The Fiery Priest
Promotional poster
Hangul
열혈사제
Hanja
熱血司祭
Literal meaningHot Blooded Priest
Revised RomanizationYeolhyeolsaje
Genre
Written byPark Jae-beom
Directed byLee Myung-woo,
Park Bo-ram
Starring
Music byGaemi (CP)
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes20 (1 hour)/40 (30 minutes) [a]
Production
Producers
  • Ahn Jae-hyun
  • Shin Sang-yoon
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time35 minutes[a]
Production companySamhwa Networks
Budget₩9.3 billion[2]
Original release
NetworkSBS TV
ReleaseFebruary 15 (2019-02-15) –
April 20, 2019 (2019-04-20)

The Fiery Priest (Korean: 열혈사제; Hanja: 熱血司祭) is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Kim Nam-gil, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Hanee, Go Jun, and Keum Sae-rok. It was the first drama to air on SBS's Fridays and Saturdays timeslot, airing from February 15 to April 20, 2019.[3][4]

The Fiery Priest is the highest rated miniseries drama that aired in 2019 on public broadcast according to Nielsen Korea.[5] The drama was a huge success and was one of the most popular dramas aired in 2019. Kim Nam-gil won numerous accolades for his portrayal of a priest with anger management issues. The action comedy drama also featured parodies from other movies and dramas, notably from Mr. Sunshine, Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time, The Matrix, Reply 1988 and Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds.

Synopsis

Following the mysterious death of an elderly priest, an NIS agent turned priest (Kim Nam-gil) attempts to bring the culprits involved before law. The hilarious journey in taking down the gangsters and corrupt officials in the city is what follows. The journey is not so smooth when the corrupt prosecutor of the city (Lee Hanee) refuses to cooperate.

Cast

Main

An ex-NIS agent who retired after an accident that happened during his last mission. He met Priest Lee and eventually decided to take the path as a priest and hoped for his sins to be forgiven. He was very close to Father Lee and thus is crazy to punish those who killed him. On the contrary to a priest, he is a short-tempered person who would throw a fit each minute.
A clumsy detective who is a pushover and always manipulated by his superintendent and seniors. Once a dedicated police, his life changed after the death of his former partner.
A corrupt prosecutor who covered up the crimes of Gudam's administrators including the police chief and head borough. She likes Hae-il for his good-looking face but constantly bickers with him.
A corrupt businessman who is the step-brother of Gudam's Head of Borough. He runs Daebum Trading and trade illegal things within. Once ranked as number two gangster in Yeosu, he often uses violence to achieve his goal.
A rookie detective at Gudam Police Station who is dedicated in helping Hae-il to reveal the truth behind Priest Lee's death. She secretly has a crush on Hae-il.

Supporting

Local cartel

Gudam's Head of Borough and Hwang Cheol-bum step-sister.
Chief prosecutor of Gudam and boss of Park Kyung-sun.
Gudam Police Station's corrupt superintendent and leader of Rising Sun, a nightclub with connections to the cartel.
A corrupt assemblyman representing Gudam.
A con-artist and the leader of a religious cult "Maegak".
Leader of the Russian gang.

People at the Cathedral and believers

He is looked up as a father figure by Kim Hae-il and is a wise, soft-spoken man. His murder was touted as a suicide.
A gentle young priest at Gudam's Church. He trained to replace Priest Lee's position after his death. His real name is Han Woo-ram, a famous child actor who starred in an old, popular drama prior to becoming a priest.
Head nun at Gudam's church who constantly worry about Hae-il boldness in finding the truth. She is revealed to be a former well-known gambler nicknamed Ten-Tailed Fox who blamed herself for her brother's death.
A young man from Thailand who came to Gudam and work as a delivery boy to support his family. He was often bullied by Jang-ryeong for being a foreigner and best-friend with Oh Yo-han.
A cheerful yet chubby part-timer who majored in astronomy but struggles to make a living. He did many part-time work and is best friend with Song Sac.

A psychiatrist.

People at the Police Station

Others

Former NIS agent and Hae-il's team leader.
The CEO of Great Taste Foods and Yong-moon's cousin.
A large chef who works at "Great Taste Foods" and acts as the muscle. Despite his towering size, he is easily knocked out by Hae-il but reemerges as backup later on.

Special appearances

Production

The first script reading took place on October 26, 2018 at the SBS Ilsan Production Center in Tanhyun, South Korea.[7]

The Fiery Priest was first scheduled to air as a Monday-Tuesday drama following My Strange Hero, but due to SBS deciding to cancel the weekend special drama time slot (Saturday nights at 21:05 KST) after Fates & Furies, it became the network's first Friday-Saturday night drama. Haechi was then chosen to follow My Strange Hero.[8]

This series marks Lee Myung-woo's last project for SBS, after 12 years of partnership. In October 2019, he moved to Taewon Entertainment.[9]

Original soundtrack

The Fiery Priest OST
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Recorded2019
GenreSoundtrack
Language
Label

Part 1

Released on February 22, 2019 (2019-02-22)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Our Neighbourhood HERO" (우리동네 HERO)
  • Hong In-ho
  • Kim Soo-jung
  • Go Jin-young
  • Lee Jin-ho
Norazo3:11
2."Our Neighbourhood HERO" (Inst.) 
  • Go Jin-young
  • Lee Jin-ho
 3:11
Total length:6:22

Part 2

Released on March 8, 2019 (2019-03-08)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Breeze"HaNaZigZag NotePunch (feat. Gree)3:53
2."Breeze" (Inst.) ZigZag Note 3:53
Total length:7:46

Part 3

Released on March 29, 2019 (2019-03-29)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Fighter"
  • Ra.L
  • La.Q
GaemiJung Dong-ha (feat. La.Q)2:56
2."Fighter" (Inst.) Gaemi 2:56
Total length:5:52

Part 4

Released on April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Paradise"
  • Chin Chilla
  • Lee Myung-woo
  • Park Yoon-seo
  • Gaemi
Chin Chilla (feat. Ga Eun)2:52
2."Paradise" (Inst.) 
  • Park Yoon-seo
  • Gaemi
 2:52
Total length:5:44

Part 5

Released on April 12, 2019 (2019-04-12)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Joy"Andy PlattsAndy PlattsAndy Platts3:54
2."Joy" (Inst.) Andy Platts 3:54
Total length:7:48

Part 6

Released on April 19, 2019 (2019-04-19)
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Victory"Ra.L
  • Gaemi
  • earattack
Kim Yeon-ji2:54
2."Victory" (Inst.) 
  • Gaemi
  • earattack
 2:54
Total length:5:48

Viewership

The Fiery Priest : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
EpisodesEpisode number
12345678910
Ep.1–101.8522.3541.6492.1702.2962.7762.3972.9212.5223.194
Ep.11–202.5573.1932.5712.9902.5083.3042.6873.2602.7073.610
Ep.21–302.6883.1272.8053.4672.8383.4142.9843.5122.7973.639
Ep.31–403.3443.7663.0173.8633.5784.0763.1464.0013.6934.325
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Media Research.[10]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Title Average audience share
AGB Nielsen[11] TNmS
Nationwide Seoul Nationwide
1 February 15, 2019 A Priest in Trouble 10.4% (9th) 11.6% (7th) 9.3%
2 Hae-il Moves to Gudam 13.8% (4th) 15.6% (3rd) 11.9%
3 February 16, 2019 Hae-il Meets Cheol-bum 8.6% (14th) 9.5% (12th) 7.4%
4 Father Lee's Death 11.2% (9th) 12.6% (9th) 9.1%
5 February 22, 2019 Hae-il Investigates the Death of Father Lee 12.8% (5th) 14.7% (3rd) 11.0%
6 The Case Gets Closed 16.2% (2nd) 18.5% (1st) 13.3%
7 February 23, 2019 The Church Gets Desolate 13.0% (4th) 14.8% (4th) 11.1%
8 A Cooperative Investigation 15.7% (3rd) 18.0% (3rd) 13.4%
9 March 1, 2019 Cooperative Investigation Begins 14.0% (4th) 15.9% (3rd) 11.9%
10 Hae-il Investigates On His Own 17.2% (2nd) 19.5% (1st) 14.3%
11 March 2, 2019 Hae-il And Seung-ah Find The Witnesses 13.1% (4th) 15.0% (4th) 10.4%
12 Dae-young's Old Partner 16.0% (3rd) 18.2% (3rd) 12.8%
13 March 8, 2019 Kyeong-seon Meets Dong-ja 15.3% (4th) 17.1% (3rd) 11.9%
14 The Corrupt Food Service Company 17.7% (2nd) 19.7% (1st) 14.2%
15 March 9, 2019 To Tame A Fighting Dog 12.5% (5th) 14.6% (4th) 10.8%
16 Raid Wangmat Foods 16.1% (3rd) 18.3% (3rd) 13.7%
17 March 15, 2019 Hae-il Reports The Bribery Case 15.4% (4th) 17.4% (3rd) 11.5%
18 Kyeong-seon Is Back 17.5% (2nd) 19.5% (2nd) 13.7%
19 March 16, 2019 A New Lead Comes Up 14.2% (4th) 15.7% (4th) 12.0%
20 A Covert Infiltration 18.1% (3rd) 20.3% (3rd) 14.3%
21 March 22, 2019 Escape from the Villa 14.6% (3rd) 16.5% (3rd) 12.3%
22 Save Him 17.2% (2nd) 19.0% (1st) 14.9%
23 March 23, 2019 Hae-il's Past Is Revealed 14.8% (4th) 16.7% (4th) 12.6%
24 Hae-il Saves Kyeong-seon 17.9% (3rd) 19.6% (3rd) 15.5%
25 March 29, 2019 Break-in to Kyeong-seon's House 15.3% (3rd) 17.4% (3rd) 11.9%
26 Kyeong-seon Cooperating with Hae-il 18.5% (2nd) 20.9% (1st) 14.6%
27 March 30, 2019 Hae-il and Kyeong-seon Devising a Scheme 15.6% (4th) 17.4% (4th) 14.0%
28 Kyeong-seon and Seung-ah Entering the Lair of Anton 18.2% (3rd) 19.8% (3rd) 16.1%
29 April 5, 2019 Scheme to Find out the Owner of Rising Moon 15.5% (3rd) 17.7% (3rd) 13.0%
30 The Secret of Sister Kim 19.8% (2nd) 22.2% (1st) 16.9%
31 April 6, 2019 Let Me Teach You A Lesson 17.7% (4th) 19.9% (4th) 15.7%
32 Father Kim, Go to Argentina 19.4% (3rd) 21.6% (2nd) 17.3%
33 April 12, 2019 Scheme to Sneak in the Safe 16.2% (3rd) 18.6% (3rd) —
34 The Safe and People Locked in There 20.3% (1st) 22.8% (1st)
35 April 13, 2019 Cheol-bum Asks Hae-il For Cooperation 17.2% (4th) 18.9% (4th)
36 Father Han Trying To Persuade Dong-ja 20.0% (3rd) 22.1% (2nd)
37 April 19, 2019 Father Han Falling into a Critical Condition 16.7% (3rd) 18.4% (2nd) 14.6%
38 The Truth of Father Lee's Death 20.3% (1st) 22.2% (1st) 18.1%
39 April 20, 2019 Showdown 18.6% (4th) 21.1% (4th) 15.9%
40 Unexpected Visit 22.0% (3rd) 24.7% (1st) 18.5%
Average 16.1% 18.1% —[b]
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • N/A denotes that the rating is not known.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2019 55th Baeksang Arts Awards Best Actor Kim Nam-gil Nominated [12]
Busan International Film Festival Best Actor Won
Korean Broadcasters Association Awards Won
14th Seoul International Drama Awards Excellent Korean Drama The Fiery Priest Won [13]
Best Actor Kim Nam-gil Won
12th Korea Drama Awards Best Drama The Fiery Priest Nominated [14]
Best Screenplay Park Jae-bum Nominated
Star of the Year Award Go Jun Won
Popular Character Award (Male) Ahn Chang-hwan Won
32nd Grimae Awards Best Actor Kim Nam-gil Won [15]
Best Picture (Drama) Yoon Dae-young, Park Jong-ki Won
SBS Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Kim Nam-gil Won [16]
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Lee Hanee Won
Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Kim Sung-kyun Won
Best Supporting Team The Fiery Priest Won
Best Supporting Actor Go Jun Won
Wayve Award The Fiery Priest Won
Producer's Award Kim Nam-gil Nominated
Best New Actor Eum Moon-suk Won
Best New Actress Keum Sae-rok Won

Notes

  1. ^ a b In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[1]
  2. ^ Due to some ratings not recorded, the exact average rating is unknown.

References

  1. ^ Park, Jin-hai (May 16, 2017). "Drama viewers angry over commercial breaks". The Korea Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via PressReader.
  2. ^ "삼화네트웍스 '열혈사제', SBS와 약 93억원 규모 드라마 공급계약 체결" [Samhwa Networks’ ‘The Fierce Priest’ signs a drama supply contract worth approximately 9.3 billion won with SBS]. 서울경제TV SEN (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  3. ^ ‘열혈사제’ 김남길, 까칠함+깡으로 무장 ‘핫’한 카톨릭 사제. OSEN (in Korean). January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  4. ^ "[단독] SBS '열혈사제', 금토 10시 편성 확정...'정법' 이동". Sports Donga (in Korean). Naver. January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. ^ 최재경. "'열혈사제' 2019년 미니시리즈 단연 1위...기승전열혈사제". 서울경제 (in Korean). Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  6. ^ "SBS '열혈사제'에 등장한 문재인 대통령 꼭 닮은 배우의 정체 (영상)". Fomos (in Korean). February 24, 2019.
  7. ^ "[DAY컷] 김남길X김성균X이하늬 코믹 케미...'열혈사제' 대본리딩 공개". Sports Donga (in Korean). January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "SBS 측 "'열혈사제' 첫 금토극 편성, '운명과 분노' 후속"(공식입장)". Newsen (in Korean). Naver. December 14, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "[공식]'열혈사제' 이명우 PD, SBS퇴사→'편의점 샛별이' 연출". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Naver. October 15, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "Nielsen Korea" (in Korean). Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "Nielsen Korea" (in Korean). Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  12. ^ ""오늘을 살아가세요" 김혜자, 후배들 울린 눈부신 수상소감". JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). 2 May 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  13. ^ "Seoul International Drama Awards 2019 Winners". seouldrama.org. August 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "'2019코리아드라마어워즈(KDA)' 연기대상 후보..김해숙·최수종·염정아·조정석 등". Sedaily (in Korean). September 27, 2019.
  15. ^ Kim, Eun-gu (3 December 2019). 김남길·정유미 '2019 그리메상' 최우수 연기자 선정 [Namgil Kim and Yumi Jeong selected as the best performers of the '2019 Grime Awards']. E Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Kim, Soo-hyung (January 1, 2020). "'열혈사제' 김남길, 대상으로 '8관왕' 기염‥'VIP' 장나라, 프로듀서상 (종합) [2019 SBS 연기대상]". Osen (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020 – via Naver.

External links

Works by Samhwa Networks
Categories