Season 2 of ‘Model Taxi’ and ‘Arthdal Chronicles’ is coming

《Taeyuna's Listening Bodbo》
Reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will properly cover all aspects of the drama based on what she heard and saw on the spot. We will be the eyes and ears of readers in an age where dramas are flooding in on numerous channels.

---

Seasonal dramas are coming to the small screen one after another to prove that 'there is a younger brother just as good as the older brother.' From works that ended with favorable reviews and raised expectations for the next season to works that returned with great enthusiasm after suffering noise due to issues such as replacement of actors and writers, attention is focused on whether a sequel will be created that will exceed the popularity of the previous work and meet expectations.

SBS will present a variety of seasonal dramas this year, from 'Model Taxi' to 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim' and 'Police Station Next to the Fire Station'. 'Model Taxi 2', which will be broadcast first on the 17th of next month, is a private revenge drama in which the mysterious taxi company Rainbow Transportation and taxi driver Kim Do-gi complete revenge on behalf of the wronged victim. It was a box office hit last season, exceeding the highest viewership rating of 16%, and was naturally confirmed for season 2.

In particular, it was a godsend that 'Model Taxi' had Pyo Ye-jin join instead of Lee Na-eun due to the 'bullying controversy'. Although there were some noises such as controversy over action doubles and replacement of writers, the synergy of the actors was added to the refreshing story, and it received favorable reviews throughout the airing. In season 2, Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-seong, and Pyo Ye-jin, excluding Lee Som, are reunited. Here, Shin Jae-ha joins the cast and heralds a variety of character plays.

'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim' will return with Season 3 in April. 'Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim', which tells the story of a story set in a shabby Doldam Hospital in the countryside, is a success story, recording viewership ratings exceeding 20% in both Season 1 and Season 2. Most of the actors and production staff , including Han Seok-gyu, whom we trust, work together again to ensure fun and quality.

'Police Station Next to the Fire Station', which was confirmed to be scheduled for Season 2 even before the release of Season 1, will also visit home theaters once again in 2023. 'Police Station Next to the Fire Station', which ended on the 30th of last month, is a work that tells the story of a passionate detective who always catches a bite, a paramedic who caresses even the slightest wound and caresses the heart, and a firefighter who rushes into flames.

'Police Station Next to the Fire Station', which was planned for Season 2 from the time of production, will return to home theaters with Season 2 in July. Expectations are rising as it has an interesting setting of cooperation between firefighters and police officers, spectacular attractions, and a solid script, and has achieved the highest viewership rating of over 10% even in competition with 'The youngest son of a chaebol family' in the same time slot.

'Amazing Rumors' changes programming from OCN to tvN and returns with Season 2 this year. 'Amazing Rumors' is an exhilarating and sweaty demon-slaying hero story in which demon hunters 'counters' disguise themselves as employees of a noodle restaurant and defeat demons on earth. Expectations for season 2 are also high rating, as it received a lot of love by becoming the first OCN drama to record a viewership exceeding 10%. In Season 2, existing members Jo Byeong-gyu, Yoo Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong, and Yeom Hye-ran are joined by Jin Seon-gyu, Kang Ki-young, Kim Heera, and Yoo In-soo, heralding a new synergy.

However, the mountain that 'Amazing Rumors' must overcome is the main character, Jo Byeong-gyu. There is currently a hiatus due to the school violence controversy that arose after the end of 'Amazing Rumors'. Although he strongly denies this, saying it is false, the label of 'school violence' still persists. Although he made a comeback with the drama 'History of Fools', the public's reaction was cold. Accordingly, expectations and concerns coexist as to whether Jo Byeong-gyu will be able to calm the controversy with 'phenomenal rumors'.

tvN's 'Arthdal Chronicles', with a production cost of 54 billion won, is also about to release season 2. 'Arthdal Chronicles' attracted great expectations by casting a large number of top stars such as Song Joong-ki, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Ok-bin, and Kim Ji-won, but it performed below expectations due to poor CG and difficult plot development. Meanwhile, in Season 2, we even faced the situation of replacing the lead actor. Lee Joon-ki replaces Song Joong-ki, and Shin Se-kyung replaces Kim Ji-won. There is no doubt about the acting skills of Lee Joon-gi and Shin Se-kyung, but it is unclear how they will resolve the risk of replacing actors.

OTT also presents various seasonal dramas this year. First of all, Netflix's 'The Glory', which has been gaining explosive popularity since its release on the 30th of last month, is set to release its long-awaited part 2 in March.

In addition, Season 2 of 'DP', 'Sweet Home', and 'Hell' has been scheduled for Netflix and production has been confirmed. Disney+'s 'Casino', Choi Min-sik's first drama in 25 years, will also release Season 2 next month.

The reality is that expectations for a sequel are high, disappointment can also increase. It is the return of works that we believe in and watch, but this is why we cannot be completely reassured.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr