Synopsis
Woo Tae Suk, a homicide detective who does everything he can and more to find criminals. He has the highest crime resolution rate record, but his excessive obsession and aggressive approach to cases cause numerous problems. He became a walking time bomb, when a rookie mistake cost the life of the victim, a teenage girl, he decided to become one of the “bad guys”. that way he could help to catch the culprit. One day, he meets Eun Sun Jae, a young woman suspected of killing her parents. Tae-suk is the only one who discovers the violent and murderous tendency in her. Both end up uniting and becoming partners to solve crimes that only they can. They carry out the investigation of various crimes that could be related, and gradually discover the true identity of the murder.
Casting
Shin Ha Kyun as Woo Tae Seok
39 years old, leader of the SNS team, Woo Tae Suk is capable of conducting a very thorough psychological investigation with accuracy, maintaining a respectful attitude while walking in a suit with an elegant body, is a brilliant detective who is above the national rate of arrests for violent crimes. The principle that “the sinner must pay the price of sin” is the rule, and the “criminal always clings to everything he does” is the principle. Then, one day, Tae Seok, met Son Jae as a suspect who murdered her parents, cooperates in a murder investigation anonymously.
Lee Seol as Eun Seon Jae
31 years old, a reporter for the daily social section Myonggang. Psychopath, is a natural genius, the very definition of the word. She doesn’t hide her genius, she likes to be praised, she loves to brag. There’s nothing difficult in the world for her because she’s good at anything even if she doesn’t want to do that. She doesn’t feel emotions, but she is used to being smarter than anyone else, being skillful in manipulation and much crueler than anyone else. Woo Tae Seok, who has hidden the dark violence and madness that doesn’t know when to explode, looks like her. As he is the only person she sincerely acknowledges, she considers himself to be the only one who can mock him and follow him.
“Less than Evil” takes over the Monday and Tuesday time slot at 8 pm on MBC, previously occupied by “Bad Papa”. This drama is a remake of the British television series “Luther” which was broadcasted on BBC One since 2010. The first working title was “Luther” but later it was decided to change to “Less Than Evil”.
“Less Than Evil” has attracted attention not only because of the new version but also because it is the first return to the small screen of Shin Ha Kyun in two years. Shin Ha Kyun mentioned a few words regarding the drama: “There is a lot of fun with the genre. Instead of the cases themselves, the cases focus on the character’s emotions. I was curious about how the characters would evolve”.
As for the protagonist of this drama, Shin Ha Kyun said of his character: “He is tough and reckless, but he also has a sensitive and fragile side. He lives a painful life because he is caged by a moral dilemma he faced in the past”.
Lee Seol, who plays the psychopathic genius Eun Seon Jae, said: “Eun Seon Jae does not have much in common with the Alice character in the original. We took the idea of a genius psychopath, but created a totally different character“. Actress Lee Seol was chosen for the lead female role after auditions involving 300 other contestants.
This drama looks good so far, hopefully, it will maintain the essence of the original series and give us interesting murders cases with a concise plot thread.