# Doctor Slump (TV series)

Doctor Slump (Korean: 닥터슬럼프) is a 2024 South Korean medical romantic comedy television series written by Baek Seon-woo [ko], directed by Oh Hyun-jong [ko], and starring Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye, Yoon Park, and Gong Seong-ha [ko]. The series revolves around two former high school rivals, Yeo Jeong-woo and Nam Ha-neul, who reunite after years of separation. It aired on JTBC from January 27, to March 17, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.

## Synopsis

It is a romantic comedy series about the hate-to-love relationship between Nam Ha-neul and Yeo Jeong-woo, who both had promising prospects in their careers, but fell into a slump due to different circumstances. Ha-neul and Jeong-woo were high school rivals who despised each other and parted ways after finishing school. But when they are forced to quit their jobs as doctors, they end up living together at Ha-neul's house.

## Cast and characters
### Main

* Park Hyung-sik as Yeo Jeong-woo
    A carefree student who always came first in exams. He became a plastic surgeon who was popular, but then suffered from a medical accident.
* Park Shin-hye as Nam Ha-neul
    A straight A student who was very hardworking and became an anesthesiologist after a lot of struggles. She runs out of the hospital after suffering from burnout by a medical professor.
* Yoon Park as Bin Dae-yeong
    A plastic surgeon who has an 'alone' rivalry with his well-known college classmate Jeong-woo.
* Gong Seong-ha [ko] as Lee Hong-ran
    An anesthesiologist and Ha-neul's best friend.
* Oh Dong-min [ko] as Min Kyung-min
    Jeong-woo's friend and Ha-neul's senior, who is the youngest professor in the anesthesiology department.

### Supporting
#### Ha-neul's family

* Jang Hye-jin as Kong Wol-seon
    Ha-neul's mother.
* Yoon Sang-hyeon as Nam Ba-da
    Ha-neul's younger brother.
* Hyun Bong-sik [ko] as Kong Tae-seon
    Ha-neul's maternal uncle.

#### People of Yeongwon High School

* Jeong Ji-sun [ko] as Han Sang-chul
    Jeong-woo and Haneul's homeroom teacher during their third year of high school.
* Park Won-ho [ko] as Kim Mu-geun
    Jeong-woo's friend since high school.
* Kang Sang-jun [ko] as Son Chan-yeong
    Jeong-woo's friend since high school.

#### Others

* Song Ji-woo as Do Hye-ji
    A nurse at Bin Dae-young Plastic Surgery.
* Kim Jae-beom [ko] as Kang Jin-seok
    An anesthesiologist who went into surgery together with Jeong-woo, but dropped him into the abyss due to a medical incident.

### Extended

* Kim Jung-hwan [ko] as Doctor Woo
    Ha-neul's fellow classmate.
* Oh Ryoong [ko] as Kim Sang-geun
    Ha-neul's superior who is an anesthesiologist professor.

### Special appearances

* Park Won-sang as Nam Man-seok
    Ha-neul's father.
* Lee Seung-joon as Ha-neul's psychiatrist
* Jang In-sub as Jeong-woo and Dae-yeong's friend
* Cha Yong-hak [ko] as a prosecutor
* Jeon I-soo
* Nam Mi-jung as Nam Suk-ja
* Kim Il-joong [ko]
    One of Ha-neul's aunts.
* Kim Ha-eun [ko]
* Lee Sung-kyung as Han Woo-ri
    Jeong-woo and Ha-neul's former high school classmate.

## Production
### Development

It was reported by Xports News that the production would begin in 2023 and would air on JTBC in October of the same year.
The first script reading was held on March 4, 2023, and filming began on the same month.
It was written by writer Baek Seon-woo [ko], directed by PD Oh Hyun-jong [ko], and produced by SLL and HighZium Studio.

### Casting

In November 2022, Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik were reportedly cast as the main characters for the series. This would be their reunion since working together in The Heirs (2013).
In March 2023, Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye, Yoon Park and Kong Seong-ha [ko] were confirmed to play various roles in the series.

## Release

JTBC released the premiere date of the series which would air every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) on January 27, 2024. It is also available for streaming on TVING and Netflix.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7/10. Johnny Loftus of Decider wrote that "with Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik leading the way, Doctor Slump has us curious about how their characters' lifelong rivalry will evolve into romance". In Bollywood Hungama, Nandini Iyengar stated that "with an endearing plotline, funny yet strong leads and great watch value, Doctor Slump is undoubtedly heading to become one of the most loved dramas of 2024". Joly Herman of Common Sense Media gave it 3/5 stars and proclaimed that "Doctor Slump is catchy without being edgy" and "it's quickly paced and pretty cute". NME's Tanu I. Raj gave it a 3/5 stars and wrote that "it dilutes the show's impactful story, which has so far treated mental health issues surprisingly realistically and sensitively" and "is nevertheless an engaging, fast-paced watch, especially if you're a sucker for witty banter and newfound friendships". In But Why Tho?, Sarah Musnicky rated it 6.5/10 and criticized the series "as directionless as its leading character, Ha-Neul" and "it tries to figure out which course to take, with its primary messaging getting muddied in the process". South China Morning Post's Pierce Conrad gave it 3/5 stars and described "Park Shin-hye gave a balanced and grounded performance in Doctor Slump, while Park Hyung-sik's showier outing often veered close to the realm of caricature" and "promised to focus on mental health and the stigmas surrounding it in South Korean society" but "failed to do so, instead focusing on relationships". S. Poorvaja of The Hindu wrote that "Doctor Slump's lead performances and sensitivity for the most part almost make up for its pacing issues".

### Viewership

Doctor Slump ranked ninth in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category after two days of its release and received a warm response in 11 countries from January 22–28, with 1.9 million hours watched by 1.4 million viewers in its first week. During its second week, the series rose to the top and accumulated 10.2 million hours watched by 2.9 million viewers. The series remained at the chart for another seven consecutive weeks.
| Season | Season | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Episode number | Average |
| Season | Season | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Average |
| | 1 | 0.938 | 1.261 | 1.229 | 1.265 | 0.955 | 0.988 | 1.316 | 1.549 | 1.383 | 1.984 | 1.402 | 1.631 | 1.332 | 1.517 | 1.196 | 1.535 | 1.343 |
Average TV viewership ratings :
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul |
| 1 | January 27, 2024 | 4.060% (3rd) | 4.769% (1st) |
| 2 | January 28, 2024 | 5.137% (1st) | 5.867% (1st) |
| 3 | February 3, 2024 | 5.075% (1st) | 5.679% (1st) |
| 4 | February 4, 2024 | 6.738% (1st) | 7.468% (1st) |
| 5 | February 10, 2024 | 3.735% (1st) | 4.042% (1st) |
| 6 | February 11, 2024 | 3.869% (1st) | 3.964% (1st) |
| 7 | February 17, 2024 | 5.699% (1st) | 6.916% (1st) |
| 8 | February 18, 2024 | 6.231% (1st) | 6.823% (1st) |
| 9 | February 24, 2024 | 5.824% (1st) | 6.808% (1st) |
| 10 | February 25, 2024 | 8.173% (1st) | 9.773% (1st) |
| 11 | March 2, 2024 | 5.704% (1st) | 6.444% (1st) |
| 12 | March 3, 2024 | 6.598% (1st) | 7.658% (1st) |
| 13 | March 9, 2024 | 5.272% (1st) | 6.228% (1st) |
| 14 | March 10, 2024 | 6.325% (1st) | 7.190% (1st) |
| 15 | March 16, 2024 | 4.951% (1st) | 5.937% (1st) |
| 16 | March 17, 2024 | 6.463% (1st) | 7.431% (1st) |
| Average | Average | 5.616% | 6.437% |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS). ||||

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| NME | 2024 | The 10 best K-dramas of 2024 – so far | Placed | |