All of Us Are Dead: What to Expect in Season 2

The Evolution of All of Us Are Dead

All of Us Are Dead season 2's release date and story details remain to be revealed, but the Netflix K-drama secretly teased what its second season was going to be several years ago. Although some of Netflix's best Korean shows fall in the horror genre, All of Us Are Dead offers something different from other zombie and monster shows. Most of season 1 takes place within a few hours and in the same location, which is something season 2 may not be able to replicate.

A custom All of Us Are Dead image featuring Cheong-san, On-jo, Mi-ji, and Su-hyeok on different scenes

All of Us Are Dead season 1's ending saw the bombarding of Hyosan, including the school, followed by the apparent death of Cheong-san. Many All of Us Are Dead season 2 theories try to predict how the show will continue now that its most important location has been destroyed, but it is safe to say the series will now focus on the halfbies. Interestingly, the announcement of All of Us Are Dead back in 2020 teased how different from the source material the show would have to become eventually.

All of Us Are Dead's On-jo and Cheong-san in front of a custom background

The webtoon All of Us Are Dead is based on is called Now at Our School. When adapting the Joo Dong-geun story into a television series, Netflix decided to rename it All of Us Are Dead rather than using the webtoon's original title. This small but significant change foreshadowed that the K-drama was going to grow beyond the webtoon's premise eventually. By removing the 'school' angle from the title, Netflix's All of Us Are Dead set the stage for the show to continue past the destruction of Hyosan High, which happens at the end of the webtoon and was recreated in live-action during season 1's finale.

Challenges and Changes in Season 2

All of Us Are Dead season 2 will be very different from both season 1 and the source material, especially because the school no longer exists. The premise of a group of students trying to survive the first few hours of a zombie outbreak that started in their school cannot be replicated, meaning All of Us Are Dead will have to reinvent itself for season 2 to work. Additionally, now that most of the webtoon has been covered, the show will have to introduce original characters and storylines. With the world dealing with a zombie apocalypse, it is safe to say the characters will not go back to school in season 2.

Hyosan High is destroyed at the end of season 1, and most of the surviving All of Us Are Dead characters are now living in a quarantine zone set up by the military. Nam-ra helping the other halfbies survive in the open, Cheong-san possibly being alive, and the military's plans to limit the outbreak to just one region are some of the storylines season 2 can cover now that the school is gone. That said, All of Us Are Dead might struggle to continue now that its basic premise can no longer be replicated, and the show will have to find a new tone.

This is a similar challenge to what Sweet Home encountered following the destruction of the Green Home during season 1's finale. Similar to All of Us Are Dead, Sweet Home season 1 covered most of its source material, meaning season 2 had to start things from scratch. All of Us Are Dead could have worked as a standalone series, but given how successful the show was, it is no surprise it is returning for season 2. Sweet Home struggled to find its identity after season 1, but hopefully, All of Us Are Dead can continue to give its characters compelling arcs regardless of the school setting.

What Awaits in Season 2

All of Us Are Dead season 2 will bring new challenges and exciting story details as the characters navigate a world dealing with a zombie apocalypse. The destruction of Hyosan High has set the stage for the K-drama to reinvent itself, introducing original characters and storylines that will captivate audiences. As the surviving characters adapt to living in a quarantine zone and face the military's plans to limit the outbreak, season 2 promises to deliver compelling arcs and an entirely new tone.

Will All of Us Are Dead season 2 work without the school setting? This has been a burning question among fans, and as the show prepares to embark on a new journey, it will be interesting to see how it navigates the challenges of reinventing itself for its second season. With the success of the show paving the way for its return, All of Us Are Dead season 2 holds the promise of captivating audiences with its fresh take on the zombie genre and the resilience of its characters.