2025) • [6](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/tv-shows/unmasked?id=82175482b3d014821a9e6f259994d1b1) |
| Genre and rating | Thriller and comedy; rated 15 in South Korea and TV-MA in the United States[4](https://tv.apple.com/no/show/unmasked/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%90%E1%85%B3%E1%84%85%E1%85%B5%E1%84%80%E1%85%A5/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js) |
| Audience score | 7.0/10 on IMDb from 684 ratings (unweighted mean 7.4)[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31390522/ratings) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series follows the team behind *Trigger*, an investigative reporting program that exposes criminals on television. Oh So-ryong (Kim Hye-soo) is the team leader tracking a 20-year-old cold case involving a famous actor who disappeared without a trace; she becomes entangled in a workplace scandal, and a mysterious whistleblower known as Dr. Trigger throws the team off balance. Han Do (Jung Sung-il) is a producer transferred from the network's drama department to Trigger despite his protests, described in promotional material as a self-centered newcomer with no interest in teamwork and no social skills.[4](https://tv.apple.com/no/show/unmasked/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/unmasked-2025) • [6](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/tv-shows/unmasked?id=82175482b3d014821a9e6f259994d1b1) • [9](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/unmasked-s1review/)
The season is built around a run of intense cases. Episode synopses include a suspect in a disappearance case returning twenty years later, a fatal building collapse, and a woman re-confronted by the fear of a past stalking murder.[7](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%90%E1%85%B3%E1%84%85%E1%85%B5%E1%84%80%E1%85%A5/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js) The framing conflict is professional survival: after broadcasting a controversial story, the team must solve the cold case to save their jobs and the program.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/unmasked-2025)
## Production and release
A production supply contract for the drama, then titled *Trigger*, was signed on January 16, 2024, between a production company and [The Walt Disney Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-walt-disney-company) (Korea) LLC, covering a 12-part series with broadcast planned for the second half of 2024; the contract amount was withheld under a business-confidentiality period running to January 16, 2029.[10](https://spn.stockplus.com/news/api/v1/disclosure_views/koscom/212222) The series ultimately premiered on January 15, 2025, as Disney+'s first Korean original of that year, with two episodes released weekly through February 19.[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250108006500315) • [3](https://thetvdb.com/series/unmasked-2025/seasons/official/1) Episodes run roughly 54 to 66 minutes each.[3](https://thetvdb.com/series/unmasked-2025/seasons/official/1)
At the January 8, 2025 press event in Seoul, Kim Hye-soo said she prepared the role by consulting female reporters and even borrowing their work attire, and that she tore a thigh muscle while shooting action sequences. Jung Sung-il described Han Do as a flawed character who evolves through his interactions with the team, in contrast to the seemingly perfect role he played in *The Glory*.[11](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250108006500315)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. Pierce Conran of the [South China Morning Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-morning-post) gave the series 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing that while it was full of promising ideas and interesting characters, it failed to tell a good story about journalistic integrity and was preoccupied with sensationalized cases involving dead animals and victimized children.[12](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3299591/disney-k-drama-unmasked-review-kim-hye-soo-jung-sung-il-anchor-uneven-tv-news-drama) The Review Geek gave the season a verdict of 8/10, praising engaging mysteries and effective thrills while noting that the team's methods, such as paragliding into church grounds and secret recordings, are played for drama rather than a realistic examination of journalism ethics, and that the finale patches plot holes hastily and sets up a second season.[9](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/unmasked-s1review/)
Audience measures were warmer than the harshest reviews. IMDb shows a weighted rating of 7.0/10 from 684 user ratings, with an unweighted mean of 7.4 and per-episode scores between 7.6 and 8.5.[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31390522/ratings) KoreanDrama.org lists a user score of 8.1 from 2,106 votes.[1](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/trigger-2024/) On Rotten Tomatoes, the season's Tomatometer is based on only 2 reviews, so the sample is small.[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2025/s01)
## Availability and similar titles
The series streams on Disney+ and Hulu, with an English-dubbed version available.[14](https://www.hulu.com/series/unmasked-a6aec40f-6a4a-44d9-a7e2-46ea344c0b3d) It should not be confused with *Unmasked* (2018), an English-language ID network true-crime series about masked killers, or with *Spacey Unmasked* (2024), a documentary about [Kevin Spacey](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-spacey).[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2018) • [16](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/spacey-unmasked/critic-reviews/)
## References
1. [Unmasked, KoreanDrama.org](https://koreandrama.org/k-dramas/trigger-2024/)
2. [Unmasked (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2025)
3. [트리거 (2025) Season 1, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/unmasked-2025/seasons/official/1)
4. [Unmasked, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/no/show/unmasked/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js)
5. [Unmasked – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/unmasked-2025)
6. [How to watch and stream Unmasked – 2025 on Roku](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/tv-shows/unmasked?id=82175482b3d014821a9e6f259994d1b1)
7. [트리거, Apple TV (Korea)](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%90%E1%85%B3%E1%84%85%E1%85%B5%E1%84%80%E1%85%A5/umc.cmc.72y3kpxbv1awneeb8eg6yo7js)
8. [Unmasked (TV Series 2025) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31390522/ratings)
9. [Unmasked Season 1 Review, The Review Geek](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/unmasked-s1review/)
10. [디즈니플러스 드라마 <트리거> 제작 공급 계약 공시, StockPlus/KOSCOM](https://spn.stockplus.com/news/api/v1/disclosure_views/koscom/212222)
11. [Disney+'s 'Unmasked' eyes to captivate audiences with serious issues in lighthearted tone, Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20250108006500315)
12. [Disney+ K-drama Unmasked review, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-drama/k-drama/article/3299591/disney-k-drama-unmasked-review-kim-hye-soo-jung-sung-il-anchor-uneven-tv-news-drama)
13. [Unmasked: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2025/s01)
14. [Watch Unmasked Streaming Online, Hulu](https://www.hulu.com/series/unmasked-a6aec40f-6a4a-44d9-a7e2-46ea344c0b3d)
15. [Unmasked (2018), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/unmasked_2018)
16. [Spacey Unmasked critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/spacey-unmasked/critic-reviews/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Thriller, crime, and mystery series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license