The Fiery Priest (Korean: 열혈사제) is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Kim Nam-gil, Kim Sung-kyun, and Lee Hanee with Ko Jun and Keum Sae-rok in the first season, and Sung Joon, Seo Hyun-woo, and Kim Hyeong-seo in the second season. It was the first drama to air on SBS TV's Fridays and Saturdays timeslot. The first season was aired from February 15, to April 20, 2019, at 22:10 (KST), with a total of 20 episodes. The second season premiered on November 8, 2024, at 22:00 (KST).
The Fiery Priest is the highest rated miniseries drama that aired in 2019 on public broadcast according to Nielsen Korea. The drama was a huge success and was one of the most popular dramas aired in 2019. Kim Nam-gil won numerous accolades for his portrayal of a priest with anger management issues. The action comedy drama also featured parodies from other movies and dramas, notably from Mr. Sunshine, Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, The Matrix, Reply 1988 and Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds.
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Synopsis
Following the mysterious death of an elderly Catholic priest, an NIS agent turned Catholic priest attempts to bring the culprits involved before law. The hilarious journey in taking down the gangsters and corrupt officials in the city is what follows. The journey is not so smooth when the corrupt prosecutor of the city refuses to cooperate.
Cast
Main
Kim Nam-gil as Father Michael/Kim Hae-il
Moon Woo-jin as young Hae-il
An ex-NIS agent who retired after an accident that happened during his last mission. He met Father Lee and eventually decided to take the path as a priest and hoped for his sins to be forgiven. He was very close to Father Lee and thus is crazy to punish those who killed him. On the contrary to a priest, he is a short-tempered person.
Kim Sung-kyun as Goo Dae-young
A clumsy detective who is a pushover and always manipulated by his superintendent and seniors. Once a dedicated police officer, his life changed after the death of his former partner. He is Goo Jayoung's nephew.
Ko Jun as Hwang Cheol-bum
A corrupt businessman who is the step-brother of Gudam's Head of Borough. He runs Daebum Trading and trade illegal things within. Once ranked as number two gangster in Yeosu, he often uses violence to achieve his goal. (Season 1)
Lee Hanee as Angela/Park Kyung-sun
A fully corrupt prosecutor who covered up the crimes of Gudam's administrators including the police chief and head borough. She likes Hae-il for his good-looking face but constantly bickers with him.
Keum Sae-rok as Seo Seung-ah
A rookie detective at Gudam Police Station who is dedicated in helping Hae-il to reveal the truth behind Fr. Lee's death. She secretly has a crush on Hae-il. (Season 1)
Sung Joon as Jacob/Kim Hongsik
A ruthless drug kingpin who established his empire in Southeast Asia then came back to Busan. He has a crush on Park Kyung-sun. (Season 2)
Supporting
Jeong Young-ju as Jung Dong-ja
Gudam's Head of Borough and Hwang Cheol-bum step-sister.
Kim Hyung-mook as Kang Seok-tae
Chief prosecutor of Gudam and boss of Park Kyung-sun.
Jung In-gi as Nam Suk-goo
Gudam Police Station's corrupt superintendent and leader of Rising Sun, a nightclub with connections to the cartel.
Han Gi-jung as Park Won-moo
A corrupt assemblyman representing Gudam.
Lee Moon-sik as Ki Yong-moon
A con-artist and the leader of a religious cult "Maegak".
Kim Won-hae as Vladimir Gozhaev
Leader of the Russian gang.
Jung Dong-hwan as Father Lee Young-joon
He is looked up as a father figure by Kim Hae-il and is a wise, soft-spoken man. His murder was touted as a suicide.
Jeon Sung-woo as Father Han Sung-kyu
A gentle young priest at Gudam's Church. He trained to replace Fr. Lee's position after his death. His real name is Han Woo-ram, a famous child actor who starred in an old, popular drama prior to becoming a priest.
Baek Ji-won as Sister Kim In-kyung
Head nun at Gudam's church who constantly worry about Hae-il boldness in finding the truth. She is revealed to be a former well-known gambler nicknamed Ten-Tailed Fox who blamed herself for her brother's death.
Special appearances
Lee Young-bum as Father Kang Matthew
Lee Ki-young as Oh Jung-kook
Hwang Bum-shik as Kyung-sun's father
Jung Shi-ah as Maegakkyo believer
Kim Jong-goo as Kim Jong-chul
Yoo Seung-mok as Oh Kwang-du
Jang Ye-won as news announcer
Kwon Hyeok-soo as President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in
Kim Hong-fa as Lee Seok-yoon
Byun Joo-eun as Kim Geom-sa
Park Eun-kyung as announcer
Kim Won-gi as prosecutor
Bang Jun-ho as planning manager
Production
The first script reading took place on October 26, 2018 at the SBS Ilsan Production Center in Tanhyun, South Korea. The first season series was produced by Samhwa Networks for approximately 9.3 billion won.The Fiery Priest was first scheduled to air as a Monday-Tuesday drama following My Strange Hero, but due to SBS deciding to cancel the weekend special drama time slot (Saturday nights at 21:05 KST) after Fates & Furies, it became the network's first Friday-Saturday night drama. Haechi was then chosen to follow My Strange Hero.
This series was Lee Myung-woo's last project for SBS, after 12 years of partnership. In October 2019, he moved to Taewon Entertainment.
The Fiery Priest 2, the sequel to the drama, was originally planned for a 2022 release but faced delays. In late 2023, lead actor Kim Nam-gil confirmed his return, and by January 2024, the series was officially announced as part of the SBS 2024 drama line-up. Filming reportedly began in February 2024. The series is a joint production between Studio S, Big Ocean ENM, Red Nine Pictures, and Gilstory ENT. The new season is directed by Park Bo-ram, who was the "Team B" director for the first season and is scheduled to premiere on November 8, 2024, at 10 PM.