Goodbye Earth

Lore & Background

The series follows four friends in Woongcheon: Jin Se-kyeong, a former teacher turned volunteer; Dr. Ha Yun-sang, a scientist fiancé stuck in the US; Captain Kang In-a, an army captain; and Father Woo Sung-jae, an assistant priest. They navigate a world under martial law, with widespread suicide, crime, and scams. Se-kyeong becomes involved in a human trafficking ring run by escaped convicts, which is connected to a cult-like elitist group gathering funds to escape the country. The group arranges two planes for escape, but one cannot land due to protests, and the other crashes, killing all aboard. In the final days, characters seek peace or fall into despair; Se-kyeong, tormented by lost students, goes to a gambling den with a gun to kill criminals.

Reader's Guide

Goodbye Earth is significant as a South Korean adaptation of Kōtarō Isaka's novel, exploring human responses to an impending apocalypse. Its release was delayed from late 2023 due to Yoo Ah-in's drug use charges, leading to edits reducing his screen time. The series received mixed to negative reviews, with critics praising character moments and performances (especially Ahn Eun-jin) but criticizing its chaotic timeline, convoluted subplots, and slow pacing. It ranked eighth in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) after three days, rising to fifth place the following week with 20.2 million hours watched. The series' legacy lies in its attempt to depict grim realism without sugarcoating, though its execution was widely seen as flawed.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on a novel of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka.
• Filming was reported to be in progress in May 2022.
• The series was postponed and edited to reduce Yoo Ah-in's appearance following his drug use charges.
• It ranked eighth in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) after three days of release.