SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama "The Mantis: Original Sin" (directed by Byun Young-joo; written by Lee Young-jong) premieres Friday, Sept. 5 at 9:50 p.m. KST. Teaming "Helpless" filmmaker Byun and "12.12: The Day" writer Lee with two buzz-magnet stars―Ko Hyun-jung (as Jung Yi-shin) and Jang Dong-yoon (as Cha Soo-yeol)―the series has been heating up anticipation ahead of its debut.
Set more than 20 years after the notorious serial killer known as “Mantis” was caught, a chilling copycat case erupts―and a detective finds himself working with the last person he ever expected: his own mother, the original “Mantis,” to crack the case. Ko plays the infamous killer; Jang is her son, a cop who’s spent his life hating her. Their tense, tightly wound performances drive the show’s high-stakes thriller energy.
So why “Mantis”? In the series, Jung Yi-shin murdered five men―each tied to domestic violence against women or suspected child abuse. The nickname draws on the female praying mantis, often associated (in popular lore) with devouring the male after mating. The moniker’s symbolism―and its stark, visceral imagery―telegraphs the show’s tone in one punchy word.
The subtitle, “A Killer’s Outing” (Korean subtitle), is just as telling. When a new murder mirrors her past crimes, the original “Mantis” steps out to join forces with her detective son. It suggests not only a killer moving into the light for a purpose, but also a charged reunion between a mother and the son she hasn’t truly faced in two decades. If “Mantis” delivers the metaphor and impact, “A Killer’s Outing” points straight to the series’ narrative engine.
With a title this audacious, a dream team behind the camera, and a trust-the-cast lineup led by Ko Hyun-jung and Jang Dong-yoon, expectations are high for a sleek, prestige crime thriller.
"The Mantis: Original Sin" premieres Friday, Sept. 5 at 9:50 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)