September 8, 2022 (2022-09-08) – September 11, 2024 (2024-09-11)
The Zone: Survival Mission (Korean: 더 존: 버텨야 산다) is a South Korean game television series starring Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwang-soo, Kwon Yuri, Kim Dong-hyun and Dex.[3] Dubbed as the "agents of mankind", the members are put into eight disaster simulations in which they must survive for four hours.[4] It premiered on Disney+ on September 8, 2022, with the first three episodes being released at the same time.
The series is produced by Cho Hyo-jin, who has frequently collaborated with Yoo Jae-suk and is known for his previous shows such as Running Man, X-Man, Family Outing, and Busted!.[1]
On November 30, 2022, it was confirmed that the second season would be in production.[5][6] On 14 June, 2023, the first three episodes of season 2 premiered on Disney+.
On March 11, 2024, Disney+ revealed that the upcoming third season will feature two new cast members, Kim Dong-hyun and Dex, with Lee Kwang-soo leaving the show.[7] On August 7, 2024, the first three episodes of season 3 were released on Disney+.
Premise
In each episode, the cast is put into survival-themed simulations through "The Zone" with the assistance of AI U (voiced by You Hee-yeol), an artificial intelligence machine. Their task is to complete missions and endure the scenarios in 4 hours.[1] In season 2, AI 2.0 replaced AI U and was voiced by the producer Cho Hyo-jin.
^Hwang, So-young (November 30, 2022). "유재석·이광수·유리, '더존' 시즌2 제작 확정" [Yoo Jae-seok, Lee Kwang-soo, and Yuri confirm production of 'Duzone' season 2]. JTBC (in Korean). Retrieved November 30, 2022 – via Naver.