Investigation Partners (TV Series 2018–2019) Poster

(2018–2019)

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7/10
Season 3 is awaited
cerenayyurek17 February 2021
My opinion is that season 2 is far better than season 1. After finishing season 1, i was not even going to watch season 2. However, since it gets harder to find something to watch after a year of quarantine, i gave it a chance and i really loved it. Season 2 is much more suspenseful, and the dose of unfunny comedy elements is lower. I hope to see a new toxicologist in the next season who does not speak even a word in English.
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7/10
Medal for overacting goes to...
kunagueroooooo14 March 2022
Every actor in this series acts over the top. Everything is an absolute drama, even eating pork skin (apparently its a Korean delicacy, pork scratching don't do much for me). But the story lines are addictive as is the main forensic pathologist Dr. Baek Beom. I haven't quite got to season 2 yet but apparently the English speaking head of toxicology is a different person in season 2. The woman in season 1 was ridiculously annoying if stunning to look at.

I will definitely watch season 2 and hopefully the overacting is toned down a little bit. One of the better Korean dramas but not the best.

(edit) I've now watched season 2 and the overacting is toned down a little. The replacement for the English speaking head of toxicology is just as annoying as the original but not as pretty. The storylines were probably better than season 1 so that's a good thing.

Its just a pity that the two lead characters didn't evolve, they remain the same throughout the two seasons. Baek Beom (pathologist) remains grumpy, and Eun Sol (prosecutor) remains completely useless at her job.

A new character in season 2 is Doctor Jang Chul, now this character has a great storyline and the actor (Min-woo No) does an excellent job. Its a pity its basically all over and done in two episodes. He does carry on throughout the series but the storyline reduces somewhat.

All in all a very good K-drama to while away the time.
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8/10
Quite a good Series.
NajmiSelamat4 March 2021
I still have hope for season 3 but i dont think they will continue this series. I actually think that season 1 is better than season 2.
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10/10
I cannot find IP 2 here, which is even better
madbird-6124316 November 2018
I have watched a japanese, US drama on forensic doctor too. This korean made drama is the best. Seeing it do I know that actually the room for a forensic doctor to examine the dead bodies does not allow entrance of nonrelated staff or police. You must look at the examination process through a glass wall outside the examin room. Everything in the drama is so authentic.

The plot of each case is terrific too, attracting you to follow till the end. Male lead is not a handsome oppa, but a black skin nasty middle aged man. His character and appearance makes this drama so atypical to normal kdrama.

All in all, a drama that is seriously produced to reflect the actual work of a forensic doctor.
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10/10
Sensational detective tagline
anandtushar-7945717 December 2020
A wonder detective drama with 0% vulgarity and 100% entertainment!!
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10/10
Fingers crossed season 3
yeldalo9922 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Thoroughly enjoyed S2 and hoping to see some loose ends tied up. Need Eun and Do to take down Gal once and for all.
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10/10
Amazing drama
elili-2631813 July 2019
You must watch this drama, it has absolutely unique plot, used accessories such as body parts, "corpses" are like real ones. all actor specially who played as Dr.Baek are charismatic, they all can impress all the feellings every characters perfectly. this drama keeps you on your toes from the beginning and always surprises you with unexpected ending.
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8/10
Waiting for Season 3
lmerana10 March 2020
I lower my rating to 8 since I did not like the season 2 that much. I will wait for season 3 to finalize the review.
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8/10
A good show
sirvanatac-9609014 January 2024
This is not an educational show, full accuracy should not be expected related to the forensic in the drama. It is for entertainment purposes, we should stop being rebukers. Personally I liked the show, and it is rare to see second season is better than the first one. Especially Dr. K made the show a lot more interesting. I haven't finished the 2nd season yet, but I'd love to see him in the show if there is 3rd one.

I don't know if it is a cultural thing but why do people shout a lot when agitated? Especially when they are questioned by the prosecutor, can they actually overreact that much?

Overall, it is a good show to binge watch.
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7/10
Enough that's good to make this worthwhile
wheatley-2023018 March 2023
This series starts badly with a lawyer who would appear not to have been to law school in episode 1 and then inexplicable hysteria from a number of characters in episode 2. Only my faith in Korean drama carried me through the opening two or three episodes such that I could begin to enjoy the more assured instalments that followed.

The labyrinthine plotting I expect from the best Korean thrillers soon came to the fore, with overlapping plots and characters driving a growing sense of suspense. The lawyer at the centre of the story began to behave more sensibly. But at its heart this drama is held together by the calming influence of grumpy Beom. Around him other characters continue to lose their heads but he sticks to the science and refuses to succumb to the emotive hysteria surrounding him.

The series would be better without the emotive hysteria that never quite goes away. But there was enough good stuff here to keep me watching.
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10/10
Rocked The Crime Genre!!!
Chaokage8 June 2021
I watched both the 1st and the 2nd series and it was nothing but a pleasure to explore the story of this series. Crime genre uplifted by some of the most interesting investigation methods ever explored lead by Jeong Jae-yeong. The casting for this series played a crucial part in it's success along this ever evolving story. If you think you saw it all, let me tell you, you haven't until you've seen this series. A must watch!!!
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6/10
Didn't like the lead female charactor
oreoas23 September 2023
I wasn't even able to finish the first episode. I had just finished the Korean drama "Law School" and the stucdents were so professional and smart in that one that the female lead in this one seem liked she had never been to law school, know's nothing about crime scenes and investigations. I was actually embarrassed by her when she went to that first crime scene lol. I couldn't stand it. From the reviews, I guess it must be good later on but unfortunately, the unprofessionalism of the lead female charactor was just too much for me.

I liked the lead male charactor though. Although he was grumpy but he was a no nonsense guy sticking to facts.
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4/10
Cringey
hybridravenous12 October 2021
The storyline is hooking, and I enjoyed watching it. However the behaviour of the prosecutor was horribly cringey. I understand why she was written like that being a green horn, but it put me off quite a few times.
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8/10
Locard's principle
alaningle726 January 2021
A reclusive forensic examiner and a bubbly prosecutor cross paths regularly in the carrying out of their duties. Like many of these programmes it is the science that is the real star. A well acted nicely paced series with lots of twists and turns but be aware there are lots of realistic autopsy scenes. As a footnote I read an article recently that said programmes like this make it harder for prosecutors to convince jury's that people are guilty because they expect definitive information like this type of programme produces.
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9/10
Partners for Justice
Tweekums21 July 2022
As this South Korean series starts newly qualified prosecutor Eun Sol takes up her first post. Her first case brings her into contact with pathologist Baek Beom; a somewhat irascible character who she quickly dubs 'Dr Grumpy'. He is however highly proficient and thorough with his work. The series sees them working together on a number of cases; some of these are wrapped up in a couple of episodes, others last for a whole season.

I really enjoyed this series. As is often the case with Korean drama series there are moments of humour which contrast nicely with the tenser moments. The cases are intriguing, although in some especially in the second season, the audience is shown details of the crimes long before the investigators uncover the truth. The characters are a lot of fun; as well as the main two there are plenty of secondary characters who are almost as important; notably Baek's assistant 'Chubby', Stella the toxicologist and policeman Do Ji-han, who joins the series towards the end of the first season. The villains are suitably unpleasant, although in one or two cases they do stray into pantomime villain territory at times. The cast is solid throughout. The ending doesn't wrap up all the plotlines so viewers are likely to be left longing for a third season, although, after three years, that does seem somewhat unlikely... I do hope I'm wrong though. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of K-dramas or those who enjoy the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.
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10/10
EXCELLENT
mbuell-3541021 August 2018
This drama open our eyes about spirit of seeking the truth!
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9/10
I have watched it 3 times now.
surjitraju11 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This series is awesome in many ways, I like the twist when the prosecutor interrogate and the autopsy results make the epic twist int the storyline.

Season 2 took it to the next level with Doctor K and bringing back to the S01E01.
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9/10
Grumpy did it 🥂
bironautoo20 May 2023
I just love how Korean films are straight with no nudity or curse words other than aiish...

The actors suited their parts perfectly even the Korean American ladies, they depictated the decency of the Korean dressing vs the American type dressing and attitude well. I preferred Stella more than Sally, Sally just represented the American culture I was escaping meaning she acted very well in her nagging and imposing herself- still the Korean culture won 😁.

The show is full of "oh my" goodness, and the determination and harmony of the actors was lovely. The hard working times still amuse me, no sleep always on the move day or night.

It's definitely worth watching, wished for season after season. Especially cause they blur out the unnecessary and leave it to our imagination.

But it seems there is a real issue with those with money and power in Korea more than any other country I've watched. And school bullying is like a theme always.

Go Korea, you do culture well.
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8/10
Eps 5
adnilsih-imdb27 June 2021
Just after I got annoyed by the whole show for being so loud in arguments, over dramatic, all the high end CSI lab would've been wasted, also on how the top seed prosecutor Kang and his team did not even examine forensic progress or reconstruct all the evidence to complete a murder case, that eps 5 changed the course; the head of forensic and rookie prosecutor said it in his face. It's a worth watching show. I can tolerate all the other cringey and annoying parts.
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6/10
Forensics are brilliant, but
SolidYohanK13 July 2022
The others are dumb.

In real world, detectives and prosecutors are not dumb. Hence, I couldn't buy the main plot.

Baek-bum and Stellar were attractive. (Though Baek has a character too harsh.) On the contrary, Cha-soo-ho, Kang-hyun, and Eun-sol were poor. That's not because they'd performed a poor acting. But, that's because the writer made them dumbs.

I hope the writer could consider it in the next season. EOR.
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10/10
Interest piquing!
jellamac9 January 2022
My name is Jella and I am a filipino avid fan of Partners for justice currently residing in Qatar. I would like to express my commendations to the entire staff and crew. Especially to the handsome men of partners for justice (dr baek, dr jang, investigator choo, prosecutor do and cutie dr. Jong, investigator yang and the rest!). You all make it worth watching! And i cant wait to see the 3rd season! Dr. Baek and Dr. Jang (aka Doctor K), i will try to come to Korea one day to personally express my gratitude to you guys! In case you wanna drop a message, you can reach me on my fb acct as jasmine jella from Doha, Qatar or on my whatsapp number at +974 5091 9975.

I know you guys are busy, but i would love to hear anything from you!

Love lots, Jella!

Keep up the good work!
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6/10
Justice of The Dead and Its Passable Sequel
Park_Min9 April 2024
The drama had a good mix of cases and personal attachments which helped raising the tension and to have higher stakes. Most of the cases were interesting and entertaining. On the other hand, season 2 cases had less personal attachments other than 2 incidents, one around the middle and another for the last case. Stella existence was problematic to the drama, both the character and the actress. She was out of place and her scenes were insufferable since her introduction. She was added to the drama as a fun and quirky element but that backfired immediately. Sally was her replacement in season 2, the drama attempted to replicate Stella but ended creating a worse version which made her scenes even more insufferable. I can't stress enough how insufferable both of these characters were. Season 2 had another unsuccessful addition, that is the character Do Ji Han, his character took away from the drama rather than adding or enhancing any value. Judging by what they did with season 2, It's preferable to not get another sequel. Unfortunately, they left a lot of threads open for a possible continuation. On an unrelated note, the corpses in season 2 had more censoring than season 1.
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4/10
A good premise ruined by a ridiculous script
makeweight27 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is (at least, it's supposed to be) a procedural drama - the procedures being those of the Forensic Service and the Prosecution Service. So it is not unreasonable to expect that while the cast may break the rules from time to time, they do at least know what the rules are supposed to be. Forensics-wise that works okay - procedures are followed and explained, and the science is (more or less) respected. That said, I suspect a half-decent defence lawyer could shred them on cross-contamination of DNA evidence.

Where the drama falls down almost to slapstick is with the Prosecutors, especially the heroine. Every one of them is corrupt, lazy, personally over-involved with a case, highly partial or/and incompetent. Our newbie Prosecutor heroine at her first crime - Moves. The. Body (I mean, come on!) for no particular reason, and contaminates the scene by not wearing protective clothing. She routinely rushes from one half-formed conclusion to another as new pieces of evidence arrive, acts on hunches, and constantly gets over-emotional when she should be calm. In one episode she tests the thesis that a boy had over-dosed by taking an overdose of the same pills herself - when on her own! No-one to observe or help if anything goes wrong - and then "proves" his state of mind based on the hallucinations she experiences. It's ludicrous. We are supposed to believe she is the top product of years of legal training to reach her position - did they teach her nothing? Frankly, her behaviour is just ditzy and worse than amateurish.

Now, pitting an uber-rational Forensic scientist against an over-emotional Prosecutor is where the dramatic tension is supposed to come from. But when, as here, the Prosecutor is made not just over-emotional but dangerously unmoored from due (and basic common-sense) professional process, the tension fizzles out very quickly, to be replaced by OFFS irritation. The result is not an exciting match of mutual respect between two professionals each with their own different approach, but between someone who is good at his job and someone who is downright at hers.

Poor.
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8/10
Story-wise It's A 10/10
PriestMarmore6 April 2021
So the story is a 10 out of 10, one of the best series I've ever seen. The down sides for the 8 instead of 10 are:

-> The constant blurring of weapons and corpses, which I understand why but it shouldn't be censored in a series in which a lot of its content is based on dead bodies' examination.

-> On the second season, the new girl from the NFS (toxicology) is a little annoying when she speaks in english. I guess it's because the first one spoke too, however her english was very clear but the one from the new girl is not at all.

The writing is incredible and the way they revealed the bed was empty was just magical. I'm patiently waiting for the 3rd season!
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10/10
The best series, awaiting for season 3
christinechongc20 April 2022
This is my first time ever wrote a review on imdb. The best crime and forensic series that I have ever watched, I can't fault anything. Every actors and actress are brilliant in their own roles. Storyline is unique. Very impressive Korean series, different than all other crime series (USA and Korea). I am looking forward to watch your season 3.
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