''Busted!'' () is a South Korean

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

program on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

starring

Yoo Jae-suk Yoo Jae-suk (; or ; born on 14 August 1972) is a South Korean comedian, host and television personality. He has hosted several variety television shows in South Korea, including ''Infinite Challenge'', '' Running Man'', '' Happy Together, and ...

, Ahn Jae-wook,

Kim Jong-min Kim Jong-min (; born September 24, 1979) is a South Korean singer, dancer and television personality. He has been a member of the K-pop group Koyote since 2000 and a cast member of the variety show '' 2 Days & 1 Night'' since 2007. Kim has w ...

Lee Kwang-soo Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...

Park Min-young Park Min-young (; born March 4, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal '' (2010) and has since starred in television series ''City Hunter'' (2011), ''Glory Jane'' (2011), ...

Oh Se-hun Oh Se-hun (; born April 12, 1994), also known mononymously as Sehun, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, model and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo, its sub-group Exo-K and sub-unit Exo-SC. Apar ...

Kim Se-jeong Kim Se-jeong (; born August 28, 1996), known mononymously as Sejeong, is a South Korean singer and actress. She finished second in Mnet's girl group survival show ''Produce 101'', becoming a member of the project girl group I.O.I. She was also ...

and

Lee Seung-gi Lee Seung-gi (; born January 13, 1987) is a South Korean singer, actor, host, and entertainer. He has numerous hit songs as a singer such as "Because You're My Woman", "Will You Marry Me", "Return" and "The Ordinary Man". He has garnered furt ...

. It premiered on May 4, 2018, and concluded on January 22, 2021. The program is a Netflix Original that is co-produced with SangSang Company, a Korean production company that is responsible for ''

X-Man Nathaniel Grey (X-Man) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Steve Skroce, the character first appeared in ''X-Man'' ...

'', '' Running Man'', and ''

Family Outing ''Family Outing'' (; also known as ''Family Outing Season 1'') was a South Korean comedy-variety show; part of SBS's ''Good Sunday'' lineup, along with ''Gold Miss is Coming'' (골드미스가 간다). It first aired on June 15, 2008, and was ...

''. The show is Netflix's first original program to showcase an all-Korean cast. During a press briefing, producer Cho Hyo-jin mentioned that Netflix's goal is to create a hit show for South Korea, which can then be "consumed on the global stage". The show mixes both scripted and unscripted lines. The first season consists of 10 episodes; two episodes a week were released from May 4 to June 1, 2018. On May 30, 2018, Netflix published a press release announcing the program had been renewed for a second season. All ten episodes were released on November 8, 2019. On February 16, 2020, the show was renewed for a third season. Similar to second season, all eight episodes were released on January 22, 2021. Two weeks prior to the premiere of the third season, it was announced that the latter would conclude the show.

Synopsis

Season 1

Seven celebrity sleuths discover that they are a part of an operation called Project D, in which they are implanted with a chip containing the DNA of famous detectives throughout history. Led by a man only known as "K" (

Ahn Nae-sang Ahn Nae-sang (born December 25, 1964) is a South Korean actor. He began his career on the stage, and in 1994 made his film debut in the Bong Joon-ho short film ''Baeksekin'' ("White Man" or "White-collar worker"), followed by Jang Sun-woo's ''B ...

), they are recruited as private detectives and are given a new case in each episode, all the while gradually uncovering the mystery behind Project D and its inception.

Season 2

One year after the incidents of Season 1, the detectives reunite along with a new recruit to unveil the truth of K's death. With different murder cases that are interconnected, they conclude to search for the serial killer named "Flower Killer".

Cast

Episodes

Each episode features guest celebrities. Unlike other Korean variety show formats, guests for ''Busted!'' play characters many of whom have the same names as the celebrities themselves. The characters are somehow involved in the murder mystery in each episode and/or lead the cast to clues for solving the murder mystery.

Series overview

Season 1 (2018)

Season 2 (2019)

Season 3 (2021)

Development and production

Cho Hyo-jin, one of the executive producers of ''Busted!'', stated that he and the other producers pitched a variety show to

where ordinary people can become detectives and solve cases, and Netflix liked the concept. The initial title for the show was "Dumb and Dumber Detective".

Season 1

On September 27, 2017, it was reported that the final lineup for the show would consist of

, Ahn Jae-wook,

EXO Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...

, and

Gugudan Gugudan (), also stylized as gu9udan or gx9, was a South Korean girl group formed in 2016 by Jellyfish Entertainment and the company's first girl group. The group debuted on June 28, 2016, with their EP '' Act. 1 The Little Mermaid''. The group ...

. According to Cho, Lee Kwang-soo and Kim Jong-min were added to the cast to highlight the "dumb and dumber" aspect of the show, while Ahn Jae-wook and Park Min-young were added due to their serious personalities. Filming for ''Busted!'' began on September 27, 2017, with

Yoo Yeon-seok Yoo Yeon-seok (born Ahn Yeon-seok on April 11, 1984) is a South Korean actor. After making his acting debut in 2003 with a small role in '' Oldboy'', he resumed his acting career in 2008. His notable works include the films '' Re-encounter'' (2 ...

being confirmed as the show's first guest. The show was initially set to be released in March 2018. The first two episodes premiered on Netflix on May 4, 2018.

Season 2

On May 30, 2018, Netflix renewed the show for a second season. On September 6, 2018, it was reported that the original cast would return for the second season, apart from Lee Kwang-soo who would not be joining due to scheduling conflicts. In a Netflix event held in November 2018, producer Jang Hyuk-jae announced that

would join the cast. Netflix announced that the second season was scheduled to premiere on November 8, 2019. The episodes are shorter than the first season because "although some of the viewers liked the show's length because it felt like watching a movie, others said that the episodes were too long" according to producer Kim Dong-jin. There are also several fixed guests who appear multiple times during the season and who play a more important role than in the first season. Due to his drunk driving incident in February 2019, Ahn Jae-wook did not promote the second season with the rest of the cast. He was removed from the opening credits and did not appear on the promotional posters.

Season 3

On January 17, 2020, it was reported that

was in talks to return for the third season of the show. On February 16, 2020, ''Busted!'' was officially renewed for a third season. Filming began in April and ended in early June. The release date was teased on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

by the cast on December 14–16, with the season premiere of January 22, 2021 being officially confirmed by Netflix on December 17. On January 19, the cast and producer Cho Hyo-jin held an online media conference to promote the final season.

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Netflix original ended series (2012–2018) Korean-language Netflix original programming South Korean variety television shows South Korean mystery television series 2010s South Korean television series 2018 South Korean television series debuts 2021 South Korean television series endings Improvisational television series