According to a report by OSEN on October 19, SBS recently excluded The Long Shot Trial from its programming lineup for the first half of next year. Although the network is reportedly still discussing various scheduling possibilities, neither a second-half broadcast nor any future air date has been confirmed.
The Long Shot Trial is a cheerful, comedic legal mystery drama centered on a law firm led by Kwon Baek, a former lawyer who now works as a legal office manager. The story follows the team as they turn seemingly unwinnable cases into victories. Actor Lee Je-hoon was set to play the lead character, Kwon Baek, while Ha Young was cast as Yeo Sim-hee, a rookie lawyer. The project had generated considerable anticipation, but the controversy surrounding Ha Young’s family history introduced an unexpected complication.
Ha Young became embroiled in controversy in August after her great-grandfather’s pro-Japanese activities came to light. The fallout subsequently affected her acting projects, advertisements, and promotional content. She also withdrew from Seasons 2 and 3 of the medical drama The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, in which she had been appearing.
In particular, Jung Hae-in, who starred alongside Ha Young in the Netflix series Our Sticky Love, also saw the show’s promotional activities affected by the controversy surrounding his co-star, despite the issue being unrelated to the series itself. The situation left fans disappointed.
Online commenters have continued to criticize Ha Young, with reactions including, “This is unfair to the actors and staff who worked so hard on the project,” “It’s upsetting that other actors are suffering the consequences, too,” “I was looking forward to the drama, but now I don’t want to watch it because of Ha Young,” and “Why should her fellow actors have to bear the consequences?”
As a controversy involving one cast member continues to affect a project’s release plans and promotional activities, as well as the work of fellow actors and production staff, disappointment is growing among viewers who had been looking forward to the drama and fans of its other cast members.
Sources: Nate