The Potato Lab

The Potato Lab
Promotional poster
Hangul
감자연구소
Lit.Potato Research Institute
RRGamja yeonguso
MRKamja yŏn'guso
GenreRomantic comedy
Written byKim Ho-soo
Directed byKang Il-soo
Starring
Music byPark Se-joon (CP)
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time70 minutes
Production companyChorokbaem Media
Original release
NetworktvN
ReleaseMarch 1 (2025-03-01) –
April 6, 2025 (2025-04-06)

The Potato Lab (Korean: 감자연구소) is a South Korean television series written by Kim Ho-soo, directed by Kang Il-soo, and starring Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh. The series is about a woman obsessed with potatoes swept away by a principled man like a tornado potato. It aired on tvN every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST) from March 1 to April 6, 2025. It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

Synopsis

A passionate researcher's life takes a turn when a strict director arrives at her potato lab — proving that love can sprout in the most unusual places.

Set in a mountain valley at a potato research center, the story is about a woman named Kim Mi-kyung, a potato-crazy researcher who is starting a fresh life again, and So Baek-ho, who energizes her fighting spirit.

Cast

Main

A potato-crazy researcher. She is quite annoying, unorthodox, and fiery, which interests So Baek-ho. However, she is very passionate about her work and cares a lot about her friends, even if she doesn't show it.
Wonhan Retail's organizational innovation director is efficient and composed—a no-nonsense man who strictly follows his principles. His rigid discipline and sharp focus make him an intimidating figure, known for getting things done with impressive speed and precision. However, because of these traits, he seems a bit awkward at times as he isn't sure how to deal with unusual things, like Mi-kyung's unpredictable behavior.

Supporting

Mi-kyung's ex-boyfriend. He serves as executive director of Wonhan Retail's strategic planning division.
Park Ki-se's ex-wife.
Mi-kyung's best friend. She is a web novel writer. She loves to ship Mi-kyung and Baek-ho constantly and tease her about it. She's subtly possessive over Kim Hwan-gyeong, getting angry when other girls interact or flirt with him. Despite this, she won't admit that she's interested in him, displaying a "tsundere" personality.
  • Shin Hyun-seung as Kim Hwan-gyeong
Mi-kyung's younger brother. He confessed to Lee Ong-ju several times in the past, but got rejected. However, his feelings still linger.
  • Yoo Seung-mok
  • Kwak Ja-hyung as Go Jeong-hae
The self-proclaimed hipster manager.
  • Woo Jung-won as Joo Seung-hee
A deputy manager. She has made the biggest contribution to the Potato Research Institute's teamwork.
  • Kim Ji-ah as Jang Seul-gi
  • Yoon Jeong-seop as Lee Chung-hyun
  • Nam Hyun-woo as Kwon Hee-dong
An enthusiastic new hire at the Potato Research Institute.

Production

Development

The Potato Lab is a romantic comedy series directed by Kang Il-soo and written by Kim Ho-soo. It was planned by CJENM Studios and produced by Chorokbaem Media.

Casting

On March 18, 2024, it was reported that Kang Tae-oh, who was about to be discharged from his military service, was considering to star in the series. The next day, media reported that Lee Sun-bin would play the female lead, and that Kang had confirmed his appearance. On May 14, tvN officially confirmed the two actors' casting.

Release

The Potato Lab premiered on tvN on March 1, 2025, and aired every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It was also made available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

Viewership

The Potato Lab : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode numberAverage
123456789101112
1473414369506280409294441282449328420389
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)
Nationwide Seoul
1 March 1, 2025 1.705% (5th) 1.744% (3rd)
2 March 2, 2025 1.811% (3rd) 1.906% (2nd)
3 March 8, 2025 1.4% (13th) 1.551% (6th)
4 March 9, 2025 2.003% (3rd) 1.883% (2nd)
5 March 15, 2025 1.1% (16th) 1.133% (5th)
6 March 16, 2025 1.632% (5th) 1.639% (2nd)
7 March 22, 2025 1.298% (8th) 1.376% (4th)
8 March 23, 2025 2.000% (2nd) 1.570% (4th)
9 March 29, 2025 1.1% (18th) 1.447% (6th)
10 March 30, 2025 1.920% (3rd) 1.712% (3rd)
11 April 5, 2025 1.2% (11th) 1.272% (9th)
12 April 6, 2025 1.791% (3rd) 1.714% (2nd)
Average 1.58% 1.58%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).

References

  1. ↑ 감자연구소 OST [The Potato Lab]. Bugs (in Korean). Genie Music, Stone Music Entertainment. Stone Music Entertainment, CJ ENM STUDIOS. April 7, 2025. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  2. ↑ 감자연구소 [The Potato Lab]. CJ ENM (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 16, 2025. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Shin, Young-eun (January 22, 2025). '감자연구소' 이선빈·강태오, 삶은 감자보다 뜨거운 코믹 로맨스가 온다 ['The Potato Lab' starring Lee Sun-bin and Kang Tae-oh, a comical romance hotter than boiled potatoes is coming]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Maekyung Media Group. Archived from the original on March 2, 2025. Retrieved January 22, 2025 – via Naver.
  4. ↑ Park, So-jin (January 15, 2025). 김가은, '감자연구소' 출연...발랄X러블리 매력 펼친다 [Kim Ga-eun Appears in 'The Potato Lab' with Lively and Lovely Charm...]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 2, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  5. ↑ Kim, Hyun-rok (December 20, 2024). 남현우, 디퍼런트컴퍼니 전속계약...'감자연구소' 합류[공식] [Official: Nam Hyun-woo stars in 'The Potato Lab' after signging exclusive contract with a Different Company]. SPOTV News (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 2, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  6. 1 2 Choi, Yi-jung (May 14, 2024). 강태오X이선빈, 로코 '감자연구소' 첫 만남 호흡... '병맛 커플' 탄생 [Birth of the crazy couple... Kang Tae-oh and Lee Sun-bin's first chemistry meeting in romantic comedy 'The Potato Lab']. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 2, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  7. ↑ Park, Rosa (March 18, 2024). '국민섭섭남' 강태오, 내일(19일) 제대 "'감자연구소' 검토 중" [공식] [Official: Kang Tae-oh will be discharged on March 19, but is considered starring in 'The Potato Lab']. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Maekyung Media Group. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  8. ↑ Lee, Seung-hoon (March 19, 2024). [단독]이선빈, '전역' 강태오와 로코 호흡... '감자연구소' 주인공 [Exclusive: Lee Sun-bin stars in romantic comedy drama 'The Potato Lab' with Kang Tae-oh, who was discharged from the military...]. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  9. ↑ Choi, Yi-jung (March 19, 2024). [단독] '오늘 전역' 강태오, 휴식없이 차기작 '감자연구소' 돌입..로코킹 노린다 (종합) [Exclusive: Kang Tae-oh, who was discharged from the military today, is rushing into his next work – 'The Potato Lab' – without resting.. He aims to be the romantic comedy king (Comprehensive)]. OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved January 21, 2025 – via Naver.
  10. ↑ Chin, Carmen (February 26, 2025). "Netflix drops trailer for K-drama 'The Potato Lab', starring Kang Tae-oh and Lee Sun-bin". NME. Archived from the original on February 28, 2025. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Nielsen Korea ratings:
    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea. March 1, 2025. Archived from the original on March 1, 2025. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea. March 2, 2025. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 8, 2025. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea. March 9, 2025. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea. March 15, 2025. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea. March 16, 2025. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea. March 22, 2025. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea. March 23, 2025. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
    • "Ep. 9". Nielsen Korea. March 29, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
    • "Ep. 10". Nielsen Korea. March 30, 2025. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
    • "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea. April 5, 2025. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
    • "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea. April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ 감자연구소 시청률 [The Potato Lab ratings] (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. Retrieved March 9, 2025 – via Daum.