Prison Playbook

Prison Playbook^[2] (Korean: 슬기로운 감빵생활) is a 2017 South Korean television series directed by Shin Won-ho and starring Park Hae-soo and Jung Kyung-ho. The series marks Park's first-ever lead role. It aired on tvN from November 22, 2017 to January 18, 2018, every Wednesday and Thursday at 21:10 (KST) for 16 episodes.^[3][4]

Prison Playbook
Promotional poster
Hangul	슬기로운 감빵생활
Hanja	슬기로운 監房生活
Literal meaning	Wise Prison Life
Revised Romanization	Seulgiroun Gamppangsaenghwal
Genre	Black comedy[1]
Created by	Lee Woo-jung
Written by	Jung Bo-hoon
Directed by	Shin Won-ho
Starring	Park Hae-soo Jung Kyung-ho
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producer	Park Sung-jae
Producer	Park Soo-woo
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	90 minutes
Production company	tvN
Original release
Network	tvN
Release	November 22, 2017 (2017-11-22) – January 18, 2018 (2018-01-18)

The series was a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history.^[5]

Synopsis

A captivating series revolving around the lives of convicts behind bars, their families and duty officers working in the correctional facilities. It focuses on the story of a superstar baseball pitcher, Kim Je-hyuk, who is convicted of assault after he saves his sister from a sexual assault.

Cast

Main

• Park Hae-soo as Kim Je-hyuk
  • Lee Tae-sun as young Kim Je-hyuk

A superstar baseball player who turns into a convict overnight after protecting his sister from an assault. Due to ultimately fatal injuries that the perpetrator suffers, he is sentenced to a year of jailtime. Despite excelling in baseball, he is quite clumsy at everything else, which is a running gag throughout the show.

• Jung Kyung-ho as Lee Joon-ho
  • Lee Do-hyun as young Lee Joon-ho

An elite prison guard and Je-hyuk's best friend. He used to play baseball with Je-hyuk in high school but had to quit because of injuries sustained in a car accident. Other prisoners and guards believe that he is just an avid fan of Kim Je-hyuk.

Supporting

People around Je-hyuk

• Krystal Jung as Kim Ji-ho
  • Shin Rin-ah as child Kim Ji-ho
  • Lee Chae-yoon as teenage Kim Ji-ho

Je-hyuk's girlfriend who is a traditional Korean medicine student.

• Lim Hwa-young as Kim Je-hee

Je-hyuk's younger sister.

• Ye Soo-jung as Je-hyuk's mother
• Kim Kyung-nam as Lee Joon-dol

Joon-ho's younger brother who is a reporter and an avid fan of Je-hyuk.

Seobu Detention Center

• Sung Dong-il as Chief Jo Ji-ho

A veteran chief prison guard who is quick and flexible when it comes to resolving incidents that take place inside the prison, but is known for being corrupt and easily swayed by money or other material goods that inmates can provide him.^[6]

• Jung Jae-sung as Professor Myung
• Lee Ho-chul [ko] as Gal Dae-bong (a.k.a. "Seagull")

Seobu Penitentiary

• Choi Moo-sung as Kim Min-chul (a.k.a. "Long-term Prisoner")

A gang member and convicted murderer who was at first, sentenced to life imprisonment before his sentence was shortened to 25 years on appeal a decade after his trial. A model prisoner and father figure to younger inmates, especially to Lee Joo-hyung.

• Park Ho-san as Kang Chul-doo (a.k.a. "KAIST")

An engineer who was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months’ imprisonment because of a gambling scam. He has a severe lisp, which other inmates (especially Han-yang) make fun of.

• Lee Kyu-hyung as Yoo Han-yang (a.k.a. "Second-generation Chaebol" or "Looney")

A repeat offender for drug usage. He constantly bickers with Kaist and Captain Yoo.

• Jung Hae-in as Yoo Jeong-woo (a.k.a. "Captain Yoo")

A commanding officer who allegedly assaulted his teammate, which led to the latter's death. He initially found it hard to live in prison but eventually began to fit in.

• Jung Min-sung [ko] as Go Park-sa (a.k.a. "Doctor Go")

A manager of a large company who was imprisoned due to his company embezzling ten billion won and him taking the fall for it.

• Kang Seung-yoon as Lee Joo-hyung (a.k.a. "Jean Valjean")

A repeat offender who is unable to refrain from stealing.

• • Kang Seung-yoon as Lee Jong-won, Min-chul’s fellow gang member who strongly resembles Joo-hyung. He, Min-chul and three others were found guilty of the murders of two rival gang members, but unlike Min-chul and two of their fellow co-accused, Jong-won (together with their gang leader) was sentenced to death and executed on 6 January 1996.
• Kim Sung-cheol as Kim Young-cheol (a.k.a. "Jailbird")

A man who frequently goes in and out of prison and the first person in the prison Je-hyuk befriends. He considers Je-hyuk his brother because Je-hyuk secretly paid for his mother's life-saving surgery.

• Ahn Chang-hwan as Dong-ho (a.k.a. "Croney")

A prisoner who stabs Je-hyuk in the shoulder, causing his left arm to be injured and unusable for baseball. Eventually, Je-hyuk is able to convince him to be on his side and be his catcher while he trains for baseball in prison.

• Jung Woong-in as Assistant Chief Paeng Se-yoon

A fierce prison guard who likes swearing at prisoners but is actually very supportive and concerned about their well-being and reform.

Others

• Shin Jae-ha as Kim Min-sung

A friendly and bright prisoner who works in the prison's wood workshop with Je-hyuk and Park-sa. He was sentenced to prison after a fatal car accident.

• Lee Jung-hyuk as Nexen Team GM Asst
• Choi Sung-won as Jo Ki-cheol a.k.a. "Spot"

A prisoner who works in the prison's wood workshop with Je-hyuk, Park-sa, and Min-sung. He becomes the chief of operations in the workshop, replacing Yeom.

• Lee Hoon-jin as "Soji" (goods carrier)
• Joo Seok-tae [ko] as operations chief Yeom Sang-jae

The wood workshop's operations chief. He always takes the other workers' overtime pay for himself. He is sexually attracted to Je-hyuk.

• Ahn Sang-woo as Warden Kim Yong-chul

The prison’s warden who is obsessed with the prison having a good reputation to the public, especially during Je-hyuk's imprisonment.

• Park Hyung-soo as Department Chief Na Hyung-soo

The strict prison guard who sticks to the rules

• Kim Han-jong as "Daehyungsoji" (heavy goods carrier)

Prisoner who is assigned as helper in section 2 of the prison. He loves the bright and lively atmosphere of Je-hyuk's cell.

• Kang Ki-doong as Prison Guard Song Gi-dong

A prison guard who is very talkative. He is drawn to Captain Yoo because he was once saved by him.

• Choi Yeon-dong as Vice Chief Lee Jung-jae
• Kim Ki-nam [ko] as Choi Hyun-woo (prisoner)
• Lee Do-gyeom as Park Do-gyeom (prison guard)
• Lim Cheol-hyung [ko] as Director Kim Hyuk-kwon
• Kong Sang-a [ko] as Kim Ji-ho's mother
• Park Hye-jin [ko] as Lee Joon-ho's mother
• Jung Jin [ko]
• Lee Moo-saeng as Captain Yoo's lawyer
• Kim Jae-geon [ko]
• Jang Hyuk-jin as Yoo Han-yang's father
• Yeom Hye-ran as Yoo Han-yang's mother
• Seo Ji-hoon as Min-sik
• Han Duk-soo as News anchor
• Kim Kyung-rae as News anchor
• Ki Eun-ryung as News anchor
• Lee Young-suk [ko]
• Yoo Hyung-kwan [ko] as Chief Shim Woo-kyung (prisoner)
• Park Young-soo [ko]
• Jang Joon-nyung [ko] as Baseball coach
• Bae Ho-geun as Jang Yoon-hwan
• Kim Yong-un [ko] as big prisoner
• Kim Tae-soo as Woodworking workshop inmate
• Lee Kyu-sung
• Choi Kwang-il [ko]
• Park Koo-yoon [ko]
• Kim Dong-chan [ko]
• Kwak Han-goo [ko] as a car thief
• Kim Jun-han as Song Ji-won

Boyfriend of Yoo Han-yang who wants Han-yang to stop using drugs

• Yang Dae-hyuk as Corporal Choi
• Choi Young [ko]
• Kang Hyun-jung [ko]
• Ko Young-bin [ko] as Doctor Jung Dae-hyun
• Ye In
• Jang Joon-ho [ko]
• Hong Seung-beom [ko] as Challenge Golden Bell MC
• Lee Kyu-seob [ko]
• Lee Sang-yi as Sergeant Oh Dong-hwan

The real murderer in Captain Yoo's case

• Ahn Tae-young [ko] as Lim Sun-soo
• Jung Moon-sung as Yoo Jung-min
• Shin Won-ho as Joo Jung-hoon
• Kim Mo-beom as Park Joon-young
• Jo Kyung-hoon [ko]
• Lee Do-yeop as Director Doh
• Tae Won-suk [ko]
• Park Kun-rak [ko]
• Song Young-hak [ko]
• Lee Shin-sung [ko] as CEO Nam
• Kim Jung-pal as Director Ji
• Lee Yoon-sang
• Yoo Su-bin as Yang Jung-suk
• Ji Min-hyuk as Kang Gun-woo
• Kim Ka-young
• Kwon Da-ham
• Son Kyung-won
• Shin Hee-kuk
• Jung Dong-hoon
• Seo Sang-won
• Kim Ki-moo [ko] as a rapist
• Lee Seok [ko] as Lee Suk-eun
• Kang Duk-jung
• Jung Kyung-cheol
• Lee Jae-woo
• Lee Do-kuk as Professor Kim Jin-sung
• Ko I-geon [ko] as a baseball teammate
• Son Kang-kuk as Taxi driver
• Bae-Jin-woong [ko] as Jin Woong
• Jo Joon
• Lee Ki-hyuk as Junior guard
• Sung Hyun-joon
• Ahn Ji-hyun as Ji-ho's friend
• Choi Myung-bin as Soo-bin, Chief Paeng's daughter

Special appearance

• Yoo Jae-myung as Je-hyuk's lawyer
• Kim Sun-young as Kang Chul-doo's ex-wife

Production

• Prison Playbook is directed by Shin Won-ho, the award-winning director of Reply anthology series, and written by one of the series' junior writers, Jung Bo-hoon.^[7][8]
• The first script reading of the cast was held on July 17, 2017, at CJ E&M Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul.^[9]
• The filming wrapped up on January 16, 2018.^[10]

Original soundtrack

Prison Playbook Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean, English
Label	CJ E&M Koong Entertainment
Producer	Kim Han-jo (executive)

Part 1

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"OK"	Bewhy	Gray, DAX, Bewhy	Bewhy	03:12
2.	"OK" (Inst.)		Gray, DAX, Bewhy		03:12
Total length:					06:24

Part 2

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Door (Prod. By Zico)" (문)	Mino, Zico	Zico, Poptime	Kang Seung-yoon, Mino (Winner)	03:21
2.	"The Door (Prod. By Zico)" (Inst.)		Zico, Poptime		03:21
Total length:					06:42

Part 3

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Like A Dream" (꿈만 같아)	DGG	DGG	Park Bo-ram	03:02
2.	"Like A Dream" (Inst.)		DGG		03:02
Total length:					06:04

Part 4

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Bravo, My Life!"	Jong-jin Kim	Jong-jin Kim	Eric Nam	04:05
2.	"Bravo, My Life!" (Inst.)		Jong-jin Kim		04:05
Total length:					08:10

Part 5

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Would Be Better" (좋았을걸)	Heize	Heize, DAVII	Heize	03:40
2.	"Would Be Better" (Inst.)		Heize, DAVII		03:40
Total length:					07:20

Part 6

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Nostalgia (Prod. by Woogie)" (향수)	Woo Won-jae	Woogie	Woo Won-jae	03:21
2.	"Nostalgia (Prod. by Woogie)" (Inst.)		Woogie		03:21
Total length:					06:42

Part 7

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"No Problem" (괜찮아)	Shim Jae-hee, Primeboi	Primeboi	CNU, Baro (B1A4)	03:33
2.	"No Problem" (Inst.)		Primeboi		03:33
Total length:					07:06

Part 8

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"That's The Way It Goes (ft. Kim Min-jae (REAL.BE))" (다이런거지뭐)	DAVII	DAVII	DAVII	03:49
2.	"That's The Way It Goes" (Inst.)		DAVII		03:49
Total length:					07:38

Part 9

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Those Days (Without You)" (하루일과)	Zion.T	Zion.T, Slom, Peejay	Zion.T	03:05
2.	"Those Days (Without You)" (Inst.)		Zion.T, Slom, Peejay		03:05
Total length:					06:10

Part 10

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"How Strange" (희한하네)	Rhythm Power	Topic Of Changan	Rhythm Power	03:23
2.	"How Strange" (Inst.)		Topic Of Changan		03:23
Total length:					06:46

Commercial performance

Title	Year	Peak	Sales	Remarks
		Gaon [11]
"The Door" (문)	2017	—	KOR: 18,521+[12]	Part 2
"Would Be Better" (좋았을걸)		22	KOR: 122,393+[13]	Part 5
"Nostalgia" (향수)		93	KOR: 20,066+[14]	Part 6
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.

Chart performance

Viewership

Season		Episode number
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2.324	2.469	2.713	2.880	2.877	3.063

Prison Playbook : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^{[15][note 1]}

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
		Nielsen Korea[16]		TNmS
		Nationwide	Seoul	Nationwide
1	November 22, 2017	4.638%	4.816%	5.1%
2	November 23, 2017	5.381%	5.900%	5.1%
3	November 29, 2017	4.698%	5.336%	4.9%
4	November 30, 2017	5.468%	6.644%	5.3%
5	December 6, 2017	5.612%	6.518%	5.7%
6	December 7, 2017	5.847%	6.260%	6.2%
7	December 13, 2017	6.388%	6.942%	7.1%
8	December 14, 2017	6.774%	7.409%	7.0%
9	December 20, 2017	7.313%	8.376%	7.4%
10	December 21, 2017	7.910%	8.809%	7.7%
11	January 3, 2018	9.095%	10.139%	8.7%
12	January 4, 2018	9.393%	10.511%	9.6%
13	January 10, 2018	10.142%	11.077%	10.2%
14	January 11, 2018	10.615%	11.531%	11.3%
15	January 17, 2018	10.477%	11.620%	10.9%
16	January 18, 2018	11.195%	12.299%	10.9%
Average		7.559%	8.387%	7.7%
Special	December 27, 2017	5.110%	5.658%	5.3%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2018	22nd Asian Television Awards	Best Drama Series	Prison Playbook	Nominated
	12th Korean Cable TV Awards	Best Drama		Won	[17]
	54th Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Director	Shin Won-ho	Nominated	[18][19]
		Best Supporting Actor	Park Ho-san	Won
		Best New Actor	Park Hae-soo	Nominated
		Best Screenplay	Jung Bo-hoon	Nominated
		Most Popular Actor	Jung Hae-in	Won
	6th APAN Star Awards	Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Park Hae-soo	Nominated	[20]
		Best Supporting Actor	Park Ho-san	Won
	2nd The Seoul Awards			Nominated	[21]
		Best New Actor	Park Hae-soo	Won

Notes

1. The number of viewers was released on Nielsen Korea starting January 2018.