“Why did they cancel season 2 of Juvenile Justice?”: Fans express disappointment as Netflix cancels production of Juvenile Justice 2

On January 27, 2023, South Korean media outlet Star News reported that it was confirmed by Netflix that the production of season 2 of Juvenile Justice 2 has been canceled. Since the show will not renew for another season, it has left many K-drama fans shocked and disappointed. User @coziwonwoo took to Twitter and wrote:

"WHY DID THEY CANCEK SEASON 2 OF JUVENILE JUSTICE"

Juvenile Justice is one of the most popular legal and crime-based K-dramas on Netflix that is centered around laws related to juveniles. They are teens below the age of eighteen years who committed unimaginable crimes and are given lenient punishment because of the law designed by the judiciary. Judge Shin Eun-seok detested young offenders as they were never really punished but protected by the said law. As a result, they were considered unjustified victims of heinous crimes.

The first season consists of ten episodes featuring Kim Hye-soo, Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, and Lee Jung-eun as the main characters. The child actors also did an amazing job. The drama was helmed by director Hong Jong-chan and screenwriter Kim Min-sook.

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The audition organizers notified the new actors that the Juvenile Justice 2’s production has been canceled

The Netflix series Juvenile Justice featured the three-time Baeksang-winning actress Kim Hye-soo. She showcased her versatility with the portrayal of Shin Eun-seok, a judge who used to detest young offenders because of her past. However, her fellow co-worker Chae Tae-joo, played by Kim Mu-yeol, always tried to show her that teenagers can turn themselves into a new leaf from their past experiences.

At the time of its release in February last year, Juvenile Justice gained immense popularity and recognition among international fans, ranking the show No.1 on Netflix’s non-English Tv series category. Despite their popularity and viewership, the streaming giant decided to cancel it due to the nature of their business.

As a prominent streaming platform, Netflix is known for its data-driven approach to programming and will eventually cancel the production of dramas that don’t perform well. While the production team renewed Juvenile Justice 2, the show may have been predicted to struggle to attract a large audience due to the genre of drama. However, this reasoning does not justify the discontinued production.

Even though the show got canceled, fans can still rejoice that it undoubtedly left a lasting impression among K-drama fans with the heart-wrenching stories of teenagers who struggled to live a life when guided by the wrong adult.

The drama showcased light on many sensitive issues, including juvenile crime, poverty, and flaws in the judiciary. At the same time, the show continued to showcase that teens can turn themselves into a new leaf if guided by the right adult to distinguish between right and wrong.

Even the actors and directors have previously expressed their desire for Juvenile Justice 2, but the production of the K-drama was abruptly canceled in the pre-production process. Moreover, it has been reported by the media that the production had held an audition to cast new actors who would play the role of students in Juvenile Justice 2.

Unfortunately, the auditions stopped abruptly when the organizers of the audition revealed to applicants that the production for Juvenile Justice 2 has been canceled and no auditions will take place further.

Upon hearing the news of canceled production of Juvenile Justice 2, fans are saddened by the fact that they will not know the plot's ending as it ended with a cliffhanger. Some fans of the show further expressed their opinion that other same genre K-dramas renewed for the season should be canceled as well.

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Netflix is continuing to renew the second season of a few Korean dramas that have not done well with viewership and popularity. In the meantime, fans of Juvenile Justice can comfort themselves by rewatching the first season, whose well-written narrative has made it popular among regular K-drama viewers.