Hospital Playlist

Official promotional poster

***Hospital Playlist*** (Korean: 슬기로운 의사생활; Hanja: 슬기로운 醫師生活; RR: *Seulgiroun Uisasaenghwal*; lit. ***Wise Doctor Life***) is a South Korean television series written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho. It is the second installment of the *Wise Life* series, following *Prison Playbook* (2017–18). It stars Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-myung and Jeon Mi-do.

The first season aired on tvN every Thursday from March 12 to May 28, 2020. Each episode was released on Netflix in South Korea, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and English speaking countries after their television broadcast. By the conclusion of the first season, the series became the ninth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history.

The second season aired between June 17 and September 16, 2021. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode recorded 10.007% viewership, setting the record for the highest premiere ratings in the network's history.

## Synopsis

The series follows five doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since they entered medical school in 1999. Lee Ik-jun is an assistant professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants. He takes care of his young son as a single father after getting divorced from his absent wife. His cheerful charisma allows him to connect with many people, making him a popular figure among both patients and other doctors. Unapologetically good at anything he puts his mind to, Ahn Jeong-won, an assistant professor of pediatric surgery, is generous and caring, endearing him to his patients. He is a devout Catholic and secretly plans to become a priest due to the pain caused by seeing his patients suffer. Kim Jun-wan is an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, who appears cold and professional. However, he hides a soft, kind temperament that rarely shows, only surfacing with his friends and certain patients. Yang Seok-hyeong, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, is an aloof and introverted doctor. Though he comes off as detached, he is willing to go the extra mile for the female patients under his watch. He is divorced and deeply cares for his mother. Chae Song-hwa, the only female in the group of friends, is an associate professor of neurosurgery. She is considered perfect by her colleagues: she treats patients kindly, performs hundreds of successful surgeries, and has a great personality. The story revolves around the group of friends as they embark on hospital adventures involving medicine, music, and relationships.

## Cast

### Main

* Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun

An associate professor of general surgery. He is recently divorced after his wife decided that a long distance marriage like theirs was not an ideal situation. He is currently raising his son on his own.
* Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won/Andrea

An assistant professor of pediatric surgery. He is the son of the founder of the hospital. His older brothers are priests and his older sisters are nuns. He has been applying to enter a seminary and become a priest.
* Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan

An associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, became chief of the CS department later on. He is currently in a relationship with Ik-jun's younger sister.
* Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong

An assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
* Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa

An associate professor of neurosurgery.
### Supporting

#### Doctors

* Shin Hyun-been as Jang Gyeo-ul, third-year resident, later fellow in general surgery. As the only resident for general surgery, specialist doctors typically rely on her assistance for cases outside their scope.
* Jung Moon-sung as Do Jae-hak, chief resident, later fellow in cardiothoracic surgery.
* Ahn Eun-jin as Chu Min-ha, second-year, later chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology.
* Kim Jun-han as Ahn Chi-hong, third-year resident in neurosurgery.
* Moon Tae-yoo as Yong Seok-min, chief resident, later fellow in neurosurgery.
* Ha Yoon-kyung as Heo Sun-bin, third-year, later fellow in neurosurgery.
* Choi Young-joon as Bong Gwang-hyun, assistant professor of emergency medicine.
* Seo Jin-won as Min Gi-joon, professor of neurosurgery.
* Kim Hye-inas Myung Eun-won, second-year, later chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology resident.
* Choi Young-woo as Cheon Myung-tae, professor of cardiothoracic surgery.
* Shin Do-hyun as Bae Joon-hee, fellow in emergency medicine.
* Jeon Kwang-jin as Jong Se-hyuk, fellow in orthopedic surgery.
* Lee Se-hee as Kang So-ye, fellow in emergency medicine.
* Woo Jung-won as Yeom Se-hee, professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
* Lee Do-hye as Ki Eun-mi, first-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology.

#### Nurses and medical students

* Kim Soo-jin as Song Soo-bin, surgical ward nurse.
* Yoon Hye-ri as So Yi-hyun, cardiothoracic surgery medical assistant.
* Yang Jo-ah as Hwang Jae-shin, neurosurgery medical assistant.
* Lee Noh-ah as Lee Young-ha, surgical ward nurse.
* Lee Dal as Kim Jae-hwan, surgical ward nurse.
* Lee Hye-eun as Kook Hye-sung, general surgery medical assistant.
* Lee Ji-won as Han Hyun-hee, pediatric surgery medical assistant.
* Lee Soo-hyun as Nam Ji-min, pediatric intensive care unit nurse.
* Lee Jong-won as Kim Geon-eun, second-year medical student.
* Lee Jung-won as Hwang Ji-woo, second-year medical student.
* Kim Ji-sung as Han Seung-joo, obstetrics and gynecology delivery room nurse.
* Seol Yu-jin as Eun Sun-jin, obstetrics and gynecology medical assistant.
* Kim Bi-bi as Ham Deok-joo, transplant coordinator.
* Park Han-sol as Sunwoo Hee-soo, emergency room nurse.
* Cho Yi-hyun as Jang Yun-bok, third-year medical student, later intern and Hong-do's twin sister.
* Bae Hyun-sung as Jang Hong-do, third-year medical student, later intern and Yun-bok's twin brother.
* Kim Kang-min as Im Chang-min, intern.
* Lee Chan-hyung as Choi Seon-young, intern.
* Chae Min-hee as So-yeon.

#### Family members of the main characters

* Kwak Sun-young as Lee Ik-sun, Ik-jun's younger sister.
* Kim Joon as Lee Woo-joo, Ik-jun's son.
* Lee Soo-mi as Aunty Wang, Woo-joo's nanny.
* Ki Eun-se as Yuk Hye-jeong, Ik-jun's ex-wife.
* Kim Hae-sook as Jung Ro-sa, Jeong-won's mother.
* Sung Dong-il as Ahn Dong-il/Peter, Jeong-won's eldest brother.
* Kim Kap-soo as Joo Jong-soo, Chairman of the Yulje Foundation and Ro-sa's childhood friend.
* Cho Seung-yeon as Joo Jun, Director of Yulje Medical Center.
* Moon Hee-kyung as Jo Young-hye, Seok-hyeong's mother.
* Park Ji-yeon as Yoon Shin-hye, Seok-hyeong's ex-wife.
* Shin Hye-kyung as Seok-hyeong's former mother-in-law.
* Nam Myung-ryeol as Yang Tae-yang, Seok-hyeong's father.
* Lee So-yoon as Kim Tae-yeon, Yang Tae-yang's mistress.

### Special Appearances

#### Season 1

* Hwang Young-hee as liver transplant patient's mother (Ep. 1)
* Yeom Hye-ran as Min-young's mother (Ep. 1)
* Kim Sung-kyun as Jung-won's second eldest brother (Ep. 1)
* Ye Ji-won as Jung-won's eldest sister (Ep. 1)
* Oh Yoon-ah as Jung-won's second eldest sister (Ep. 1)
* Park Hyung-soo as Lawyer Pyeon (Ep. 1 & 10–12)
* Jung Jae-sung as Chief of Neurosurgery (Ep. 1)
* Lee Joo-myung as Song PD (Ep. 1)
* Kim Gook-hee as Gal Ba-ram (Ep. 2)
* Kim Dae-gon as Gal Ba-ram's husband (Ep. 2)
* Kim Sung-cheol as No Jin-hyung (Ep. 2)
* Kim Han-jong as Gong Hyung-woo (Ep. 2)
* Lee Soo-geun as radio host (Ep. 3; voice)
* Eun Ji-won as radio host (Ep. 3; voice)
* Shim Dal-gi as Chan-hyung's mother (Ep. 3)
* Gi Eun-se as Yuk Hye-jung (Ep. 3)
* Anupam Tripathi as Foreign patient's co-worker (Ep. 4)
* Go Ara as Go Ara (Ep. 5–6)
* Kim Dong-kyu (Ep. 5; voice)
* Choi Moo-sung as Ik-jun's patient's husband (Ep. 7)
* Lee Ji-hyun as Shin Min-ji (Ep. 7)
* Kim Sun-young as Ik-jun's patient (Ep. 7)
* Cha Soo-rin as Oh Yu-min (Ep. 9)
* Jung Min-sung as Lee Chang-hak (Ep. 11–12)
* Lee Jae-in as So-mi (Ep. 11)

#### Season 2

* Cha Chung-hwa as Yeonwoo's mother (Ep. 1)
* Ahn Si-ha as Kim Soo-jung (Ep. 1)
* Ryu Hye-rin as Seung-won's mother (Ep. 2)
* Ko Na-young as Yoo Kyung-jin (Ep. 2–3)
* Lee Ji-ha as Yoo Han-yang and Yoo Kyung-jin's mother (Ep. 2–3)
* Lee Ji-hyun as Min-chan's Mother (Ep. 2, 4)
* Lee Kyu-hyung as Yoo Han-yang (Ep. 3)
* Im Soo-jung as Chae Eun (Ep. 3)
* Ahn Chang-hwan as Baek Hyung-do (Ep. 3; voice)
* Jung Seung-gil as son of the brain tumor patient (Ep. 8)
* Yoo Jae-myung as Shin Sung-eui, professor of radiology (Ep. 9)
* Hyun Jung-hwa as professor of nuclear medicine (Ep. 9)
* Joo Sae-hyuk as fellow in nuclear medicine (Ep. 9)
* Lee Il-hwa as Gyeo-ul's mother (voice)
* Park Jung-woo as Jang Ga-eul, Gyeo-ul's younger brother (Ep. 10)
* Na Young-seok as Jang Young-seok, the father of Mo-ne and Ma-ne (Ep. 10)
* Choi Deok-moon as Chu Cheol-woo, Min-ha's father (Ep. 10)
* Jang Hye-jin as Min-ha's mother (Ep. 10)
* Kim Jun-han as Ahn Chi-hong (Ep. 11)

## Production

#### Development

* In January 2019, it was reported that Shin Won-ho would direct a medical television series and that the production team was in the early stages of casting actors.
* It took four years for the script to be completed. Screenwriter Lee Woo-jung and director Shin Won-ho previously worked together on the critically acclaimed Reply anthology series (2012–16) as well as the hit black comedy series Prison Playbook (2017–18).
* Actors Jung Kyung-ho and Yoo Yeon-seok also previously worked with the duo.
* Yoo Yeon-seok and Jo Jung-suk previously appeared together in Bae Suzy's "Architecture 101" as friends and supporting roles, not lead role.
* In order to comply to the 52-hour week system and to avoid overnight filming with regard to the cast and crew's health, the production team decided to air one episode a week for a total of twelve weeks instead of broadcasting two episodes a week for eight weeks as it is usually the case for South Korean television series.

#### Filming

Principal photography for the first season started in early October 2019. Some scenes taking place in Gangwoon University Hospital and Yulje Medical Center were respectively filmed in Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital (in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi) and Ewha Womans University Medical Center (in Gangseo District, Seoul), though the latter scenes of the season were filmed on set due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming for the first season was completed in late April 2020.

Originally scheduled to begin in early December 2020, filming for the second season was postponed to late January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming ended on September 6, 2021.

## Hospital Playlist

### **Label**:

Studio MaunC, Egg is Coming, Stone Music Entertainment

#### *Hospital Playlist Season 1: Original Soundtrack* Album

The *Hospital Playlist* original soundtrack produced by Ma Joo-hee was released on June 4, 2020, by Studio MaumC, Egg Is Coming and Stone Music Entertainment.

It consists of covers of popular Korean songs released in the 1990s and 2000s. All songs charted on the Gaon Digital Chart and twelve on the K-pop Hot 100, with some receiving several nominations and awards. Doyeon Lee of *Billboard* noted that the soundtrack "was well received by listeners of all ages for its remakes of popular 90s hits."

## Reception

*Hospital Playlist* received positive critical feedback. Comparing the series to *Grey's Anatomy* and *Friends*, Ariana Yaptangco of *Elle* featured it on the list of "The 10 Best K-Dramas To Binge-Watch On Netflix".

During an interview with *The Korea Herald*, film critic Yun Suk-jin praised *Hospital Playlist* for emphasizing the human aspect of the profession rather than the life-and-death situations, noting that the series "did away with the cliched power conflict, and focused on the doctors' sincerity in their work and their relationship with the patients." Pierce Conran of *South China Morning Post* named *Hospital Playlist* one of the best South Korean series of 2020, mentioning that "emotional tales of illness and grief play out against the gentle camaraderie of a group that finds solace from the hardships of their job in each other, and their delightfully lousy five-piece garage band." Jessicha Valentina of *The Jakarta Post* named Jeon Mi-do's character Chae Song-hwa "one of the series' highlights," praising *Hospital Playlist* for its portrayal of strong female characters.

Joel Keller of *Decider* gave a mixed review, saying that the series "is a bit of a strange amalgamation of different genres, but the cast makes it work. Just be ready for a slightly confusing first episode."

### Viewership

#### Season 1

*Hospital Playlist* aired on tvN, which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS). Its first season ended within the top 10 of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.

#### Season 2

A 10.0% viewership rating was recorded nationwide for the first episode of the second season, making it the highest premiere rating of the network.

## Gallery

*Main article: Hospital Playlist/Gallery*

## External Links

* Hospital Playlist's Official Website (in Korean) (season 1)
* Hospital Playlist's Official Website (in Korean) (season 2)
* Hospital Playlist on Wikipedia
* Hospital Playlist Season 1 on MyDramaList
* Hospital Playlist Season 2 on MyDramaList
* Hospital Playlist Season 1 on HanCinema
* Hospital Playlist Season 2 on HanCinema
* Hospital Playlist on Netflix