tvN Confirms 'Second Signal' December 7 Premiere Despite Jo Jin-woong Controversy After Testing AI Replacement

tvN has officially confirmed that ‘Second Signal’ will premiere on December 7, ending months of uncertainty over the long-delayed sequel to the 2016 hit ‘Signal’ after the controversy surrounding star Jo Jin-woong. The network announced the decision on November 6, saying it had weighed viewers’ concerns against the cast and crew’s work.

The eight-episode series will air Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 p.m., later than originally planned. Episodes 1 and 2 air back-to-back on December 7, with episode 1 shortened, and episode 3 follows on December 8, then one episode each Monday and Tuesday. The December 7 date had been reported by MyDaily in late October, but tvN had declined to confirm it until now.

tvN said it was taking viewers’ concerns seriously. “After long deliberation, we have decided, with a careful heart, to schedule ‘Second Signal’ from December 7 as a tvN Monday-Tuesday drama,” the network said. It added that “a specific cast member’s wrongful past conduct is not something the channel can take lightly,” but argued the drama “is not the work of one single person” and reflects many staff and collaborators’ work. The network said the individual, the work, and the creators’ efforts “need to be viewed separately.”

Before confirming, tvN said it explored ways to reduce Jo’s presence. “We explored video technology-based fixes and conducted tests using AI to replace the person,” the network said, but “there were limits in naturally realizing acting expression and narrative flow, so final application of the technology is difficult.” tvN stressed the decision does not justify his past, saying the release “does not mean endorsing or justifying the issue.”

The sequel reunites the three leads of the original ‘Signal’ — Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Jo Jin-woong — with writer Kim Eun-hee returning. The first season won best drama at the 2016 Baeksang Arts Awards. Filming wrapped in August last year, and it was planned as a tvN 20th anniversary flagship for the first half of this year. That plan collapsed last December when reports surfaced about Jo’s juvenile record. Jo acknowledged the record, denied sexual-assault allegations, apologized, and announced he would end his acting career. He plays central detective Lee Jae-han, so removing him would have required rebuilding the drama.

With the date official, attention turns to how viewers will respond on December 7 — and whether they can separate the work from its star.