SBS’ hit vigilante franchise 'Taxi Driver' revs up with third season

Director Kang Bo-seung leans into real-life incidents, pivots from case-of-the-week chaos to unified season arc

Season 3 of "Taxi Driver," starring Lee Je-hoon (SBS)

One of Seoul Broadcasting System’s most bankable franchises, “Taxi Driver” -- the vigilante procedural in which a band of renegade cabbies take justice into their own hands -- returns with Season 3, promising a fresh slate of cases inspired by real crimes from Korea’s underbelly.

The third season of “Taxi Driver” once again centers on Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon) and the clandestine crew at Rainbow Transport, who carry out private revenge missions on behalf of victims failed by the legal system. The drama remains one of SBS’ strongest intellectual properties; since 2023, the franchise has ranked fifth in nationwide ratings among all terrestrial and cable dramas, peaking at 21 percent. Its second season also took home the award for best TV series at the 28th Asian Television Awards.

The premise remains straightforward: A crime unfolds, and the vigilante cabbies mobilize to deliver payback. Director Kang Bo-seung, confident in the property’s staying power, called “Taxi Driver” a rare piece of IP robust enough to sustain up to ten seasons, if given the chance.

Kang added that the third season marks a departure from the show’s earlier structure, introducing a seasonlong throughline rather than standalone case files.

“In Seasons 1 and 2, we presented a series of separate incidents in an episodic format. But for Season 3, I wanted it to feel more like a fully contained, cohesive story," said Kang, during a press conference held Tuesday.

"Of course, each episode still deals with a different case, but clues from earlier episodes lead into the ones that follow, and so on. ... We worked hard to make the entire season feel like one big, overarching narrative when viewed as a whole. So while each episode has its own individual appeal, the show becomes increasingly engaging as it progresses," he added.

Season 3 of "Taxi Driver," starring Lee Je-hoon (SBS)

Like past seasons, the latest installment of “Taxi Driver” draws inspiration from headline-making crimes in Korea, including the Nth Room scandal -- an online sex-crime ring that exploited multiple minors and young women. Asked whether the new season also taps into real-world incidents, the director confirmed it does.

“Of course, you’ll be able to see that. But rather than tying it to one specific incident at this particular moment in time ... we approached current issues from a more fundamental angle," he said, adding that he focused more on expressing the incidents' underlying meaning.

Despite the franchise’s loyal fan base, there were concerns that newcomers might find midseason entry daunting. The director, however, suggested the opposite.

“Because the worldbuilding in 'Taxi Driver' is so solid, I actually think it might be easier for new viewers to jump in midway. The story is very linear and straightforward -- someone is harmed, someone is hurting, and righteous characters step up to resolve the situation. It’s such a simple setup that I think makes the show even more approachable,” he said.

The 16 episodes of the latest season will be released every Friday and Saturday for eight weeks starting Nov. 21 on SBS.