Resident Playbook

Good story, disappointing main leads

A spin-off of Hospital Playlist, Resident Playbook is centered around 4 1st year residents, as they go through the chaos in their daily routine of hospital life.

Although the story starts well, with day-to-day medical emergencies encountered by doctors in real life. While the show was good, but it didn't meet my expectations and was a par show compared to another medical drama released this year, The Trauma Code.

The main characters didn't have an impact and while I love Go Youn Jung, she didn't seem at her best with this drama. The positives include good real-life medical setting with a sense of urgency and chaos and honest part played by the side characters. The negatives I would say are the leads, as expectations were high from them and a bit stretchy runtime with less emotional impact.

Overall, Resident Playbook is a good medical drama show that shows a real side of medical life, but couldn't reach the heights of being excellent due to a stretchy runtime with little plot and disappointing main leads.

My Rating : 3.5/5

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Not Bad, But Not Great Either

Resident Playbook is a medical slice-of-life drama that had a lot of potential but didn’t fully deliver. It’s a show that tries to give heartwarming hospital stories and a look into the lives of first-year medical residents, but something is missing in the overall execution.

To start with the good parts: the side stories involving patients are the best part of the show. Some of them are emotional and meaningful, and a few may even make you tear up. The show also does well in showing a few important social issues like IVF, mental health, and women making choices for themselves, which was a refreshing and positive touch.

But the main story, especially the character development of the four residents, felt weak and flat. We don’t get to know them deeply, and most of the time, they feel like background characters. Only two or three stand out a bit, while the others don’t leave a strong impression. The focus was too much on the female lead, and it made the rest of the team feel sidelined.

The romance was slow and subtle, and while it had some sweet moments, it didn’t feel strong enough to carry the show. Also, the humor was light and forgettable, and some scenes were just too slow or too long. Each episode is over an hour, and the final episode is almost like a movie, which made the pacing feel stretched.

Acting-wise, the cast did okay, but some performances didn’t match the emotions the scenes needed. The female lead’s character felt cold and hard to connect with, though that may be more due to writing than acting.

In the end, Resident Playbook isn’t a terrible drama. It has a few touching stories, a warm message here and there, and some romantic moments that may keep you watching. But it doesn’t have the heart or spark that makes a drama truly memorable.

If you’re a big fan of hospital shows or just want something light to pass the time, you could give it a try. But don’t expect a masterpiece.

Final Rating: 6.5/10

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Um jaeil and Kim Sa Bi make it fun to watch ?

Everyone says the romance between Oh Yi-young and Ku Do-won is good and that they have chemistry, but for me, it didn’t work. Their scenes were too few—even in the hospital. It felt more like Um Jae-il and Kim Sabi had real chemistry and a perfect romance.

I also don’t really understand the Korean setup. I mean, all four of them living in one apartment felt strange—Oh Yi-young with her older sister, and the others too.

I didn’t like the mannequin scene with silent dialogue and just staring—it felt awkward, almost like a lesbian scene (with the old patient woman). Also, I didn’t like how suddenly they already had a junior doctor, who was pretty annoying.

The comedy was great though—I laughed a lot, especially when they handled the patients (Um Jae-il and Pyo Nam-kyung).

There was nothing really special about the surgeries, but I loved how they embraced each other and created heartwarming vibes.

To be honest, Um Jae-il and Kim Sabi carried the whole show for me. They had unique personalities and often made mistakes when judging situations, which made them more human. Without them, this drama would’ve been so freaking boring. The other characters weren’t very good—especially the female lead.

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Kinda mid, but good acting

I'll keep it simple. It is a very mid/plain k-drama. Not really a procedural TV series (in a hospital), not a rom-com (in a hospital), not a sad teary-eyes drama (in a hospital), just a kinda all-around one. A slice of life if you will. And there's nothing wrong with that. When it is good, ofc. Same every-day drama formula: some background where the stuff happens, you put the characters in different situations, make them choose one or the other to set them on a character arc, and thats all there is to it. Some series do it better, some don't....
So lets begin. The script is... complicated. It is nicely put together, mostly, but it feels like 2 writers went on it. You have the general, anything daily, aspect and you have the "here we must crank up the drama" cuts. And thats the low point of this TV series. Every time they need something particular to happen, it becomes cringy. Very cringy. Besides the cringy aspect, they also kinda ruin the character's development. Because if that person knows that doing x stuff is bad but still does it, well.... Even if 10 minutes later will say "i'm sorry", the "damage" is done. Thats not how you do character development. Or you do so with kids, not future medics...... Anyway, next. Beside writing and directing, everything else is kinda good. The acting (full with microexpressions) is very good, but thats because of the cast. The pacing is decent, the production value is ok, the cinematography is mid (with some nice moments reserved for the "special" moments), the soundtrack is ok, I guess. But all the good/nice aspects are destroyed by all those extra cringy moments, so....
I think one of the selling points for this drama were the cameos, 'cause its full of them. I won't spoil it. But, like I said, its a mid-tier k-drama so it has nothing special to keep you hooked. It is a perfect drama to watch when chillin', or doing something around the house, you don't need to pay particular attention to it. Because if you do, all those cringy moments will start to pile up and add to the discomfort. Will I watch a 2nd season? If I don't have anything else on my list, sure. Would I re-watch this one? I don't think so. Even if there's nothing (nothing at allllll) on the list, I'd rather re-watch a "good" one, or check a new series from a different country. Yeah, thats the answer: no re-watching value. Its ok watching it once, but it would feel like wasting time by watching it again, you know? Well, its up to you. Have a nice day.
PS: expect a lot of yawning. On screen, yes, but that will make you yawn also :)))

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Great side dishes but average mains

Like its previous namesake "Hospital Playlist" this was a hospital centred drama, but it failed to live up to the standard set by its seonbae (선배) . There was a lot to like in the case studies that played out through the series. I think these side dishes held the best writing and even sometimes, the best acting of the show. They were varied and often quite moving, with frequent opportunities for a bit of weeping. But the mains really lacked that spice that locks you in and changes something from OK to good.

The writers should shoulder a large chunk of the blame, in that the characters of the four 1st year residents were somewhat one dimensional. There was some character development, but to be honest it was more a progress through learning a skill set and becoming a bit more mature. Only one of them really had their personal life filled out to any extent, which meant that we didn’t really see any rounded characters emerging. A slightly better attempt was made to showcase their group interactions, but it didn’t really dig far enough or get down and dirty enough to reveal the layers of the characters. I think it was an opportunity missed to make the whole thing much more engaging for the audience. At twelve 80 minute episodes they were hardly short of time.

I’m not a great fan of unlikely and convenient romances, and by the end of the series we were drowning in them. Surely in this slice of life genre there is opportunity to explore a range of different types of relationship. Overall, it was not a bad watch, but not a particularly good one either.

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A drama that flatlined and somehow never came back to life!

This drama is categorized under the medical and slice of life genres, two of my favorite genres. Unfortunately, it somehow managed to miss on both fronts and by quite a lot.

Starting with the medical aspect, since the poster has people dressed in scrubs, I thought it was safe to assume that this tag would dominate the rest.
My personal preference when it comes to medical dramas leans towards bustling hospital corridors, tense surgeries or a team coming together when lives are at stake under pressure. Unfortunately, the drama lacked that urgency and adrenaline rush. The cases felt very underwhelming. It moved neither the characters on screen as well as me as the viewer. I felt a lot of potential wasted since I am usually an easy crier.

Now, onto the "Slice of life" angle, I was waiting for moments and scenes to sneak up on me and hit me hard, but instead, all I got was boredom. I barely felt a nick. After 12 episodes, I wasn't attached to any of the characters and honestly didn't look forward to their story. It felt more like background noise in hospital aesthetics.

I feel the root cause of this imbalance is the drama heavily centered around FL and making everyone and everything orbit around her like they were all supporting characters. While I appreciate a strong woman with struggles and a learning curve, it came here at the expense of team dynamics which is very necessary when it comes to medical dramas. I found other interns more interesting than her story. Somehow her antics and stubbornness, even when she is in the wrong, may have rubbed me in in a certain way.

The romance, which isn't even listed as one of the genres, was ironically the only thing that kept me somehow (barely) invested. Just when I feel the drama has drained me completely, a soft romantic moment here and there would gently resuscitate me and bring me back to life.
It wasn't exactly sweeping or unforgettable to cover all the flaws, but it did have its moments. I enjoyed the subtle tension between Do Won and I Yeong.

Another thing that made this harder to get through was the length of each episode being more than an hour, and the finale being literally 1 hour and 40 minutes, which kind of seems ridiculous to me. Somebody needs to convey to the kdrama gods that we can't be getting movies in the name of episodes.

Coming to acting, I am not particularly impressed by the FL's acting. It may be because of how her character is written but somehow it didn't do anything for me. Han Ye Ji as Kim Sa Bi was impressive, and I found her adorable, and the way she portrayed her character seemed genuine, considering this is her first acting project. Kang You Seok was in his element as well, but I didn't get connected to any of the characters.
Taking the whole experience in consideration, the acting felt rather ordinary to me.

Overall, this was more of a missed opportunity. The combination of medical and (in/with) slice of life didn't work for me.
Will I recommend this? Maybe after playing 20 questions to see if the genres align with your taste and you have got an unusual amount of time on your hands to binge 12 movies.

P.S.- This review is my personal experience with this drama. By no means does it mean that it is the most terrible drama out there or that one shouldn't watch it. My review might be a bit harsher than I intended, but considering I spent over 14+ hours on this (blame my NDD) and that’s a lot of time to invest and when it doesn’t pay off, well... you get the picture. So, take my review with a grain of salt.

Thank you for reading my review! I sincerely hope you enjoy this drama more than I did if you pick it up! <3

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my expectation was low but sike, its basically unfinished

I expected comedy show but honestly my laugh per minute was too low, forget hospital playlist level it was not even as funny as prison playbook. each episodes bring a little story about each character but honestly its too boring. the comedy doesnt delliver, the character is just too bland, the story itself is not bad its jus that not funny enough to called comedy, and cant be called romance either since not much conflict. more like the slowlife of a resident. the whole mc has too much holes that feels incomplete as mc, there are some growth on them but nothing on how the audinece can understand them better,

the character supposed to be fresh but there is not much to it, we dont know what happened to the idol boy why it was disband and and debt girl what kind of mistake made her run away, cold girl is just a bad jun wan, and the plain girl is just too plain there is a rivalry but it just doesnt make sense why. debt girl is nothing without nepotism really, her resident life might be busy but honestly if i worked at a place where my seniors give me a lot of chances and help like that without competition i will settle there for life. plain girl is just too plain, i cant even say that she is one of mc. cold girl is kind of decent, your typical smart girl without emotion she knew she is smart so she has to fix her emotionless problem with the patient, she knew from the start however she only grows at the end, and i like how they show smartypants problem in a workplace, it doesnt matter how smart you are in a workplace "beginner mentality" is a must. idol boy is the best one of the worst honestly, it seems he is in charge of throwing punchlines among the 4 yet they doesnt delivered well, probably he is the best written one among the 4.

and there is the professor they are basically the mirror of the resident. the two rival girl is just stupid, they are professors yet fighting over OR, ffs its a patience life on the stake its so stupid that doesnt even funny, and the hospital favor the debt girl too much. i never experience it but it shows that nepotism really does feels good. the angry professor is just so stupid that he got angry in front of the patient, like i said just like a bad jun wan, i still find jun wan funny, but him ? he is just angry bird, the actor can just go without any acting just raise your voice and done. last is the funny/wise professor the only decent one, however the character seems like copying ik jun too much.

story wise too boring, i cant even finish one episode in one time watch i split it like 2-3 times. the comedy doesnt deliver, for the main cast i only get laugh from the funny professor scenes, and the other only from the hosplay special. i mean you can see the difference much even just from one shor scene on how angry bird professor and jun wan reprimanding their resident. the story feels like unfinished and ffs please no season 2 for this one if they didnt want to improve it. why make 4 mc when you barely able to do 1.

last is my advice is if you want romance just make debt girl and her in law as the center of the story, or if you want comedy abandon loveline and you need better writing that this, try consulting comedians. if you want slice of life you need story focus on the patient case and the relationship with one focused resident. its not easy to make multiple mc works i understand, so why use hosplay format just use prisonplaybook format. hospital playlist is special anomaly that somehow multiple mc works.

honestly it seems the hosplay guest is carrying "interest" the whole series, good job splitting them. if it was not for them i would've dropped it at 5th episode

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Just okay, lacks the heart!

I know people have said this is a different drama, and fans of Hospital Playlist should not expect the same vibes. I agree and disagree. I don't think it's unreasonable for fans of Hospital Playlist to expect that this drama would be as good as Hospital Playlist, especially when from the get-go, they said this was a spin-off of the drama. At the very least, the quality of the drama should at least resemble, no? I'm obviously not saying the plot should've been the same but so far, I feel like this drama is lacking in many ways.

It's not realistic that almost all, if not all, residents are so unaware about BASIC practices like showing empathy to patients, or my favourite, Yi-young holding the scalpel in the wrong direction and hurting a fellow doctor DURING SURGERY, hello????? It's obviously not impossible, but the way it was enacted was too careless.

I wish there was a balance showcasing all residents' growth journey, in a way that does not make them look like they're college students, they're already doctors for crying out loud! The hand-holding is just way too much for such a profession.

My other qualm about this show is the love storyline, to ME - it feels very forced, and frankly, unneeded. The in-laws falling in love trope is not the worst but also, why? LOL. I'm genuinely confused about how we got here - it felt so sudden that Yi-young just started liking and pursuing Do-won? I'm sure they'll likely show us the backstory in later episodes, and he may have liked her first, we'll see. It feels like that has become a key focus of the show - the show is literally called Resident Playbook, LOL. Shouldn't it then balance showcasing all residents' journeys, in a nuanced, meaningful manner??? So far, the other residents characters lack depth, IMO, for a show that was marketed as an ensemble? For instance, I thoroughly enjoy Shin Siah's acting and character so I'd love to learn more about her outside of her seemingly being boy obsessed and her flaws at work. I know GYJ is the main lead so obvi more screen time but I actually wish they let us watch GYJ's character develop first before this love plot. It'd be interesting to watch how her relationship to work evolves, the debt issue (which 6 episodes in has not been properly explained yet but has been presented a major reason why she has to work again), her relationship dynamics with her colleagues, and her internal growth journey, in a deep, meaningful way. I truly feel like this love plot is a distraction because otherwise, the drama plot would be very shallow. I think this is also why there are so many HP cameos, to fill in the gaps in the writing.

There have been a few heartwarming moments, especially with the patients, which I've truly loved, and appreciated, so it's not ALL bad :))

I read reports that there were several re-shoots and I'm also aware that the drama delayed airing because of the doctor strike in SK so may be they got rid of critical scenes that would have made me feel more connected to the cast and the plot, but as is, the storyline feels all over the place and the characters journeys are not compelling enough including the love plot, idk. I'll keep watching and hope things get better.

Edit: Another insight, and this is likely an unpopular opinion - despite GYJ having the majority screen time, her acting in this project felt a bit subpar, in comparison to her most recent projects. I enjoyed her acting in Moving & Death's Game, so maybe it's just this project, or maybe her acting strengths come out more depending on which actors she's working with(?), and obvi the writing. I'm drawing her out because she's the lead in this project, so she should ideally stand out, but I found myself more wowed by Shin Si-ah's acting, who is seemingly a rookie actress - her facial acting was especially quite good, and her acting generally felt more organic. I'll come back after I finish the last 2 episodes!

Final Edit: I wrote a larger part of this review only 6 episodes in, and I was hoping my views would change significantly after the show, but I'm afraid that's not the case. I truly believe there was great potential for this show had they given us well-rounded characters and delivered an actual ensemble cast. The overfocus on the FL's story (debt, unmotivated to work, convenient romance) became boring at some point. The romance plotlines (including the potential one with Jaeil & Sabi, and Namkyung and the intern) were too predictable, and I wish they'd offered us something new and refreshing, even if that meant further exploring the developing camaraderie and conflicts amongst the residents. In fact, I'd argue, the romance with Yiyoung and the anesthesiologist could have been more interesting and convincing. It generally feels like the writers were afraid to take risks so here we are!

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Spin-offs suffer from sequel syndromes too

This is my first review, but I have been a faithful guest user on mydramalist for many years now.
I was looking forward to Resident Playbook considering that I quite enjoyed both seasons of Hospital Playlist. Unfortunately, this spin-off didn't quite live up to my expectations. Comparing it to Hospital Playlist would be unfair, yet I can't help but wish that it had some of the elements that made Hospital Playlist such an enjoyable watch. Sadly like most sequels (or in this case a spin-off) the X factor was completely missing.
This drama fell short on just the overall story itself - it could be that as it is centered on the OB-GYN unit in the hospital, the patients all revolved around expectant mothers or women who suffered from gynaecological problems. There was not much room to maneuver within the story itself because of the focus. Having said that, I felt like I didn't have enough time to get to know the patients or the doctors either despite this focus. There was no heart in the cases and I felt little connection to the residents. The humour in the show was forgettable and the cameos from the Hospital Playlist cast barely made sense to me. Of course I enjoyed seeing them, but they kept showing up randomly for a few seconds here and there like they were shoved into plot rather than included into it.

The cast was wasted in my opinion on a script that really could have been better. I adore Go Youn Jung and I always enjoy her acting, yet here I could not make head or tail of her character. Was she supposed to come off as reluctant and aloof, or as a robotic android? Her face was so devoid of emotions that I had trouble believing any emotion she did portray.
I could not understand why Kim Sa Bi was written as such an annoying character; any growth she showed always took five steps backwards because she would do something disrespectful or horrid. I found myself fast forwarding past her scenes towards the end because I just could not be interested. My favourite residents were Pyo Nam Kyung and Um Jae-il, who showed the most growth and character development. I liked watching them become better versions of themselves.

The rest of the cast seemed to just be predictable: The demanding and dominating professors, the angelic nurses, the villainous senior doctor, and of course the green flag resident chief. I have been turned off Korean content lately and this was my first K-drama in a while. As soon as one of the professors started shouting at a resident, I reminded myself why I dislike K-dramas so much. I can't stand the abuse that is always present no matter what the content of the drama is. Korean dramas are watched globally and I have to say they are gaining a lot of success by marketing how toxic and awful they are as a society.

Overall, Resident Playbook is a forgettable watch for me sadly despite the few moments that I found alright.



Spoiler below:
The one thing I admired about the writing is how they tackled Oh Joo Young's IVF journey. Her decision to not continue and to learn to love herself and the life she has was such a nice thing to see. Too often women are shamed for not prioritising motherhood and it was really wholesome to see her make a decision to prioritise herself.

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brilliantly void

The actually unjustified hype around this series unfortunately convinced me to spend some time on it.
Indeed, it is brilliantly void from almost any content. It feels like a "resident" screen writer got a first exercise to
fill 12 times 1 hour 10 till 1 hour 40 minutes. Honestly, it gets better during the last episodes, finally trying to
shed some light on possibly realistic and interesting situations in a hospital. However this strongly contrasts
with absolutely impossible situations - a few minutes apart. Yes, the feelings of "tiresome" and "boresome" and despair
of the first years of residence are quite well conveyed in the first episodes, yet who cares about them, apart actual residents?
Again, good camera work, pleasant and good actors cannot save a bland writing. Technique can be learned, creativity not.

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There is no real goal nor destination. It’s just part of the never ending journey.

Let’s start with: everything was mild, but in the best way possible. We don’t really get any intense thrilling medical cases, the friendship between the leads is not this deep bond, the romance is more in the background, the development of the characters is a slow and not epic process. And yet it worked and it kept me entertained. Somehow how mundane it was became the asset not the flaw.

Residents Playbook did have a rocky beginning - none of the characters were that likeable and if we add a rather simple and slow paced plot, it does not have a typical start that gets you hooked. It does grow on you, a lot. It’s been ages since such long episodes (around 1 hour and 15-20 minutes) seemed this short to me - I did not even know when the time passed and wanted to see more.

One of the aspects I especially enjoyed was the fact the characters did not in fact get a complete 180 change, removing all of their flaws. I Young did not out of the blue start being passionate about her residency. Nam Gyeong was still focused a bit on how people perceive her. Sa Bi did not become an empath and Jae Il was till the end often driven by his emotions. They all improved in a realistic manner, but their personality traits were still there.

What’s more was the more realistic approach to how it looks like working at the hospital. It’s not everyday high tension hard cases. Sometimes half of your day will be dealing with paperwork. And sometimes there will be emergencies. There are great seniors who will teach you, and those that will take credit for your work. In many areas it’s a workplace like any other, and I like how they did not try to either glamorize it nor sensationalize it.

While I loved the slice of life vibe and how slow paced it was, I have to say - with the length of the episodes and the show I got a little bit annoyed with how little closure and focus we’ve got about certain plotlines. It really is like seeing just a part of characters’ lives without much context and background. The drama does not really start on the day one of many relations, and it does not have a specific ending. It’s like meeting a friend you have not seen in quite some time, talking about how their life is going currently, and then never meeting them again, not knowing where they ended up. Which often is the case with more character driven shows - there is no real goal nor destination. It’s just part of the never ending journey.

Even though the romance was not the focus part of the plot, I still loved it a lot (well, most love lines). They were adorable, wholesome and just kept making me smile. The chemistry was really fun and natural between all involved characters.

Surprisingly, while I loved the whole main cast, most of my favorite characters were the supporting ones: Seo Jeong Min, Ryu Jae Hwi, Cha Da Hye to name a few. From the main cast (I cannot believe I’m going to say that, because I had zero hope for that character at first in terms of making me interested) my heart was stolen by Pyo Nam Gyeong.

Acting wise - perfect. The characters truly embodied their roles making them feel like real people, and at some point friends. Watching this show after a hard week at work was truly therapeutic - comrades in overwork and stress.

I know a lot of people viewed the cameos as highlights of the episodes, but for me they were so insignificant in terms of my enjoyment - I just liked the drama a lot as it was, so while the guest appearances were fun, they were for sure not the best part of the show people should look for.

Overall, I would quite honestly not mind a new season for each year of residency. There is so much potential for these characters and their stories. I feel like I both know them so well, but also barely scraped the surface of their journeys.

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The Apathetic Resident

Let's be real, most of us are going to watch this cause of the FL. Alchemy of Souls is one of the best fantasy K dramas out there, and we all fell for Go Youn. Or at least most of us did. True fans know that she's been great for years now. But I have no idea why she chose this project. Let me just start out by saying that I despise medical dramas. They are all the same, mostly. But I've come to realize that the reason people watched Grey's and House wasn't because of how realistic the portrayal of hospitals were, but because of how well the writing was constructed to create characters that audiences connected with. Here, there's just no such thing. Youn plays an incredibly dull and uninterested character that seems void of life. How in the hell did she become a doctor? Let alone finish medical school? It truly does seem like the writers decided to play a game and consider just how boring and apathetic of a character they could create for kicks. The secondary characters are no better. Every single one of them is dumb, or written to be. They make mistakes constantly. Like a show that has a villain of the week, this one is a "scolding of the week." None of this portrays reality correctly, nor is it fun to continuously see stupidly written characters get wrecked over common mistakes. There's even a character who sabotages her colleagues' data by deleting it out of jealousy. No real-world doctor would do this as a first YEAR RESIDENT!! In the 4th episode, when Youn cut her co-worker's hand during surgery, I wanted to throw my laptop across the room. I wish I had stopped there. I really did. And yes, there's a love story, here and there. But honestly, not even Youn could save it. There's literally no chemistry between her and the male lead. None. We don't even witness a buildup as to WHY she likes him. Just out of the blue, she seems to show vague interest, culminating with her holding his hand in a co-worker's photoshoot to confirm her feelings that he obliviously wasn't aware of. Fun fact, that's how most of the audience probably felt, too. At least I did.

For what it's worth, the medical jargon and the portrayal of Ob-Gyn doctors were done incredibly well. Everything seemed brutally realistic and raw. In fact, I'd dare say the best part of the show was the patients themselves and the times they spent in the surgery room. They seemed natural, real, and authentic in their suffering or experiences. Anyhoo, I'm keeping this one of my shortest reviews. If you like the FL, I encourage you to finish watching it, though you may need to skim through it. Otherwise, I'd strongly avoid.

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