Netflix from Tuesday 23rd September
This week’s excitement is a reboot of a Korean show we quite enjoyed over a decade ago and seems to have spawned an entire real-life entertainment genre in China, Crime Scene Zero. In the original, six celebs went to fictionalised crime scenes, they were each randomly assigned a character (and briefed as such), and then they had to solve the crime – the twist being that one of them was the murderer and had to try and deflect and throw everyone else off the scent. Players earned gold bars if they guessed correctly (or, indeed, got away with it) so there was an end of series champion.
I don’t know if this series will have a similar set-up, not least because it sounds like there are five regular guests and a rotating guest spot. Still though.
This is actually the second season (kinda) of the reboot. After the original 3 series in 2014-2017 which we enjoyed on the bar, there was a 4th season ‘Crime Scene Returns’ in 2024 on Korea’s TVING (which was a bit meagre, no guests and 0.5 cases per episode), and now the 5th season ‘Crime Scene Zero’ on Netflix. 10 episodes, no idea whether that’s 10 or 5 cases.
AIUI Seasons 1 and 2 had 5 regulars and 1 guest; season 3 had 6 regulars and 1 or 2 guests, and season 4 had 6 regulars and no guests.
The return to two-episode cases stings less when both parts come out at the same time.
Really fun return with a great mystery that made me scream multiple times, outside, where the neighbours could hear and judge. Very good use of the Netflix budget to make the most one of the most clue and puzzle-filled crime scenes that I can remember. Returning cast members still gel brilliantly, and even as long as it was I never found myself wanting a break.
Hard to believe we’re getting this and Agents of Mystery so close together, I may well get spoiled.
OMG IT’S BOTHER’S BAR FAVOURITE JANG DONG-MIN.