The Fiery Priest
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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.
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)
- Seo Hyun-woo as Nam Duheon
A corrupt and mysterious prosecutor who helps in spreading drugs in S.Korea for his personal gains. (Season 2)
- Kim Hyeong-seo as Goo Jayeong
An honest and straightforward police detective who stands against corruption but is forced to step back by her corrupt colleagues. Dae-young's aunt. (Season 2)
Supporting
Local cartel
- 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.
People at the Cathedral and believers
- 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.
- Ahn Chang-hwan as Song Sac
A young man from Thailand who came to Gudam and work as a delivery boy to support his family. He was often bullied by Jang-ryeong for being a foreigner and best-friend with Oh Yo-han.
- Ko Kyu-pil as Oh Yo-han
A cheerful yet chubby part-timer who majored in astronomy but struggles to make a living. He did many part-time work and is best friend with Song Sac.
- Yoon Joo-hee as Bae Hee-jung
A psychiatrist.
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
Former NIS agent and Hae-il's team leader.
- 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
The CEO of Great Taste Foods and Yong-moon's cousin.
- Kang Un as Wangmat Foods manager
- Lee Gyu-ho as Choco
A large chef who works at "Great Taste Foods" and acts as the muscle. Despite his towering size, he is easily knocked out by Hae-il but reemerges as backup later on.
- 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
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.
Original soundtrack
Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Our Neighbourhood HERO" (우리동네 HERO) | Hong In-hoKim Soo-jung | Go Jin-youngLee Jin-ho | Norazo | 3:11 |
| 2. | "Our Neighbourhood HERO" (Inst.) | Go Jin-youngLee Jin-ho | 3:11 | ||
| Total length: | 6:22 |
Part 2
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Breeze" | HaNa | ZigZag Note | Punch (feat. Gree) | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Breeze" (Inst.) | ZigZag Note | 3:53 | ||
| Total length: | 7:46 |
Part 3
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fighter" | Ra.LLa.Q | Gaemi | Jung Dong-ha (feat. La.Q) | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Fighter" (Inst.) | Gaemi | 2:56 | ||
| Total length: | 5:52 |
Part 4
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Paradise" | Chin ChillaLee Myung-woo | Park Yoon-seoGaemi | Chin Chilla (feat. Ga Eun) | 2:52 |
| 2. | "Paradise" (Inst.) | Park Yoon-seoGaemi | 2:52 | ||
| Total length: | 5:44 |
Part 5
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joy" | Andy Platts | Andy Platts | Andy Platts | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Joy" (Inst.) | Andy Platts | 3:54 | ||
| Total length: | 7:48 |
Part 6
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Victory" | Ra.L | Gaemiearattack | Kim Yeon-ji | 2:54 |
| 2. | "Victory" (Inst.) | Gaemiearattack | 2:54 | ||
| Total length: | 5:48 |
Viewership
| Episodes | Episode number | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||
| Ep.1–13 | 1.852 | 2.354 | 1.649 | 2.170 | 2.296 | 2.776 | 2.397 | 2.921 | 2.522 | 3.194 | 2.557 | 3.193 | 2.571 | |
| Ep.14–26 | 2.990 | 2.508 | 3.304 | 2.687 | 3.260 | 2.707 | 3.610 | 2.688 | 3.127 | 2.805 | 3.467 | 2.838 | 3.414 | |
| Ep.27–39 | 2.984 | 3.512 | 2.797 | 3.639 | 3.344 | 3.766 | 3.017 | 3.863 | 3.578 | 4.076 | 3.146 | 4.001 | 3.693 | |
| Ep.40–52 | 4.325 | 2.212 | 2.001 | 1.984 | 2.210 | 2.255 | 2.289 | 2.085 | 2.296 | 1.968 | 1.875 | 2.182 | 2.053 |
| Average TV viewership ratings (season 1) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Title | Average audience share | ||
| Nielsen Korea | TNmS | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | |||
| 1 | February 15, 2019 | A Priest in Trouble | 10.4% (9th) | 11.6% (7th) | 9.3% |
| 2 | Hae-il Moves to Gudam | 13.8% (4th) | 15.6% (3rd) | 11.9% | |
| 3 | February 16, 2019 | Hae-il Meets Cheol-bum | 8.6% (14th) | 9.5% (12th) | 7.4% |
| 4 | Father Lee's Death | 11.2% (9th) | 12.6% (9th) | 9.1% | |
| 5 | February 22, 2019 | Hae-il Investigates the Death of Father Lee | 12.8% (5th) | 14.7% (3rd) | 11.0% |
| 6 | The Case Gets Closed | 16.2% (2nd) | 18.5% (1st) | 13.3% | |
| 7 | February 23, 2019 | The Church Gets Desolate | 13.0% (4th) | 14.8% (4th) | 11.1% |
| 8 | A Cooperative Investigation | 15.7% (3rd) | 18.0% (3rd) | 13.4% | |
| 9 | March 1, 2019 | Cooperative Investigation Begins | 14.0% (4th) | 15.9% (3rd) | 11.9% |
| 10 | Hae-il Investigates On His Own | 17.2% (2nd) | 19.5% (1st) | 14.3% | |
| 11 | March 2, 2019 | Hae-il And Seung-ah Find The Witnesses | 13.1% (4th) | 15.0% (4th) | 10.4% |
| 12 | Dae-young's Old Partner | 16.0% (3rd) | 18.2% (3rd) | 12.8% | |
| 13 | March 8, 2019 | Kyeong-seon Meets Dong-ja | 15.3% (4th) | 17.1% (3rd) | 11.9% |
| 14 | The Corrupt Food Service Company | 17.7% (2nd) | 19.7% (1st) | 14.2% | |
| 15 | March 9, 2019 | To Tame A Fighting Dog | 12.5% (5th) | 14.6% (4th) | 10.8% |
| 16 | Raid Wangmat Foods | 16.1% (3rd) | 18.3% (3rd) | 13.7% | |
| 17 | March 15, 2019 | Hae-il Reports The Bribery Case | 15.4% (4th) | 17.4% (3rd) | 11.5% |
| 18 | Kyeong-seon Is Back | 17.5% (2nd) | 19.5% (2nd) | 13.7% | |
| 19 | March 16, 2019 | A New Lead Comes Up | 14.2% (4th) | 15.7% (4th) | 12.0% |
| 20 | A Covert Infiltration | 18.1% (3rd) | 20.3% (3rd) | 14.3% | |
| 21 | March 22, 2019 | Escape from the Villa | 14.6% (3rd) | 16.5% (3rd) | 12.3% |
| 22 | Save Him | 17.2% (2nd) | 19.0% (1st) | 14.9% | |
| 23 | March 23, 2019 | Hae-il's Past Is Revealed | 14.8% (4th) | 16.7% (4th) | 12.6% |
| 24 | Hae-il Saves Kyeong-seon | 17.9% (3rd) | 19.6% (3rd) | 15.5% | |
| 25 | March 29, 2019 | Break-in to Kyeong-seon's House | 15.3% (3rd) | 17.4% (3rd) | 11.9% |
| 26 | Kyeong-seon Cooperating with Hae-il | 18.5% (2nd) | 20.9% (1st) | 14.6% | |
| 27 | March 30, 2019 | Hae-il and Kyeong-seon Devising a Scheme | 15.6% (4th) | 17.4% (4th) | 14.0% |
| 28 | Kyeong-seon and Seung-ah Entering the Lair of Anton | 18.2% (3rd) | 19.8% (3rd) | 16.1% | |
| 29 | April 5, 2019 | Scheme to Find out the Owner of Rising Moon | 15.5% (3rd) | 17.7% (3rd) | 13.0% |
| 30 | The Secret of Sister Kim | 19.8% (2nd) | 22.2% (1st) | 16.9% | |
| 31 | April 6, 2019 | Let Me Teach You A Lesson | 17.7% (4th) | 19.9% (4th) | 15.7% |
| 32 | Father Kim, Go to Argentina | 19.4% (3rd) | 21.6% (2nd) | 17.3% | |
| 33 | April 12, 2019 | Scheme to Sneak in the Safe | 16.2% (3rd) | 18.6% (3rd) | —N/a |
| 34 | The Safe and People Locked in There | 20.3% (1st) | 22.8% (1st) | ||
| 35 | April 13, 2019 | Cheol-bum Asks Hae-il For Cooperation | 17.2% (4th) | 18.9% (4th) | |
| 36 | Father Han Trying To Persuade Dong-ja | 20.0% (3rd) | 22.1% (2nd) | ||
| 37 | April 19, 2019 | Father Han Falling into a Critical Condition | 16.7% (3rd) | 18.4% (2nd) | 14.6% |
| 38 | The Truth of Father Lee's Death | 20.3% (1st) | 22.2% (1st) | 18.1% | |
| 39 | April 20, 2019 | Showdown | 18.6% (4th) | 21.1% (4th) | 15.9% |
| 40 | Unexpected Visit | 22.0% (3rd) | 24.7% (1st) | 18.5% | |
| Average | 16.1% | 18.1% | — | ||
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. N/A denotes that the rating is not known. |
| Average TV viewership ratings (season 2) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | |
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | November 8, 2024 | 11.9% (1st) | 12.4% (1st) |
| 2 | November 9, 2024 | 10.1% (2nd) | 10.6% (2nd) |
| 3 | November 15, 2024 | 10.7% (2nd) | 11.1% (1st) |
| 4 | November 16, 2024 | 11.2% (2nd) | 11.6% (2nd) |
| 5 | November 22, 2024 | 12.7% (1st) | 13.6% (1st) |
| 6 | November 23, 2024 | 12.8% (2nd) | 12.6% (2nd) |
| 7 | November 29, 2024 | 11.6% (2nd) | 12.0% (1st) |
| 8 | November 30, 2024 | 12.1% (2nd) | 12.6% (2nd) |
| 9 | December 6, 2024 | 11.3% (1st) | 11.6% (1st) |
| 10 | December 13, 2024 | 10.8% (1st) | 10.8% (2nd) |
| 11 | December 20, 2024 | 11.9% (1st) | 11.9% (1st) |
| 12 | December 27, 2024 | 10.9% (2nd) | 10.5% (1st) |
| Average | 11.5% | 11.8% | |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor | Kim Nam-gil | Nominated | |
| Busan International Film Festival | Best Actor | Won | |||
| Korean Broadcasters Association Awards | Won | ||||
| 14th Seoul International Drama Awards | Excellent Korean Drama | The Fiery Priest | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Kim Nam-gil | Won | |||
| 12th Korea Drama Awards | Best Drama | The Fiery Priest | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Park Jae-bum | Nominated | |||
| Star of the Year Award | Go Jun | Won | |||
| Popular Character Award (Male) | Ahn Chang-hwan | Won | |||
| 32nd Grimae Awards | Best Actor | Kim Nam-gil | Won | ||
| Best Picture (Drama) | Yoon Dae-young, Park Jong-ki | Won | |||
| 2019 SBS Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Kim Nam-gil | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Nominated | ||||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama | Lee Hanee | Won | |||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Kim Sung-kyun | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Team | The Fiery Priest | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Go Jun | Won | |||
| Wayve Award | The Fiery Priest | Won | |||
| Producer's Award | Kim Nam-gil | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actor | Eum Moon-suk | Won | |||
| Best New Actress | Keum Sae-rok | Won | |||
| 2024 | 2024 SBS Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Kim Nam-gil | Nominated | [unreliable source?] |
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama | Won | ||||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Seasonal Drama | Lee Hanee | Won | |||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Seasonal Drama | Kim Sung-kyun | Won | |||
| Sung Joon | Won | ||||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Seasonal Drama | Kim Hyeong-seo | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Seasonal Drama | Seo Hyun-woo | Won | |||
| Best New Actor | Seo Bum-june | Won | |||
| Best Young Actor | Moon Woo-jin | Won | |||
| Scene Stealer Award | Ko Kyu-pil | Won | |||
| Ahn Chang-hwan | Won |