Cho Kuk “Two months left until Kim Kun-hee's imprisonment term expires…We must watch and see if the Supreme Court will give her freedom.”

Over the past few years, it's become customary for audiences to anticipate a series' second season following its initial release. Once popular in international dramas, the trend for "seasons" has now become the norm for domestic OTT and broadcasting platforms alike. This year alone, "Good Partner 2", "Wealthy Detective 2", "Popular Taxi 3" (SBS), "Made in Korea 2", "Killer Mall 2" (Disney+), "Yumi's Cells 3" (Tibing), "Soldier 4: Steel Trap" (ENA), and more have already aired or are set to do so.

"Judgment in Hell" (SBS) and "Movable" (Disney+) are also in the final stages of preparing their sequels. Seasonal dramas are manufactured with the intention of retaining fan bases and securing a certain level of box office performance. This is because established fans act as a consistent viewing audience, guaranteeing a predetermined level of success.

Digital Industry Policy Research Institute Director, Cha Kwankui, explained, "Producing the following season of an already popular drama is more stable than starting a new one, and the importance of IPs is on the rise, leading to the proliferation of season series." "With OTT's requiring retention of subscribers, only ongoing seasonal dramas are truly dependable," she emphasized.

However, not all follow-up seasons benefit from the success of their predecessors. Some, like "Penthouse" (SBS), have struggled to surpass their first season's viewership numbers. "Swiss Home" (Netflix) also experienced poor results with its subsequent seasons. Some attribute this to viewers' raised expectations following successful first seasons, and the difficulty in expanding a story's world for dramas not originally conceptualized as part of a series.

Conversely, some series receive praise for their successful transitions. Last July 22, "Killer Mall 2" became the poster child for this phenomenon. The action series, revolving around a former soldier-turned-knife-selling uncle, Jin-man (Lee Dong-wook) and his adopted son, Jaon (Kim Hye-jun), who are targeted by other assassins due to Jin-man's wealth, topped the Disney+ TV Show section in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan for three consecutive weeks and earned the highest combined viewership for OTT and digital drama content according to Good Data Corporation.

The secret to their success lies in their ability to maintain the unique essence of their original series while deviating from the formulaic success of their predecessors. While no formula has been determined to copy, one commonality among successful follow-up seasons is their respect for the original series' core identity and characters.

"Killer Mall 2" adapted "season 1's story of a day, with past and present overlapping, and season 2's fast-paced, forward-moving structure." The director explained that both seasons focused on Jaon's growth from child to adult. Meanwhile, "Popular Taxi" and "Nocturnal Doctor Kim Sabou" maintain their success by expanding upon the existing characters' development and introducing fresh situations.

Studio ES's Hong Seong-chang, who produced both series, stated, "Success lies in expanding the scale and density of the narrative based on character growth and change, rather than merely repeating the success formula of the previous season." "The key to success is preserving the series' unique 'tone and manner' while introducing new events and relationships," he added.

Hong concluded by emphasizing that the foundation of a long-lasting series is the creation of compelling characters that naturally spark interest in the next installment.