'The Fiery Priest' returns for season 2 with signature humor, meaningful storytelling and new twist

The second season of SBS's hit 2019 series “The Fiery Priest” premieres this Friday, picking up its signature blend of humor and meaningful storytelling, this time with a fresh, invigorating and profoundly satisfying twist.

From left, actors Kim Hyoung-seo, Kim Sung-kyun, Kim Nam-gil, Lee Ha-nee, Seo Hyun-woo and Sung Jun pose for a photo during a press conference for the second season of SBS's ″The Fiery Priest″ held in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

The hot-tempered priest returns for the first time in five years, ready to punish evil once again.

The second season of SBS's hit 2019 series “The Fiery Priest” premieres this Friday, picking up its signature blend of humor and meaningful storytelling, this time with a fresh, invigorating and profoundly satisfying twist that promises to captivate audiences anew.

“There’s a saying 'sweet and salty,' and our drama is much like that, quickly alternating between comedy and a meaningful storyline so that it won’t feel too light,” director Park Bo-ram said during a press conference of the new season held in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on Friday, just hours before the series release.

“Plus, even within the humor, we've hidden messages that viewers will likely enjoy discovering.”

The second season, set to air at 10 p.m. on SBS, continues to follow Catholic priest Kim Hae-il, who has anger control issues, teaming up once again with prosecutor Park Kyung-sun and detective Gu Dae-young to take on the nation's most powerful drug cartel.

The series will air every Friday and Saturday and be released on Disney+ after the show airs the same day.

Actor Kim Nam-gil poses for a photo during a press conference for the second season of SBS's ″The Fiery Priest″ held in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

Directed by Park, the new season continues to feature the original cast with actors Kim Nam-gil portraying priest Hae-il, Lee Ha-nee as Kyung-sun and Kim Sung-kyun as Dae-young, as well as new faces.

Actors Sung Jun and Seo Hyun-woo play the show's villains as Kim Hong-sik and Nam Du-hun, respectively, and singer-actor Kim Hyoung-seo, also known as Bibi, will play detective Gu Ja-young.

The first season of the drama garnered major success, ending with a 22 percent viewership rating and actor Kim Nam-gil winning the grand prize at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards. Actors Lee and Kim Sung-Kyun won awards at the same event.

The original cast agreed that the previous season's success was the driving force behind the return. However, they also pointed to their belief in and longing hearts for each other as another reason they gladly joined the project, even though five years had passed.

“I think we believed in the project,” Kim Nam-gil said.

“Rather than believing that season two would definitely do better, there was more of a sense that working together would bring happiness and joy on set and that this sense of happiness and enjoyment would be something we could share with the viewers.”

Actor Lee Ha-nee poses for a photo during a press conference for the second season of SBS's ″The Fiery Priest″ held in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

The previous season was well-known for its comical acts, especially the interactions between the characters. The director emphasized that the interactions have been maximized this time.

“In season two, we kept the individual character comedy that viewers saw in season one, but on top of that, we focused on creating many comedic scenes and moments that emerge when different characters are paired together,” director Park said.

Actor Lee shared she had never seen a drama that featured this many parodies of other works or characters, such as actor Kim Hyoung-seo appearing as Harley Quinn and Kim Sung-kyun as giant panda Fubao, saying, “The parodies in season one were nothing compared to this season.”

“You might find yourself wondering if there has ever been a drama in Korea that so boldly and effectively incorporates parodies into the storyline like this,” she said.

Actor Kim Hyoung-seo poses for a photo during a press conference for the second season of SBS's ″The Fiery Priest″ held in Yangcheon District, western Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

Some worried that the absence of producer Lee Myoung-woo, who directed the first season, might change the well-established universe and reputation. However, director Park showed confidence in making viewers laugh while carrying on the show's legacy.

She revealed that she is not an easy person to make laugh — a contention the actors strongly agreed with — and selected scenes that she believed were funny, saying, “I tend to be a bit stingy with laughter, so I think while filming I had a stricter attitude and higher standards toward laughter.”

The actors were eager to present the “stress-relieving” and “time-flying” new season.

“I hope the viewers can shake off the stress they've felt and comfortably enjoy the drama in bed with their loved ones and have a great time,” actor Kim Hyoung-seo said.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]