''Signal'' () is a

South Korean television series Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise of the Korean Wa ...

written by Kim Eun-hee, directed by Kim Won-seok, and starring

Lee Je-hoon Lee Je-hoon (; born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. Having found success in both film and television, Lee first gained recognition for his roles in the films '' Bleak Night'' (2011) and '' The Front Line'' (2011), receiving numerous awar ...

Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. Kim began ...

, and

Cho Jin-woong Cho Jin-woong (; born March 3, 1976), born Jo Won-jun (), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'' (2012), '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014), ''Assassination'' (2015), ...

. It was inspired by real-life criminal incidents in Korea, including the Hwaseong serial murders. The first season aired on tvN from January 22 to March 12, 2016, every Friday and Saturday at 20:30 ( KST). In March 2024, a second season was confirmed to be in production. The series received widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike for its story and performances. It is also one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history with a peak audience viewership of 12.544%. This series is inspired by the 2000 film, ''Frequency'', a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

starring

Dennis Quaid Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), '' The Big Easy'' (1986), '' Innerspace'' (1987), '' Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989), ' ...

Jim Caviezel James Patrick Caviezel Jr. ( ; born September 26, 1968) is an American actor. He played Jesus in ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (film), ''Sound of Freedom'' (2023), and starred as John Reese (Person of Inte ...

Andre Braugher Andre Keith Braugher ( ; July 1, 1962 – December 11, 2023) was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the NBC police drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999) and Captain Raymond Holt in the ...

, and

Elizabeth Mitchell Elizabeth Mitchell (born Elizabeth Joanna Robertson; March 27, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her lead role as Juliet Burke on the ABC mystery drama series '' Lost'' (2006–2010), for which she received a Primetime Emmy A ...

, which also inspired a TV series in 2016 of the same name by

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

, ''Frequency'' .

Plot

In present-day 2015,

criminal profiler Offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is an investigative strategy used by law enforcement agencies to identify likely suspects and has been used by investigators to link cases that may have been committed by the same perpetrato ...

Park Hae-young (

) finds a mysterious discarded walkie talkie; inexplicably, the person at the other end, Detective Jae-han (

), is from the past, and addresses him familiarly, even though Hae-young has never met him. Hae-young is able to solve a 15-year-old kidnapping and murder case involving a former classmate from his childhood with Jae-han's help. The success of this case triggers the formation of a

cold case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

team, led by Detective Cha Soo-hyun (

), who has been searching for Jae-han, her long-lost mentor and unrequited love, for the past 15 years. With Jae-han's help from the 1990s, Hae-young solves other cold cases that have remained unsolved for years and is drawn into the mystery surrounding Jae-han's disappearance in the year 2000. As they try to fix the past and catch the criminals, unintended consequences follow in the present.

Cast

Main

as Park Hae-young : The jaded and hotheaded criminal profiler who finds the walkie-talkie by chance, and uses his connection with Jae-han to solve cold cases. *

as Cha Soo-hyun : The first female police officer in the Special Task Force, she becomes the leader of the Seoul cold case squad. She has been searching for Jae-han, her mentor and unrequited love, for 15 years, believing him to be dead. *

as Lee Jae-han : The socially inept but virtuous and quick-tempered detective from the past who establishes a rapport with Park through the walkie-talkie. His timeline during his communication with Park spans from 1989 to 2000.

Supporting

;Police officers *

Jang Hyun-sung Jang Hyun-sung (; born July 17, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career as a member of the ''Hakjeon'' Theatre Company, before transitioning to film and television. Jang is best known for starring in director Song Il-gon's a ...

as Kim Bum-joo : The corrupt police superintendent. *

Jung Hae-kyun Jung Hae-kyun (; born August 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in '' The Villainess'', '' Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds'' and '' Confession of Murder''. He has appeared in many films and television series in a ...

as Ahn Chi-soo : The section chief and supervisor of the Seoul cold case squad who acts as Bum-joo's lackey but appears morally gray. *

Kim Won-hae Kim Won-hae (; born April 6, 1969) is a South Korean actor. Since his debut in musical in 1991, Kim Won-hae worked on stage in plays and musicals before joining the non-verbal performance Nanta as an original member in 1997. He is best known a ...

as Kim Gye-chul : A police officer who joins the Seoul cold case squad and often serves as comic relief. * as Oh Yoon-seo : A colonel. * as Jung Han-ki : A forensic scientist and member of the Seoul cold case squad, often seen with Detective Kim. * Kim Min-kyu as Hwang Eui-kyung : A junior officer that cleans up the Seoul cold case squad's work area and admires them. ;Extended * Kim Hyun-bin as young Park Hae-young *

Kang Chan-hee Kang Chan-hee (; born January 17, 2000), also known by his stage name Cha ni, is a South Korean singer and actor. He began his career as a child actor, in the television dramas '' Listen to My Heart'' (2011), '' The Innocent Man'' (2012), ''The ...

as Park Sun-woo : Hae-young's older brother who was convicted in the high school gang rape case and died by suicide after being released. *

Yang Dae-hyuk Yang Dae-hyuk is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''The Third Charm ''The Third Charm'' () is a 2018 South Korean television series directed by Pyo Min-soo and starring Seo Kang-joon and Esom. It explores t ...

as Hong Won-seo : A detective. * Lee Moon-soo as Lee Jae-han's father * Seo Ju-hee as Cha Soo-hyun's mother * Lim Hwa-young as Cha Soo-hyun's younger sister *

Lee Do-yeop Lee Do-yeop (; born on April 11, 1972) is a South Korean theater actor and director. As an actor he also does various supporting roles in television and film. He’s known as scene stealer in dramas such as ''The Uncanny Counter'', Run On, and ...

as Kim Jung-jae

Special appearances

Oh Yeon-ah Oh Yeon-ah (; born December 1, 1981), birth name Kim Mi-ae (), is a South Korean actress. She has played many supporting roles in both films and television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general ref ...

as Yoon Soo-ah (ep. 1-2) *

Lee Young-eun Lee Young-eun (; born August 9, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for starring in Korean dramas such as ''Likeable or Not'', ''OB & GY'', ''While You Were Sleeping (2011 TV series), While You Were Sleeping'', and ''Can't Stand ...

as Kim Yoon-jung (ep. 1-2) *

Lee Si-a Lee Si-a (; born July 10, 1990), birth name Lee Ji-a, is a South Korean actress and singer. She made her entertainment debut in 2011 as a member of the K-pop girl group CHI CHI. When Chi Chi disbanded in 2013, Lee turned to acting, and has appe ...

as Kim Won-kyung (ep. 2-4) *

Kim Jung-young Kim Jung-young (; born on 27 July 1972) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2000 in films, since then, she has appeared in number of plays, films and television series. She got recognition for her supporting roles in '' Clean ...

as Won-kyung's aunt (ep. 2-4) * Kim Ki-cheon as Lee Chun-goo (ep. 3-4) * Lee Dong-ha as Han Se-kyu (ep. 5-8) * Jung Suk-yong as Oh Kyung-tae (ep. 5-7) * Park Si-eun as Oh Eun-ji (ep. 5-6) * Choi Woo-ri as Shin Yeo-jin (ep. 5-6) * Yoo Ha-bok as Shin Dong-hoon (ep. 5-7) *

Son Hyun-joo Son Hyun-joo (; born June 24, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Since 1991, he has starred in numerous television series and films, such as '' First Love'' (1996), '' My Rosy Life'' (2005), '' My Too Perfect Sons'' (2009), '' Secretly, Greatly'' ( ...

as Jang Young-chul (ep. 7, 11, 14, 16) * Lee Eun-woo as Shin Da-hye (ep. 7-8) *

Lee Sang-yeob Lee Sang-yeob (; born May 8, 1983) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for starring in the sitcom '' Living Among the Rich'' (2011–2012), the melodrama '' The Innocent Man'' (2012), the period drama ''Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love'' (20 ...

as Kim Jin-woo (ep. 9-11) *

Lee Chae-kyung Lee Chae-kyung (; born on 22 January 1975) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1998 in theater, and since then, she has appeared in a number of plays, films and television series. She got recognition for her supporting roles ...

as Jin-woo's mother (ep. 10) *

Seo Eun-ah Seo Eun-ah (; born February 26, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She graduated from the Korea National University of Arts School of Drama with a major in Acting and a minor in Dance, and began her entertainment career in 2005 by appearing in ...

as Yoo Seung-yeon (ep. 10-11) * Shin Yi-joon as Kang Hye-seung (young / ep. 11-14) * Kim Woo-suk as Lee Dong-jin (ep. 12-14) *

Lee Jin-kwon Lee Jin-kwon (born 22 January 1991) is a South Korean actor and singer. He is best known for his supporting roles in '' Untouchable Lawman'', '' The Magician'' and '' Gangnam Blues''. Lee also appeared in the famous and popular school drama se ...

as a bully (ep. 12) *

Hwang Seung-eon Hwang Seung-eon (; born October 31, 1988) is a South Korean actress, model and singer. She was a member of the co-ed project group Temporary Idols under YG Entertainment. She has appeared in numerous films, television series, variety shows, and ...

as Han Do-yeon (ep. 13) *

Jeon Su-ji Jeon Su-ji (born 10 November 1983) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Designated Survivor: 60 Days'', ''Signal'', '' Sin Don'' and '' Green Mothers' Club''. She also appeared in movies ''Marathon'', '' Clo ...

as Kang Hye-seung (adult / ep. 13-14) *

Seo Ji-hoon Seo Ji-hoon or Seo Ji-hun () is a Korean name consisting of the family name Seo and the masculine given name Ji-hoon, and may refer to: * Seo Ji-hun (gamer) (born 1985), South Korean video game player * Seo Ji-hoon (actor) (born 1997), Sout ...

as Jang Tae-jin (ep. 14)

Episodes

Original soundtrack

Reception

Upon its premiere, the series attracted attention for weaving actual cases into its plot and attained high ratings. With its finale rating of 12.54%, it is one of the highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history. It received praise for its solid acting, tightly-constructed plot and detailed and sophisticated direction; and enjoyed success internationally in China and Japan. The drama went on to win several awards from different award-giving bodies, including Best Drama, Best Screenplay for Kim Eun-hee, and Best Actress for

at the

52nd Baeksang Arts Awards The 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards () ceremony was held on June 3, 2016, at Grand Peace Hall, Kyung Hee University in Seoul. It was broadcast live on JTBC and was hosted by Shin Dong-yup and Bae Suzy. Organised by ''Ilgan Sports ''Ilgan Sports'' ...

, as well as another Best Actress award for Kim and the Daesang (Grand Prize for Television) for

at the

tvN10 Awards tvN10 Awards is an award ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea, organized by tvN, one of the networks under the umbrella of CJ E&M. It was held at the KINTEX in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province and was emceed by Kang Ho-do ...

. Cho also won the Daesang at the 1st

Asia Artist Awards Asia Artist Awards (; abbreviated AAA) is an awards ceremony organized by South Korea-based business newspaper ''Money Today'' and its global media brands StarNews and MTN. This honors the outstanding achievements and international contribution ...

for his performance.

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Adaptations

* A Japanese remake of the series starring

Kentaro Sakaguchi is a Japanese actor and model. He debuted as a model in ''Men's Non-no'' magazine in 2010, and as an actor under Tristone Entertainment in 2014. He has since starred in television series '' Tokyo Tarareba Musume'' (2017) and ''Signal'' (2018), ...

was aired from April 10 to June 12, 2018, on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

. * On October 23, 2019, ''Unknown Number'', a Chinese remake of the series, started airing on

Tencent Video Tencent Video ( zh, s=腾讯视频, p=Téngxùn Shìpín, also called WeTV outside of China) is a Chinese video streaming website owned by Tencent, launched in April 2011. As of October 2022, Tencent Video has 120 million paid subscribers, maki ...

. * On January 20, 2023, a Thai remake of the series titled ''23:23'', was aired on

True4U True4U is a Thai digital terrestrial television channel owned by True4U Station Company Limited, a unit of TrueVisions, a subsidiary of True Corporation, part of the Charoen Pokphand Group and Telenor. It broadcasts news, entertainment and sport p ...

. * On April 24, 2024, an Indian remake of the series titled '' Gyaarah Gyaarah'', has premiered on August 9, 2024 on

Zee5 ZEE5 or Z5 is an Indian subscription video on demand and over-the-top streaming service, owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on We ...

References

External links

* * {{TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas (2006–2019) TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas 2016 South Korean television series debuts 2016 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean crime television series South Korean fantasy television series South Korean police procedural television series South Korean television series remade in other languages South Korean time travel television series Television shows written by Kim Eun-hee Television series by AStory