MBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama “The Judge Returns” opens with fast-paced storytelling and a powerful lead performance from actor Ji Sung, immediately drawing viewers into its morally charged narrative about corruption, guilt and personal reckoning. The premiere centers on a disgraced judge who once served powerful interests but begins to confront the consequences of his past rulings, setting the stage for a tense legal redemption story. Set in 2035, the series follows Lee Han-young (Ji Sung), a compromised judge who lives as a figurative servant to a major law firm before finding himself transported back to 2025. Given a second chance, he begins to chart a new course as he faces the enormous forces that once controlled him. The drama is based on a 2018 web novel of the same name and is directed by Lee Jae-jin, along with director Park Mi-yeon and writer Kim Kwang-min. The cast includes Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon and Won Jin-ah. The first episode delivers a shocking turn as Lee Han-young, formerly protected by elite legal and corporate power, appears in court wearing a prison uniform.