The essence of detective variety shows, "Crime Scene Zero" returns to viewers.
On the 16th at the Ramada Hotel in Sindorim, Guro District, Seoul, a production press conference was held for the Netflix variety show "Crime Scene Zero." The event was attended by PDs Yoon Hyun-joon and Hwang Seul-woo, Jang Jin, Park Ji-yoon, Jang Dong-min, Kim Ji-hoon and Ahn Yu-jin.
"Crime Scene Zero," which will be released on Sep. 23 (Tue), is a legendary role-playing deduction game in which players who become suspects and detectives find the criminal hiding among them. As it will be introduced to global viewers for the first time, it promises a new season faithful to the fun and essence of the cases, raising expectations for the return of the legendary deduction variety show.
On the day, PD Yoon Hyun-joon said, "I am glad to be back like this. I often wondered whether we could come back, whether we could do another season, but I am glad we were able to return. There is one thing I want to apologize to fans for: this time we could only make five episodes again. But we worked really hard, so please give it a lot of love," adding, "This time we are presenting it to global viewers through Netflix, and as you can tell from the title, we decided on the title with the intention of returning to the original mindset and staying true to the essence. Of course the original mindset is important, but we focused on how much we could evolve it. This season is about the original mindset and evolution," he hinted.
He also spoke about the member casting. PD Yoon said, "As you know, these five are, of course others might feel slighted, but I think these people are the representative faces. They are experienced players anyway. I thought experienced players would best show the essence. There was no hesitation in casting, and their play fit our expectations well. I hope fans will think that they considered what kind of show 'Crime Scene' is and that it has developed further."
He continued, "First, director Jang is a writer-like player; he creates scenes. He produced memorable scenes that recall past moments this time as well. Park Ji-yoon is an all-rounder—deduction, play, acting. She played the role of leading the whole. Jang Dong-min I want to describe as the lubricant. It can be a bit tough, but he provides tiny laughs and surprising twists. Deduction and acting are not missing either. Thanks to Jang Dong-min, the production team often laughed their heads off. Kim Ji-hoon, to put it simply, is X, and to say it nicely, he has a crazy presence. I really think he is a player with twists. Some of it may be unintentional. I think you will see when you watch. With Yu-jin this season, what surprised me was how much she developed. Watching last season, I thought, 'Next time I should do it like this.' Looking at her logical briefings, I felt she was the best. She developed in every aspect in just one season? She's really a prodigy. I wanted to say that," he said, warming hearts.
Co-director Hwang Seul-woo said, "Because many people have waited, this season could be produced," and added, "Earlier, when photos of the Han River set were released, many people were surprised. While maintaining the sensibility of 'Crime Scene,' we grew the scale, which is the differentiation and point. Based on the fun of deduction and design, you can expect a slightly expanded scale and immerse yourselves fully," asking viewers to look forward to it.
Jang Jin said, "I love this program so much. I'm not a professional broadcaster who does this constantly, but I really waited for this time. I always enjoy it like going to an amusement park. And more than enjoying it, I think a good result came out, so I'm waiting," adding, "I felt something while doing it. I always think I have to do well, catch the criminal. But as you do it, it becomes a battle with the production team. The good thing about the production team is that new members keep being added. Smarter, deeper, better creators keep joining. My feeling this time was that doing well on what I was assigned is basic. It's a battle of wits with new writers and PDs. I had to fight them again. I fought with the mindset that I must win here," he said, drawing laughter.
Regarding director Jang's "pick" favorite character, he said, "It's the 'long-form idol' character in episode 4, a 27-year-old character. I was very excited and while doing it there was fun, moments of embarrassment, and I even asked Yu-jin what word a 27-year-old uses. She doesn't know modern words well. When Yu-jin explained, it felt awkward and didn't suit my mouth. Although she is the same age as Yu-jin, Dong-min kept calling me 'this XX,' 'that XX,' making me do push-ups. That awkwardness made it very fun," he said, increasing anticipation.
Park Ji-yoon said, "In reality I haven't been called a queen much, but within this worldview I'm treated as the deduction queen, so I'm happy. Also, being able to greet viewers on Netflix made me approach it as a new start," adding, "Watching the last season before coming back, I realized we solved many cases since 2014. I felt a lot of pressure, and when I watched old footage I wondered how we talked like that. There were so many memorable scenes that I thought there was nothing more I could do better. So I approached this with the mindset of preserving the identity. If you wonder why I keep being cast, I think you'll understand when you watch the show," she said confidently.
Regarding her favorite character, she said, "This season I received a character close to a punishment every episode. I wanted to protest to the production, asking if we really had to do this much. Among them, I'm a Christian, so playing a shaman was burdensome, and I had experience with gut rituals. I had to study, so from the day before I watched gut videos on YouTube, videos of standing on a blade, and many documentaries, and I played gut videos in the waiting room. The staff younger members said, 'Unni, it's scary,' so I became frightened. The set was so scary and eerie. I tried to keep my mind together thinking I could really become possessed. Acquaintances said they didn't know my personal color was shaman clothing. Global viewers don't know what kind of person I am, but I'm worried they might think I'm an active shaman," she said, arousing curiosity.
Jang Dong-min said, "Crime Scene Zero made me think I should approach it with even more of an original mindset. When I first saw the members, since they were all experienced, I thought it would be a fierce battle. Immersion was stronger than any season, and the will to catch the criminal was intense. I probably said the most, 'You didn't really kill anyone!' Everyone was so immersed that fights grew heated. Everyone approached it with the original mindset, but it was more intense play than any season," he commented.
Especially when Jang Dong-min mentioned filming with guests, he said, "I usually don't get shaken, but when Park Sung-woong hyung appeared, I was actually scared and couldn't play well. I don't know if it was over-immersion or his true self. At first he asked, 'When will it end?' but by the end he was the most immersed. He said, 'Don't end it.' That was so scary I remember not playing well. Now there isn't a single guest I think I can toy with," he said, drawing laughter.
Kim Ji-hoon said, "It's an honor to greet you with 'Crime Scene' after almost 10 years. I'm usually a big fan of this show, so I'm very happy to have been given a chance to create fun this season. All players worked hard. It came out entertaining, so please look forward to it," adding, "I didn't participate in last season 'Crime Scene Returns.' I really wanted to, and while watching at home as a viewer I thought, 'This character should be played like this!' Now that I have rejoined after a long time, I wondered if I would readjust, but I immersed quickly. I felt again that this is where I belong. Those who enjoyed the old 'Crime Scene' will feel nostalgia and a bigger scale," he said, raising expectations.
Kim Ji-hoon also spoke about his favorite character this season: "It's 'Kim Minam' from the first episode, a devoted lover who loves purely and deeply," and said, "He truly loves, and my lover is the victim. Losing the person I love overwhelms me with emotion, and since we filmed practically 20 hours, I used artificial tears and cried in every sad scene, so I don't know how it will come out," he hinted, adding, "I was also the lover of Dong-min in an episode, and seeing him in drag I suddenly became immersed," he said, attracting attention.
IVE's Ahn Yu-jin said, "It's an honor to greet you again with Zero following Returns. I worked hard to deduce with senior colleagues who have great deduction experience, so please watch it kindly," adding, "Although I'm also experienced, I'm far behind the seniors. Still, many people called me 'clear-eyed light' without hesitation, so I thought I should show that side in deduction too, and I worked hard."
She continued, "Watching last season, I thought role-playing was embarrassing and the characters were difficult and shameful, but later I realized many people liked my ad-libs. So my goal this time was to overcome awkwardness. I think I achieved that well. If there is a next season, I'd like to pursue deduction more stubbornly. Because so many clues flood in, even if I think, 'It's this person,' I get shaken and make wrong choices," she said, expressing ambition for a next season.
Finally Park Ji-yoon said, "Although I am a former announcer who has done numerous broadcasts, I cherish 'Crime Scene' so much that I consider it my life variety show. It's probably the first program to climb back in popularity over seven years, and it may be the only program loved across three platforms. I want to say how grateful I am to the fans. And for those new to 'Crime Scene,' we will handle the deduction, so please watch, laugh and enjoy," she urged viewers to tune in.
Meanwhile, "Crime Scene Zero" will premiere episodes 1-4 on Sep. 23, episodes 5-8 on Sep. 30 and episodes 9-10 on Oct. 7, for a total of 10 episodes released exclusively on Netflix every Tuesday over three weeks.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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