One of the best K-Dramas of 2022 was undoubtedly Extraordinary Attorney Woo, a drama about a young autistic lawyer, Woo Young-woo, who navigates her job and relationships working at one of the most prestigious law firms in South Korea. Now, we are all desperate for a second season, but when is it coming?
Extraordinary Attorney Woo focuses on the character of Woo (Park Eun-bin) as she uses her creative mind, incredible memory, and extreme intelligence to help win cases for her firm. It aims to break down misconceptions of what living with autism can look like, showing Woo navigating friendships and romantic relationships as others learn to communicate with her rather than Woo having to force herself to become more like those around her.
Now, of course, some find the use of only portraying genius-level autistic individuals as problematic, but in South Korea, where views towards the neurodivergent community are much more clouded by shame and lack of awareness, having a show that unpacks and delves into what autism looks like has been praised by many. Extraordinary Attorney Woo looks at the personal boundaries that some neurodivergent people may require, such as matters relating to touch, self-referential thinking, and intimacy.
The show also contained many of the classic tropes related to K-Dramas, including a will they won’t they romance, secrets about birth mothers, and hidden illnesses. The final episode of the first season saw Woo come face to face with her birth mother, saying, “Do you not recognize me? I am Woo Gwang-ho’s daughter.” She turns down the opportunity to work at her mother’s firm, expressing that she wants to be independent. So, what’s next?
When will we see season 2?
The first season was received well, becoming beloved in South Korea and then around the world. The show jumped to the top of the most-watched and highest-rated K-dramas in the history of South Korean television and went on to become Netflix’s eighth most-watched non-English series of all time. Given this success, the show’s production company, AStory, announced a second season was greenlit in 2023, with series writer Moon Ji-won signing on to continue the series.
There were delays, though, as a result of Moon’s crammed schedule, as she was also working on writing a film script. There have been very few updates regarding the show, which is scheduled to start filming in 2024. One of the lead actors, who plays Woo’s romantic interest, Kang Tae-oh, also had to serve his military duty, taking him away from acting for one year. He only just recently completed his service, freeing him up for the second season.
We currently have no release date for Extraordinary Attorney Woo season 2. It could be later on in the year, or, more likely, we will have to wait until next year.
(featured image: ENA/Netflix)
