(Following [Interview①]) Director Min Jin-ki has shared his thoughts on the plans for Season 2 of the ENA drama ‘Salon de Holmes’.
‘Salon de Holmes’, which started with a viewership rating of 1.3% (Nielsen Korea nationwide), saw a steady rise and ultimately achieved its highest rating of 3.6% for the final episode.
Director Min Jin-ki, who understood the ENA channel, thought it was a “normal reaction” despite the first episode's ratings, and closely monitored social media and viewer responses, which showed positive feedback. This led him to believe that a rebound was possible.
“However, I didn’t expect it to jump nearly twofold in the second episode. It made me realize that word of mouth is a crucial point for gathering the main target audience. With that in mind, I thought we could stabilize. After it opened on Coupang Play, we saw even more audience gathering. Ultimately, I believe channels need to recognize more clearly that the primary viewers are women.”
He particularly noted that the positive cycle of viewers moving from TV to OTT and then back to channels worked well, stating, “I think it was a good decision for the ENA channel to clearly analyze the edge of this content and choose this work.”
“I believe that ENA's scheduling of reruns during the day also contributed to the rise in viewership. Coupang Play has a high number of housewives as subscribers. I think the content matched perfectly.”
Following the enthusiastic response, articles about the production of Season 2 of ‘Salon de Holmes’ were reported immediately after the airing. Director Min stated that he had considered the possibility of expanding into a series from the planning stage of ‘Salon de Holmes’, mentioning that “the ending of Season 1 already contained ideas for Season 2 and the story of Choi Yang-hee (played by Kim Geum-soon) joining.”
“The specific production timeline hasn’t been confirmed yet. We are at the stage of starting positive discussions. I definitely want to bring back the actors if we do Season 2. Since we completed the basic character setup in Season 1, it’s a good strategy to keep the original members as long as there are no major issues. We just finished the broadcast, so we are just about to start the first steps.”
Lee Si-young, who plays the role of Gong Mi-ri, which drives the overall plot of ‘Salon de Holmes’, recently drew attention by announcing that she is pregnant with her second child using her ex-husband's embryo after her divorce.
When asked how he would coordinate with the pregnant Lee Si-young for the production of Season 2, Director Min replied, “It seems that the production of Season 2 will begin after Lee Si-young's personal issues are resolved and organized.”
“Shooting can be a demanding and tough job, and it requires a significant amount of time. We also need time before the production of Season 2. However, one thing I want to say is that children are incredibly precious these days. I hope Lee Si-young has a safe delivery, as it is a new life.”
Director Min praised Lee Si-young, recalling how she often brought her son to the set, calling her “a very strong maternal figure.” He noted that Gong Mi-ri, who is willing to risk her life for her daughter in ‘Salon de Holmes’, resonates with Lee Si-young, adding, “I think she is truly an amazing person.”
Director Min Jin-ki, who is considering Season 2 to have 10 or 12 episodes like Season 1, has hinted at what to expect.
“I think we can do stronger comedy. In Season 1, the first four episodes were comedic, while the latter part focused on deeper stories to perfectly set up the ‘Zoom Avengers’ characters. Now that those elements are established, I think we will have more relatable villain incidents and stronger comedy. The new drug scam that appeared at the end of Season 1 will be addressed right at the beginning of Season 2.”
Director Min also expressed his belief in the rising trend of serialized content. He noted that since ‘Shinbyeong’ has done well with each season, ‘Salon de Holmes’ is likely to do even better in Season 2.
“In Season 2, new blood will be infused, and we will have great resources like actress Kim Geum-soon. This character has all the experiences she went through in prison. It’s like a new weapon has been added to the ‘Zoom Avengers’. With the addition of Yang-hee, it will become even richer.”
Having successfully completed Season 1 of ‘Salon de Holmes’, Director Min Jin-ki will focus on the production of ‘Shinbyeong 4’ and the movie ‘Shinbyeong: The Movie’ for the time being.
As Director Min, who has captivated both male and female viewers with healthy laughter and emotion, continues to maintain his upward trend, expectations for his content are growing.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
