A new limited series on Netflix has managed to garner over 21 million views and is currently trending among the streaming service’s top shows despite some controversy around its story. This is not the first time a hit Netflix series has been criticized for dabbling with controversial story elements. In the past, many true-crime documentaries and Ryan Murphy shows have been accused of sensationalizing real-world events.
The show in question, Teach You A Lesson, is not controversial for the same reasons because it is not exactly based on a true story. While it does draw attention to some real-world issues surrounding the education system, many of its story beats are over-the-top and intentionally dramatized. Yet, the way it handles some of its social commentary has been questioned by many viewers.
Teach You A Lesson is also an adaptation of the webtoon, Get Schooled, by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram. Part of the controversy around the show also has a lot to do with some of the problematic aspects of its source material. While the show attempts to change many elements from the original webtoon, viewers have questioned why it was made in the first place.
Netflix’s Teach You A Lesson Is Trending #1 With Over 21 Million Views
The new k-drama on Netflix premiered on June 5, 2026. Two weeks after its release, Teach You A Lesson has garnered over 21 million views and is currently trending number 1 among Netflix’s top non-English shows (via Netflix). The show’s popularity seems to be growing from strength to strength, and it seems likely that it will maintain the same viewership momentum in its third week as well.
Teach You A Lesson has also earned favorable reviews from many viewers and critics for its well-choreographed action sequences and willingness to tackle real-world issues within the education system. However, some have also raised questions surrounding the show’s portrayal of physical punishment in schools and the problematic aspects of its source material.
While the criticism does not undermine the hard work and performances of the show’s cast, it highlights how it highlights how even commercially successful and critically acclaimed series can spark controversy when they attempt to address sensitive social issues.
Teach You A Lesson’s Adaptation Controversy Explained
The core controversy surrounding Teach You A Lesson revolves around its problematic source material. As many viewers have complained, its original webtoon has faced immense backlash in the past for its racial stereotyping and slurs. In one arc from the webtoon, a “morally good” character even uses the “N-word” against a Black character to teach him a lesson.
In another story beat, the webtoon even demonizes feminism by showing how a teacher who promotes it is toxic and manipulative. The webtoon was so heavily criticized for its problematic content that even an apology had to be issued after it was officially removed from North American platforms. While the show removes all these elements from its story, viewers have pointed out that the webtoon did not even deserve to be adapted in the first place.
However, even the show’s portrayal of how tough special-ops inspectors have to swoop in and physically beat up teenage bullies or forcefully retaliate against toxic parents to establish discipline in schools has been questioned. Many have argued that the show’s depiction seems to glorify violence and promotes an “eye for an eye” philosophy.
It is perhaps these complex themes and the series’ controversial portrayal of vigilante justice in schools that has allowed it to garner such a massive audience. Since it is only a limited series with a conclusive ending, however, it will likely not return with more installments despite performing incredibly well on Netflix.
