Goodbye Earth

Did You Know?

• The series was postponed and edited to reduce Yoo Ah-in's appearance following his drug use charges.
• Filming was reported to be in progress in May 2022.
• Casting was confirmed by the production on January 13, 2022.

Plot

The series covers the last 200 days before an asteroid is predicted to strike Earth on February 22, 2026. South Korea is under martial law after violence and an attempted coup followed the asteroid announcement. Wealthy citizens have fled to supposed safe zones, leaving residents to cope with hopelessness, shortages, widespread suicide, crime, and scams offering false salvation. In Woongcheon, four friends navigate the changed world: Jin Se-kyeong, a former teacher volunteering at city hall; Dr. Ha Yun-sang, her scientist fiancé stranded in the US during riots; Captain Kang In-a, an army captain managing a support unit; and Father Woo Sung-jae, an assistant priest who takes over when the main priest disappears. Se-kyeong becomes involved with her former students and uncovers a human trafficking ring run by escaped convicts who kidnapped children and caused many student deaths. Kang In-a's investigation leads to the same group, which collaborates with discharged soldiers to run gambling dens and brothels. These crime rings connect to a cult-like elitist group raising funds to escape the country. Sung-jae faces a crisis when he learns his superior, Father Baek, is part of this group and took church funds. Yun-sang could join the group and bring Se-kyeong, as his genetic research is valuable for post-asteroid survival, but he refuses to leave without her, and she refuses to abandon her students. The friends learn the elitist group arranged two planes for a last escape. Se-kyeong, Yun-sang, and Sung-jae try to negotiate for children to leave but fail. One plane cannot land due to protests, and the other crashes en route, killing everyone aboard.

Cast and characters

Jin Se-kyung, a volunteer at Ungcheon City Hall, works in secret to keep endangered children safe. Her longtime partner, Ha Yun-sang, is a researcher at a biotechnology institute. Woo Seong-jae, an assistant priest, looks after believers after the chief priest vanished. Kang In-ah commands a combat service support battalion.

Reception

Critics were divided on the Netflix series Goodbye Earth. Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut gave it a 4/5, calling it a compellingly human take on the disaster genre despite its imperfections. Bhavna Agarwal of India Today rated it 2/5, arguing that a promising plotline is undermined by poor execution, though the actors try their best to rescue the drama. Charles Hartford of But Why Tho? scored it 7/10, praising its strong characters and powerful human moments that explore hope, despair, love, and resilience in an authentic way. Tanu I. Raj of NME also gave it 2/5, noting strengths such as the contrast between the protagonist’s roles as teacher and vigilante, along with small human moments that offset the heavy atmosphere, but criticizing frequent time jumps and convoluted subplots that distract from the larger story. Lee Yoon-seo of The Korea Herald found the series fails to hold attention over its 12-hour runtime due to chaotic sequencing and a disorderly timeline, though outstanding performances, especially by Ahn Eun-jin, may attract viewers. Jeff Spry of Space.com pointed to slow pacing, a confusing plot, and a lack of thrilling asteroid content, but acknowledged the show does not sugarcoat grim reality. Melissa Camacho of Common Sense Media said the premise is interesting, but too many underdeveloped narratives play out at once. Despite the mixed reviews, Goodbye Earth ranked eighth in Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) after three days, receiving a warm response in 22 countries. The following week it rose to fifth place, with 20.2 million hours watched by 1.7 million viewers.