Butterfly (2025 TV series)
| Butterfly | |
|---|---|
-poster.png) Promotional poster | |
| Genre | Spy thriller |
| Created by | Steph Cha & Ken Woodruff |
| Based on | Butterfly by Arash Amel |
| Showrunner | Ken Woodruff[1] |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original languages |
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| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Seon Kwon Hwang |
| Production locations | South Korea United States |
| Cinematography | Kanamé Onoyama |
| Editor | Michael Ruscio |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | August 13, 2025 |
Butterfly is an American spy thriller television series premiered on Amazon Prime Video on August 13, 2025. The six-episode series is based on the Boom! Studios graphic novel series created by Arash Amel, written by Amel and Marguerite Bennett, and illustrated by Antonio Fuso and Stefano Simeone.[2] It stars Daniel Dae Kim as David Jung, a former U.S. intelligence operative living in South Korea whose past resurfaces to threaten his life and family.[3]
Cast
Main
- Daniel Dae Kim as David Jung
- Reina Hardesty as Rebecca, David's daughter
- Louis Landau as Oliver Barnes
- Piper Perabo as Juno
Recurring
- Kim Tae-hee as Eunju Kim
- Park Hae-soo as Yong Shik Choi
- Nayoon Kim as Minhee Jung
- Kim Ji-hoon as Gun
- Charles Parnell as Senator George Dawson
- Sean Dulake as Hollis
Guest
- Sung Dong-il as Dootae Kim, David Jung’s father-in-law
- Lee Il-hwa as Mrs. Kim, David Jung’s mother-in-law
- Henry Ian Cusick as Nick Barnes, Juno's ex-husband and Oliver's father
- Sung Joon as Sanghoon Kim
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Kitao Sakurai | Steph Cha & Ken Woodruff | August 13, 2025 |
| 2 | "Daegu" | Kitao Sakurai | Steph Cha | August 13, 2025 |
| 3 | "Busan" | Jinmin Kim | Diana Son | August 13, 2025 |
| 4 | "Pohang" | Jinmin Kim | Denise Thé | August 13, 2025 |
| 5 | "Seoul" | Jann Turner | Sung Rno | August 13, 2025 |
| 6 | "Annyeong" | Jann Turner | Dave Kalstein | August 13, 2025 |
Production
Development
The series was co-created and co-written by Ken Woodruff and Steph Cha, with Woodruff also serving as the showrunner. The first two episodes are directed by Kitao Sakurai.[3] Daniel Dae Kim stars and executive produces Butterfly through his production company 3AD, which developed the series under a deal with Amazon MGM Studios.[4] Executive producers also include John Cheng, Stephen Christy, Ross Richie, and Arash Amel.[3]
Casting
In December 2023, it was announced that Reina Hardesty had been cast alongside Daniel Dae Kim.[5] In January 2024, Park Hae-soo, Kim Tae-hee, and Nayoon Kim joined the cast in recurring roles.[6] In Februrary 2024, it was announced that Piper Perabo joined the cast.[7] In March 2024, Louis Landau joined the series as a series regular.[8] In April 2024, it was announced that Sean Dulake, Kim Ji-hoon and Charles Parnell joined the series as recurring characters, while Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa were set to guest star.[9][10]
Release
Butterfly premiered with all six episodes available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video on August 13, 2025.[3]
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 72% approval rating based on 18 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A sturdy vehicle for Daniel Dae Kim, Butterfly spreads its wings only modestly but delivers dependable thrills and familial drama."[11] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable".[12]
References
- ^ "Butterfly - WGA directory". Writers Guild of America. September 25, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2025.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2023). "'Butterfly' Series Starring Daniel Dae Kim Based On Comic Ordered By Prime Video". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (June 5, 2025). "Butterfly Trailer: Daniel Dae Kim Is On The Run & "Not That Easy To Kill" In Prime Video Spy Thriller". Deadline. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ^ Thorne, Will (June 6, 2019). "Daniel Dae Kim Sets Amazon First-Look Deal". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy; Andreeva, Nellie (December 8, 2023). "Reina Hardesty To Star Opposite Daniel Dae Kim In Prime Video Series Butterfly". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (January 29, 2024). "'Squid Game' Star Park Hae-Soo Among Three Added to Cast of Daniel Dae Kim Spy Series Butterfly at Amazon (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (February 21, 2024). "Piper Perabo Joins Daniel Dae Kim Amazon Spy Series Butterfly (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 27, 2024). "Louis Landau Joins Prime Video's Spy Thriller Butterfly As Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 10, 2025.
- ^ Seo, Rachel (April 18, 2024). "Amazon Spy Series Butterfly Casts Sean Dulake, Kim Ji-hoon, Charles Parnell, Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ Chourasia, Srishti (August 6, 2025). "Butterfly Season 1 cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the upcoming Prime Video thriller?". www.soapcentral.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ^ "Butterfly: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
- ^ "Butterfly: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved August 13, 2025.