Amid a medical crisis, after over a year of programming turmoil, the drama "Resident Playbook" (hereinafter referred to as '언슬전') has made a promising start.
The first episode of '언슬전', which aired on Dec. 12, depicted the tumultuous entry into society of first-year residents in obstetrics and gynecology at Jongno Yulje Hospital, including Oi Young (played by Go Youn-jung), Pyo Nam-kyung (played by Shin Si A), Eom Jae-il (played by Kang Yu-seok), and Kim Sa-bi (played by Han Ye-ji).
'언슬전' is a work that features director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung, who previously hit it big with the tvN series "Hospital Playlist" in 2020 and 2021. While "Hospital Playlist" focused on stories set in the main branch of Yulje Hospital, '언슬전' shifts to Jongno Yulje Hospital, exploring the lives of obstetrics and gynecology residents.
Along with this, news of the cast's participation, including Go Youn-jung, Shin Si A, Kang Yu-seok, Han Ye-ji, and Jung Jun-won, garnered significant attention before the release. However, the collective resignation of residents from major hospitals led to a significant blow due to the prolonged medical vacancy.
As a result, negative perceptions toward medical dramas persisted, and the gaze towards '언슬전', which features a resident at the center of the strike, was also less than favorable. Ultimately, tvN decided to postpone the programming twice, and it finally came to light after about a year.
However, the risks remained. Concerns arose regarding '언슬전', which deals with residents, amidst the residual impact of the prolonged medical strike.
Contrary to some concerns, '언슬전' made a pleasant first impression. The viewership rating for the first episode was an average of 4.4% based on metropolitan households, peaking at 6.2%. Nationally, it recorded an average of 3.7%, peaking at 5.2%, securing first place among cable and general programming channels during the same time slot. In the target demographic of 2049 men and women, it achieved an average rating of 2.8% with a peak of 4.1% in metropolitan areas, and an average of 2.6% with a peak of 3.4% nationwide, ranking first across all channels during that time slot. The second episode, which aired on the 13th, also recorded a slight increase to 4.0%.
OTT viewers also responded positively. As of 7 p.m. today (15th), '언슬전' ranked first in Netflix's "Today's Top 10 Series" in South Korea. It also received a warm response on Tving, where it secured the second spot following "The Art of Negotiation" in the "Today's Tving Top 20."
Despite challenges like programming delays and controversies within the medical community, '언슬전' has announced a pleasant start in both viewership and OTT responses. The focus now is on how '언슬전' will balance the realities of the medical field with dramatic enjoyment to elicit reactions.
[Photo] Provided by tvN
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