The Fiery Priest
The Fiery Priest 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, with a total of 20 episodes. The second season premiered on November 8, 2024, at 22:00.
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.
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
- Kim Sung-kyun as Goo Dae-young
- Ko Jun as Hwang Cheol-bum
- Lee Hanee as Angela/Park Kyung-sun
- Keum Sae-rok as Seo Seung-ah
- Sung Joon as Jacob/Kim Hongsik
- Seo Hyun-woo as Nam Duheon
- Kim Hyeong-seo as Goo Jayeong
Supporting
Local cartel
- Jeong Young-ju as Jung Dong-ja
- Kim Hyung-mook as Kang Seok-tae
- Jung In-gi as Nam Suk-goo
- Han Gi-jung as Park Won-moo
- Lee Moon-sik as Ki Yong-moon
- Kim Won-hae as Vladimir Gozhaev
People at the Cathedral and believers
- Jung Dong-hwan as Father Lee Young-joon
- Jeon Sung-woo as Father Han Sung-kyu
- Baek Ji-won as Sister Kim In-kyung
- Ahn Chang-hwan as Song Sac
- Ko Kyu-pil as Oh Yo-han
- Yoon Joo-hee as Bae Hee-jung
People at the Police Station
- Shin Dam-soo as Lee Myung-soo
- Jeon Jeong-gwan as Heo Lig-gu
- Ji Chan as Na Dae-gil
- Kim Kwan-mo as Kim Kyung-ryul
Others
- Kim Min-jae as Lee Jung-gwon
- Lee Je-yeon as Kim Hoon-suk
- Eum Moon-suk as Jang-ryong
- Kim Joon-ha as altar boy
- Lim Seung-min as altar boy
- Ok Ye-rin as Lim Ji-eun
- Young Ye-na as Hyun-joo
- Jo Ah-in as Eun-ji
- Choi Kwang-je as Anton
- Jung Jae-kwang as Kim Keon-yong
- Jeon Eun-mi as Wangmat Foods staff
- Heo Jae-ho as Gi Hong-chan
- Kang Un as Wangmat Foods manager
- Lee Gyu-ho as Choco
- Cha Chung-hwa as Ahn Dul-ja
- Yoo Kyung-ah as nursery nun
- Song Young-hak as former detective
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
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.