Disney+ K-drama Chief Detective 1958: Lee Je-hoon plays beloved classic cop in fun, nostalgic prequel

Lead cast: Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Choi Woo-sung, Yoon Hyun-soo, Seo Eun-soo Latest Nielsen rating: 7.8 per cent Lee Je-hoon’s return to screens sees him reincarnate one of South Korea’s most beloved TV characters. Created by Park Jae-beom (Vincenzo, The Fiery Priest) and directed by Kim Sung-soon (Confidential Assignment), Chief Detective 1958 is a 10-part period investigation drama that is a prequel series to the long-running Chief Inspector procedural series that aired close to 900 episodes between 1971 and 1989. While fans of modern Korean content may not have seen the original series, they may recognise the opening credits’ theme song, as it featured prominently in Bong Joon-ho’s 1980s-set serial-killer classic Memories of Murder (2003). In that film, the detectives and their suspect pause a brutal interrogation to tune in to Chief Inspector, with Song Kang-ho’s detective humming along to the theme tune. Further connecting this newfangled prequel with its progenitor is the show’s present-day opening, which features original star Choi Bool-am reprising his role as the now retired Detective Park Yeong-han, still stomping through his old haunts. 7 of the best new Korean drama series to watch in April 2024 Lee first appears on screen in the present, as the retired detective’s bright-eyed grandson, who has followed in his footsteps into the crime-solving profession. The series then travels all the way back to the muddy countryside on the outskirts of Seoul in 1958. Lee is now the much younger Detective Park, wrapped up in rags as he goes undercover to track down some cow thieves at a cattle market. He smooth-talks his way into a barnyard gambling den and sits down to play a hand with some slimy gentlemen wearing boxy suits and white leather shoes. He swiftly exposes the hoodlums and is praised by the captain of his quaint provincial precinct for having collared his 96th cow thief. Yeong-han’s success earns him a transfer and he packs his bags for the big city. His reputation as an eager country-bumpkin investigator precedes him but Yeong-han isn’t the type to take jabs lying down. He gives back better than he receives and, before long, his cocky new city-slicker colleagues learn not to mess with him. Yeong-han also gains the admiration of his exceedingly jaded new captain Yu Dae-cheon (Choi Deok-moon) when he shoves the manacled criminal Viper down in a chair in the precinct. Everyone scoffed when Yeong-han set out to apprehend the gangster, who is guarded by a brigade of 30 thugs, but armed with his wits and a bag of snakes, he prevailed against the odds. What the idealistic Yeong-han isn’t prepared for, however, is the rampant corruption in the department. Viper is almost immediately freed and Yeong-han soon learns that most of his fellow detectives are on the take. Fortunately for Yeong-han, he isn’t completely alone. There is his honest captain, whose passion for justice is reawakened by his steadfast new team member, and also the outcast Detective “Mad Dog” Kim Sang-sun (Lee Dong-hwi, Reply 1988), who typically doesn’t play well with others. Over the first few episodes, Yeong-han puts together a new squad of honest cops, which is filled out with Jo Gyeong-hwan (Choi Woo-sung, My Roommate Is a Gumiho), a beefy street porter who frequently tussles with gangsters, and Seo Ho-jeong (Yoon Hyun-soo, A Good Day to Be a Dog), a brilliant student from a rich family who goes against his father’s wishes to join the force. Yeong-han also gets some help from the charming bookseller Lee Hye-ju (Seo Eun-soo, The Witch: Part 2. The Other One), hinting at some romance in the show’s future. Rather than capture the essence of the famed Chief Inspector, as originally played by Choi, Lee largely channels his previous performances for his gregarious spin on the part, namely his role in the hit show Taxi Driver and the titular character he plays in the neo-noir thriller Phantom Detective, who is also a period-era investigator. Though the show has yet to explain where Yeong-han gets his stellar investigation skills from, we do know that the seeds of his idealism were planted by his father. A brewer, his father tells him that “living in this world is like brewing alcohol. You have to filter out the impurities.” Some people who remember the original show will be delighted at Detective Park’s return, while others may feel that it shares little with the original, beyond its callbacks. Meanwhile, not being familiar with the original is in no way an impediment to enjoying this lively procedural, which is steeped in an infectious sense of nostalgia. Lee and the co-stars playing his cohorts are a pleasure to watch as they get up to their inventive crime-fighting antics, and the immersive period detail of the production is well-rendered. There are a few wonky spots, including some misguided altercations with crooked American GIs, but for the most part, Chief Detective 1958 is a welcome blast back to the past. Chief Detective 1958 is streaming on Disney+.