‘Reply 1997’: K-Drama Director Gives Fans Hope of a Sequel – but Not as a Full Season
When asking any K-drama fan about the most popular ‘Slice of Life’ storylines, Reply 1997 is on the list. Created by Shin Won-ho, Reply 1997 was the first installment of his Reply K-drama franchise in 2012. Its cast consisted of some of South Korea’s most well-recognized actors on TV today. Each installment focused on a new group of characters, but director Shin gave fans hope for a Reply 1997 sequel.
‘Reply 1997’ K-drama focuses on six close friends from Busan
The 2012 K-drama was one of the highest-rated series on cable television thanks to its heartwarming storyline of six best friends and their daily lives. Reply 1997 focuses on a female teen named Sung Shi-won, played by actor Jung Eun-ji. Fans could relate to her as she is obsessed with the male K-Pop group H.O.T. and dreams of marrying one of its members.
But Shi-won is not the brightest in class and is a bit sassy. Like any good teen romance K-drama, there is a secret crush involved. Shi-won’s best friend is Yoo Yoon-jae, played by Seo In-guk. He is the opposite of Shi-won, with a more quiet and timid personality. Having lost his parents, he spends a lot of time with her. To add some fun, Yoon-jae is one of the most handsome boys at school, but he keeps his crush on his best friend a secret.
Hoya stars as Kang Joon-hee. He is also Yoon-jae’s best friend, but he is secretly in love with him and has another secret. Mo Yoo-jung, played by Shin So-yul, is Shin-won’s female best friend and likes a rival K-Pop group. Eun Ji-won played the role of Do Hak-chan. He loves sports and is a bit lewd at times. But he has trouble talking to girls and falls in love with a close friend.
Bang Sung-jae, played by Lee Si-eon, is the rumor mill of the friend group. The beauty of Reply 1997 is that fans are watching the teenage characters as their adult versions reminisce about the past at their high school reunion. Reply 1997 is almost a classic for K-drama fans. But they have always wanted more.
Shin Won-ho revealed a ‘Reply 1997’ sequel could happen as he misses the characters
Ten years after the premiere of Reply 1997, the K-drama cast got together with the director for a reunion special on the Youtube channel @sieonschool. Only the male cast members were in attendance, like Seo In-guk. Seeing as they once played teenagers, they wore classic high school uniforms. While they reminisced over the K-drama, a general question was asked if there would be a Reply 1997 sequel.
Lee Si-eon explained, “Reply 1997 was a really good memory for me, so I wanna do a sequel.” Seo agreed, and director Shin gave them a hopeful answer. “I didn’t know the feeling of missing the old characters that I had made before. But when I invited you guys to Reply 1994 shooting and filmed that bus scene, I realized I was missing my old character,” explained Shin.
He explained that seeing them return was emotional, and he suddenly realized how fans felt. But is he willing to work on a Reply 1997 sequel? “Woo-jung and I often think about making just one episode for Reply 1997 sequel,” he revealed.
Fans got a glimmer of hope as Shin is open to the idea, and the cast is eager to return to their beloved characters. Lee was teased that he hoped for a more extended project, maybe 15 episodes. In return, Seo joked it was because Lee’s actor fees increased.
Fans are also hoping for a new ‘Hospital Playlist’ K-drama season
The Reply franchise is not the only ‘Slice of Life’ storyline that Shin is known for. After the last installment, Reply 1988 in 2015, Shin premiered a new K-drama in 2020. The medical K-drama Hospital Playlist was another groundbreaking success for Shin and became well-loved by fans.
Like his other work, Hospital Playlist focused on a group of friends who met in medical school and grew up to work in their respective fields at the same hospital. The K-drama has two seasons, with the Hospital Playlist Season 2 finale having premiered in September 2021. But the storyline left a lot to explore as some characters embarked on new ventures and romances.
Like the cast of Reply 1997, the cast of Hospital Playlist is more than open to returning for a third season. But after the second season finale, director Shin explained that deciding to create a Hospital Playlist Season 3 is not easy. Fans were teased with the possibility when the cast shared photos of themselves as their characters on Instagram. Instead of a third season announcement, the cast was filming a Blu-ray special.
