# Doctor Cha

Doctor Cha (Korean: 닥터 차정숙) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Uhm Jung-hwa in the title role, along with Kim Byung-chul, Myung Se-bin, and Min Woo-hyuk. It aired on JTBC from April 15 to June 4, 2023, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) for 16 episodes. It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea and on Netflix in selected regions.
The series was a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history.

## Synopsis

The series follows the story of Cha Jeong-suk, a housewife of twenty years who becomes a first-year medical resident.

## Cast
### Main

* Uhm Jung-hwa as Cha Jeong-seok: a full-time housewife of twenty years who decides to return to her medical career after surviving an unexpected crisis.
** Park Joo-won as young Cha Jeong-seok
* Kim Byung-chul as Seo In-ho: the perfectionist husband of Jeong-suk and the chief surgeon at a university hospital, who has an affair with his first love Seung-hee, and is the father of her illegitimate daughter who is the same age as his daughter.
** Park Tae-in as young Seo In-ho
* Myung Se-bin as Choi Seung-hee: In-ho's first love who is a family medicine professor and is mother to In-Ho's illegitimate daughter.
** Moon Ye-jin as young Choi Seung-hee
* Min Woo-hyuk as Roy Kim: a charismatic surgeon who gets entangled with Jeong-suk. He was adopted by American parents and tries to find his biological family by registering his DNA

### Supporting

* Song Ji-ho as Seo Jung-min: Jeong-suk and In-ho's son who is a first-year surgical resident.
* Jo Ah-ram as Jeon So-ra: Jung-min's girlfriend who is a third-year surgical resident.
* Baek Joo-hee as Baek Mi-hee: Jeong-suk's friend who is a dermatologist.
* Park Joon-geum as Kwak Ae-sim: In-ho's mother and Jeong-suk's mother-in-law.
* Kim Mi-kyung as Oh Deok-rye: Jeong-suk's mother who works as a caregiver in a geriatric hospital.
* Lee Seo-yeon as Seo Yi-rang: Jeong-suk and In-ho's daughter.
* So A-rin as Choi Eun-seo / Seo Eun-seo: Seung-hee and In-ho's daughter. Yi-rang and Jung-min's half sister
* Park Chul-min as Yoon Tae-sik: the chief of surgery department.
* Kim Byung-chun as Im Jong-kwon: the chief of the family medicine department.
* Lim Hyun-soo as Lee Do-gyeom: a first-year resident in the family medicine department.
* Kim Ye-eun as Min Chae-yoon: an intern in the family medicine department.

### Extended

* Jo Eun-yoo as Hwang Mi-ra: a surgeon at a university hospital.
* Song Young-ah as Park Ji-yeon: a third-year chief resident.
* Song Young-chang as Chairman Oh Chang-gyu: a VIP patient.
* Sung Byung-sook as Jang Hae-nam: a patient who was imprisoned for killing her husband.
* Kim Hyun-mok as Hwang Seong-gyu: a patient who has Crohn's disease.
* Seo Yoon-ji as Seo-yeon: Seong-gyu's wife.
* Nam Myeong-ryeol as Park Ho-won

### Special appearances

* Kang Ji-young as Yoo Ji-seon: a single mother.
* Choi Eun-kyung as a shaman

## Release

It was reported that Doctor Cha was initially scheduled for release in October 2022. However, in November 2022, JTBC announced that the series was included in their 2023 drama lineup.

## Original soundtrack

The original soundtrack for Doctor Cha includes five singles, released between April 15 and May 20, 2023. These singles, as well as 46 score tracks, were later included in the original soundtrack album for Doctor Cha, released on June 3, 2023 by Music&NEW.

### Part 5
## Reception
### Viewership

| 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 | 1.125 | 1.644 | 1.700 | 2.330 | 2.437 | 2.846 | 2.856 | 3.696 | 3.411 | 4.061 | 3.552 | 4.005 | 3.143 | 4.088 | 3.232 | 4.030 | 3.010 |
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 | April 15, 2023 | 4.937% (1st) | 5.464% (1st) |
| 2 | April 16, 2023 | 7.780% (1st) | 8.632% (1st) |
| 3 | April 22, 2023 | 7.814% (1st) | 8.488% (1st) |
| 4 | April 23, 2023 | 11.205% (1st) | 11.715% (1st) |
| 5 | April 29, 2023 | 10.856% (1st) | 12.007% (1st) |
| 6 | April 30, 2023 | 13.203% (1st) | 13.317% (1st) |
| 7 | May 6, 2023 | 12.874% (1st) | 13.019% (1st) |
| 8 | May 7, 2023 | 16.181% (1st) | 16.868% (1st) |
| 9 | May 13, 2023 | 15.588% (1st) | 15.708% (1st) |
| 10 | May 14, 2023 | 17.958% (1st) | 18.925% (1st) |
| 11 | May 20, 2023 | 16.225% (1st) | 17.059% (1st) |
| 12 | May 21, 2023 | 18.493% (1st) | 19.336% (1st) |
| 13 | May 27, 2023 | 14.420% (1st) | 14.560% (1st) |
| 14 | May 28, 2023 | 18.168% (1st) | 17.920% (1st) |
| 15 | June 3, 2023 | 14.676% (1st) | 14.742% (1st) |
| 16 | June 4, 2023 | 18.546% (1st) | 19.383% (1st) |
| Average | Average | 13.683% | 14.196% |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series 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). ||||

### Accolades
#### Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
| APAN Star Awards | 2023 | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Uhm Jung-hwa | Won |
| APAN Star Awards | 2023 | Excellence Acting Award, Actress | Myung Se-bin | Nominated |
| APAN Star Awards | 2023 | Best New Actress | Jo Ah-ram | Won |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2024 | Best Actress | Uhm Jung-hwa | Nominated |
| Brand of the Year Awards | 2023 | Best New Actress | Jo Ah-ram | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Viewers' Choice Actor of the Year | Uhm Jung-hwa | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Best Director | Kim Dae-jin | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Best Director | Kim Jung-wook | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Best Screenplay | Jung Yeo-rang | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Best Production Company | SLL | Won |
| KCA Consumer Rights Day Awards | 2023 | Best Production Company | Studio&NEW | Won |
| New York Festivals TV and Film Awards | 2023 | Entertainment Special, Mini-series | Doctor Cha | Finalist |

#### Listicle

| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Time | 2023 | The 10 Best Korean Dramas of 2023 on Netflix | Included | |

## Remake

The Turkish adaptation, Bahar, began being broadcast on Show TV in February 13, 2024. The protagonist is played by Demet Evgar.