Today we bring you a late review of another Lee Jehoon drama, this time for the prequel to the classic MBC series Chief Inspector which aired during the 70s and 80s – Chief Detective 1958.
Lee Jehoon is someone whose dramas I will watch without even knowing the summary – he’s excellent at picking scripts and delivering an emotional performance so it’s needless to say that I trust him absolutely. Mom and I actually started watching Chief Detective 1958 when it started airing last year, and then one of us went on a trip and we somehow forgot that we never finished the show. We’re making up for it now as we recently sat down and binged the remaining eight episodes in one day literally. If you know me, you know I’m an absolute sucker for found families and teams working together and Chief Detective 1958 provided me with just that, and paired with a stellar cast, the show really exceeded my expectations. Let’s review!
Summary via MDL: In 2023, 92-year-old Park Yeong Han, once a revered detective known as the “Columbo of Korea,” visits Jongnam Police Station to check on his grandson, Park Jun Seo, a rookie cop. The story shifts to Park Yeong Han’s early years in 1958, where he earned fame as a crimefighter in Gyeonggi Province. After transferring to Seoul’s Jongnam station, he confronts a powerful gang controlled by political connections and corruption. Undeterred, he uses his wit and experience to uncover smuggling operations and confront the systemic issues plaguing the police force.
Possible spoilers ahead:
I was initially really excited about this drama because I saw that Lee Jehoon and Lee Donghwi would be leading it and boy, did they deliver a great performance here. I’d even dare say that Lee Donghwi was a show-stealer here, as well as Choi Woosung who really pleasantly surprised me with this role. As the summary tells you, the drama takes place in late 50s and early 60s Seoul as a team of misfit officers tries to fight back against the claws of corruption that have found their way into their city and their station as well. I wasn’t sure how our leading characters would all fall into one team together but I was really surprised by how lovely everyone was and how much chemistry there was between everyone on Park Yeong Han’s team. I think it was also refreshing to see characters who don’t falter when things get tough and continue their fight against all odds, including their investigation team 1 leader (who was a surprisingly fantastic character). One of the best aspects of the drama was definitely the acting – with a cast this stellar, it was no surprise that all the leading characters were easy to love and root for.
Park Yeong Han is incredibly charming, in a classic Lee Jehoon way, and a refreshing character to see as he really does not give up no matter how difficult it gets. However, some of his best qualities come into the spotlight when he’s paired up with his wife Hae Joo, who might just be my favourite character of the drama. Park Yeong Han might be a great detective and a colleague, but he becomes the best one when he knows he has his wife’s back. She was such a lovely character, ready to help at any time, and fearless in the best way possible, truly becoming a part of the team along the way. I loved their story and the chemistry between them and found it awfully sweet how great of a match they were for each other. I think the drama did a great job at combining the cases and the team’s personal stories, making you learn more about all of them along the way.
I love case-based shows and Chief Detective 1958 is the perfect example of that as it handles a new case every other episode while still keeping an eye on the main plotline. I thought all cases were interesting, although I have to say the orphanage one definitely brought out the most emotions out of me, mostly thanks to Lee Dohghwi’s character Sang Soon who shined so much in this case. If you’re also a fan of case-based series, Chief Detective 1958 will definitely be your cup of tea. Sure, the show is a bit too optimistic with the bad guys seemingly finding their way behind the bars or being punished in the end, but honestly, sometimes it’s nice to have an optimistic view of things with the cruel things happening in the world right as we speak. I think series like this one give you some motivation that your hard work will pay off in the end.
However, no matter how interesting the cases are, the true star of Chief Detective 1958 is definitely the lovely bromance between the leading characters and the feeling of found family they bring with them. The last scene of the drama, where the veteran actor Choi Boolam takes on the role of the OG Park Yeong Han really brought tears to my eyes, not only because he was saying farewell to all of his colleagues we got to know in the prequel, but also because he’s saying farewell to the original actors of these characters who have since the show’s end passed away. I thought the ending scene was such a nice goodbye to this story and this team, whether it’s the original or the new cast. If you like teams, crime, and a positive outlook on things during hard times, Chief Detective 1958 is your drama. I am always extremely biased when it comes to Lee Jehoon so the drama gets an 8.75/10 from me, and I’d gladly rewatch it in the future. Looking forward to Lee Jehoon’s new drama we will be getting soon as well as that Signal season 2!
Header Image Source: MBC