Daniel Dae Kim in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Juhan Noh/Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC.
‘Butterfly’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Launching on Prime Video with all six episodes on August 13th, ‘Butterfly’ sees Daniel Dae Kim (‘Lost’) in a starring role as an intelligence operative working within the shadowy boundaries of the law after faking his death.
The series also stars Piper Perabo (‘Coyote Ugly’), Reina Hardesty (‘It’s What’s Inside’), Louis Landau (‘Rivals’) and Charles Parnell (‘Top Gun: Maverick’)
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Initial Thoughts
Piper Perabo in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Courtesy of Prime. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Prime Video hasn’t exactly had the best luck in the spy genre. It looked to launch the ambitious, globe-trotting (and spin-off-generating) ‘Citadel’ with a starry cast and the backing of the Russo brothers. The result was a giant shrug by viewers, and the next season of the show is effectively being burned off.
You can imagine, then, that hopes are higher for ‘Butterfly’, which adapts the Boom! Studios graphic novel by Arash Amel. It also has the appeal of a Seoul-set story and the considerable charisma of Daniel Dae Kim in the lead. Is it enough to win back audiences who didn’t seem to be in the mood before.
Script and Direction
Park Hae-soo in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Courtesy of Prime. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Steph Cha created the series based on the graphic novel source material, and Ken Woodruff (‘Gotham’) serves as showrunner.
The writing team has spliced enough heart into the story to keep it interesting (helped by Kim in particular in front of the camera), but there are still an awful lot of spy clichés lurking within it.
If you’re tired of watching tech teams track people using banks of monitors or lethal assassins turns out to have quirkier sides, then ‘Butterfly’ will tick a few too many boxes on that front. And the villainous, powerful organization at its core is full of the sort of stock threat we’re all too used to.
At least on the visual an action front (with directors Kim Jin-min, Kitao Sakurai and Jann Turner handling two episodes each), the show has more to impress, with shiny/gritty Korean backdrops and stunt moments that are top tier for TV.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Reina Hardesty, Daniel Dae Kim in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Juhan Noh/Prime. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Daniel Dae Kim is, of course, great in the lead role –– whether he’s trading punches with enemies or trying to bond with family members he had to leave behind when he faked his death.
He’s easily matched by Reina Hardesty as Rebecca, the lethal agent sent to track him down, who also has a chance to show some vulnerability.
Piper Perabo, meanwhile, despite a striking introduction interrogating an agent for intel, struggles to make the role of Juno more than a basic villain.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Louis Landau, Piper Perabo in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Courtesy of Prime. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
‘Butterfly’ isn’t perfect, but it’s perfectly adequate espionage entertainment, with a compelling lead role and some solid action moments.
Will it stand out from the pack? Only time will tell, but it does at least have some elements to recommend it.
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1 SeasonsAugust 13th, 2025
What’s the plot of ‘Butterfly’?
David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), an enigmatic, highly unpredictable former US intelligence operative living in South Korea, whose life is blown to pieces when the consequences of an impossible decision from his past come back to haunt him.
He finds himself pursued by Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), a deadly, sociopathic young agent assigned to kill him.
Who stars in ‘Butterfly’?
- Daniel Dae Kim as David Jung
- Reina Hardesty as Rebecca
- Piper Perabo as Juno
- Louis Landau as Oliver
- Charles Parnell as Senator Dawson
- Kim Ji-hoon as Gun
Kim Ji-hoon in ‘Butterfly’. Photo: Courtesy of Prime. © Amazon Content Services LLC.
Selected Movies and TV Series Featuring Daniel Dae Kim:
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