tvN has issued an official statement regarding the release date of Season 2 of “Signal.”
“The Second Signal,” the long-awaited second season of the hit 2016 drama “Signal,” was originally scheduled to premiere in June for tvN’s 20th anniversary, but the show was put on hold due to star Cho Jin Woong’s controversy. In December of last year, the actor was revealed to have a juvenile criminal record from his school days, and disclosures also surfaced about incidents from his adulthood, including an assault-related dispute and a drunk driving record. Cho Jin Woong ultimately acknowledged responsibility and announced his retirement, leaving the future of “The Second Signal” uncertain.
Hello, this is tvN.
We take seriously the concerns and opinions viewers have shared regarding the drama “The Second Signal.”
The past misconduct of a particular cast member is certainly not something we, as a broadcasting network, can take lightly. However, “The Second Signal” is not the work of one individual cast member alone. From its initial planning stages through filming and post-production, it has been a collaborative creation shaped by the time and efforts of numerous staff members, production crew, and other people involved. We believe it is important to distinguish between judgments about an individual cast member, the value of the work itself, and the efforts of the creators who contributed to it.
After much careful consideration, we have decided to cautiously move forward with broadcasting “The Second Signal” as a Monday-Tuesday drama on tvN, beginning December 7. Taking into account the drama’s genre and viewing experience, we plan to air it at the later time of 10 p.m. KST, rather than its original time slot. Additionally, taking into account the eight-episode series’ narrative progression and overall viewing experience, we will air the first three episodes during its premiere week.
On the premiere day, Episodes 1 and 2 will air consecutively, with the first episode slightly shortened and adjusted only to the extent necessary to still preserve the story’s flow and viewer immersion. The following day, Episode 3, which marks the beginning of the main storyline, will air. After that, one episode will be broadcast each Monday and Tuesday.
Before reaching this decision, we thoroughly explored various ways to minimize concerns while maintaining the drama’s overall quality. We considered making adjustments using video technology and even conducted tests to replace a character using AI. However, we found that these methods had limitations in naturally reproducing acting performances and maintaining the flow of the narrative, making their final implementation difficult.
We would like to make it clear that releasing the drama does not mean endorsing or justifying the issues surrounding the individual involved. While we recognize that this decision may not fully address all the concerns viewers have raised, we also believe it is important to consider those who have been waiting for the drama for a long time, as well as the many actors, staff members, and production crew who have worked tirelessly in their respective roles to bring it to completion.
We will strive to convey the story and meaning of “The Second Signal” in a way that does justice to the work, while never forgetting our responsibilities as a broadcasting network.