Ahn Hyo-seop returns as a chef in JTBC's 'Final Table', premiering October 24

Ahn Hyo-seop is back — this time in chef whites

Ahn Hyo-seop premieres on JTBC in Final Table on October 24, 2026 at 10:40 PM as head chef Kang Han, competing in a high-stakes culinary tournament called "The Table: K Chef 2026" to crown Korea's best chef.

Restaurant Familia is closing. Its owner chef died under dishonorable circumstances. Kang Han enters the fray when Choi Song-yi (Hong Hwa-yeon) tells him Pyeonyeon killed her father and asks for his help. Behind the scenes, Pyeonyeon Group chairman Moon Hae-seon (Jang Young-nam) is already orchestrating things: "The protagonist of that drama should be someone we cast," she says.

The stakes pile up fast. Kang Han needles rival Cha Woo-jin: "You'll lose to me this time too." Choi Song-yi, doubting everything, corners the competition's producer: "I know why you're holding this competition."

The cast filling out the competition floor

Choi Du-young (Kim Jae-hwa) is only one year into cooking. His organizational skills and hygiene standards are described as second to none. Park Geon-woo (Lee Bong-jun) holds a traditional liquor sommelier certificate and opened his own restaurant at 23. Seon Jeong-won (Jung Yu-jin) produces the competition. Moon Hae-seon (Jang Young-nam) chairs Pyeonyeon Group.

Where this fits in Ahn Hyo-seop's run

Ahn Hyo-seop built his name on SBS's Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2, which closed at 27.1% nationwide viewership. His most recent credit before Final Table was voicing Jin-woo in Netflix's animated film K-pop Demon Hunters. Chef era after doctor era after animated demon hunter — the range is hard to argue with.

Final Table lands in the Saturday-Sunday slot with a competition-drama format and a cast of character actors. A lot of moving pieces to land from episode one.