Resident Playbook

It's Hospital but not Playlist

If you're a Hospital Playlist series fans and watching this to get the same vibes, you will be disappointed. So please, hold your expectations. While Hospital Playlist series has a more relaxed plot, this show surely has a bold and tense storyline from the very first episode. In HP series, you just watch a casual, yet-not-so-normal day as a doctor in a hospital. In this show there are clearly goal or let's say storyline: they need to survive their first year of residency. So whatever it takes it will be around them and their mistakes as the first year, as well as their desire to give up at any time. And also no band sessions after working hour here! In my opinion, this show is more like Dr. Romantic, but with more laid-back style.

I like the choice of the cast. There are some uncommon faces here, but yet they deliver excellently, just like typical Shin PD's show! Go Youn-Jung is playing with a disgust face towards her job, which is hilarious. Shin Si-A is somehow has the most "doctor" aura between the R1s.

Even it's still good, the first episode is kinda messed up for me. This episode is somewhat dragging and doesn't match any other episode's vibe because of the tensions building between characters, as well as the romance that hit too early in the beginning. Character development is very strong in this show, at least for the R1 doctors. But for me it's not easy to identify Nam-Gyeong's. We can easily identify that I-Yeong is there because of her debt, Sa-Bi is of course trying to be number one, and Jae-Il is trying to hang on amidst his lack of intelligence, but Nam-Gyeong? At the first episode she is boasting about her grades, but throughout the show nothing notable shown. She also seems to prefer enjoying luxurious lifestyle compared to what she gets in the hospital, but it is unknown whether she's trying to quit her job or to hang on. Is she doing all these solely because of Yeo Mi-So?

I love the Hospital Playlist casts cameo. But some cameo scenes need more work so it will become enjoyable. Seok-Min and Seon-Bin's scene is too short and not really impactful. Also no band sessions don't mean that there won't be any good soundtracks!

On top of that, this is still a highly recommended series! If you feel that Hospital Playlist too slow and boring, maybe you should try this one because it has more intense storyline, but still relaxing to enjoy at the end of your exhausting days!

Oh, and I prefer the second season of this compared the third season of HP. Imagine what would happen when they're in R2 year and having R1s under them? The last episode is not fulfilling and left some things kinda hanging. There will a sequel, won't it?

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A Heartfelt Journey of Growth, with Romance as the Spark

I'm usually not someone who enjoys hospital dramas, but Resident Playbook completely changed that for me—I ended up watching each episode twice! The character development is beautifully written. The screenwriter and director created something truly wholesome, and the cast gave 100% to bring their characters to life.

When I first decided to give it a try, I had no idea I’d end up loving Resident Playbook this much. As a woman in her mid-20s, I found the characters’ personal struggles to carve out their own paths especially relatable and inspiring.

💖 Couples & Romance💖:
The romance was slow and steady, but it picked up speed toward the end. The sweet, lovey-dovey moments between the main couple were my favorites. OIY being straightforward really stood out for me.

As for the second couple—if there’s a season 2—they’d definitely start dating soon. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their dynamic shows a beautiful balance of EQ and IQ.

✨ Actors & Characters ✨
Jung Jun Won, who plays Dowon, was already a candidate for series producer, and I’m so glad he was the one cast. He truly deserved the recognition he gained from Resident Playbook.

Kang Yooseok auditioned several times before landing the role of Um Jae Il, and his persistence clearly paid off—he brought depth and warmth to the character.

Han Yeji, in her first role after graduating, made a fantastic debut as Sabi. She and Kang Yooseok absolutely nailed their roles, even dancing in character! That scene was such a clever and fun way to reveal that Sabi was a Hello Girl.

Shin Shi Ah, who played Pyo Nam Gyeong, had the most emotionally intense scenes among the four residents. Her performance was impressive—she showed so many layers to her character.

Professors Seo Jeong-min (Lee Bong-ryun) and Ryu Jae-hwi (Lee Chang-hoon) stood out to me the most. They did an exceptional job portraying supportive mentors whom the residents relied on the most. Their guidance and presence brought a sense of stability and warmth to the series, making them integral to the residents' journey.

Let’s not forget our villain—Kim Hye In played Myung Eun Won so well that I genuinely got annoyed. Personally, I found the ending satisfying, as this time she couldn’t get her way.

🫶🏻
All in all, I’m really grateful this project came to life. It introduced us to such a talented cast, and I’m so happy I got to experience this journey with them. They truly did an amazing job. If there is the slightest possibility for season two, I'm already down for it.

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Resident Playbook. Resident. Singular. No heart and lacks the camaraderie that made HP successful

I'm a fan of Hospital Playlist 1 & 2, and what the original excelled in—besides the fantastic chemistry among the cast—was showing that the doctors had lives outside of work. The characters had external interests (priesthood, camping, eating out together, and of course, singing in a band). It also explored their relationships with parents, siblings, and children. All of these qualities made Hospital Playlist charming.

In Resident Playbook, we don't see any of that. We see 90% of the residents' lives in the hospital. They're constantly tired, complaining, lacking in personality, and bad at their jobs.

Maybe the title Resident Playbook is intentional—Resident, singular—as in it's only Oh I-yeong's playbook (Go Youn-jung's character) that will be the focus and not the other residents. At first, I understood her reluctance to return to her career and why she wasn't as proactive as the rest of her cohort. But later, her bored attitude and sloppy mistakes became grating at best and unprofessional at worst.

Normally, when rookie doctors are portrayed as bored, aloof, or cold, there’s a reason to excuse their behavior—namely, that they're such phenomenal doctors that their skill alone compensates for their attitude. Oh I-yeong is not a phenomenal doctor. She's barely even a good one. It’s just that the writers made the rest of the cast so utterly incompetent that Oh I-yeong emerges as “better” by comparison.

What seemed out of character was how she displayed more energy trying to get her in-law/supervisor's attention than in caring for patients. This isn’t a female lead you want to root for. The romance is unnecessary, and—speaking personally—I found neither the FL nor ML attractive or charismatic enough to be invested in their romantic lives.

As for the other residents: Pyo Nam-gyeong (Shin Shi-ah) always seemed flustered around patients and spent nearly half the series texting her ex-boyfriend, as if she had no self-worth. I expected more from Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji), especially since they gave her the Choi Song-hwa look (bob cut and circular glasses), but most of her screen time was spent being petulant and clinging to her high school/college glory years.

Even the supporting cast (other doctors and upper-level residents) lacked charm and constantly seemed tired of their jobs or annoyed when the inexperienced doctors asked questions. This is such a departure from Hospital Playlist where even the residents there weren't flat, 1D characters

The two characters I did like were the senior female doctor, Seo Jeong-min, and the male resident, Um Jae-il, because they both have traits that feel true to the Hospital Playlist universe—genuinely caring for their patients. Jeong-min is fair and direct. Jae-il can be a bit too enthusiastic, but he puts his heart into his work.

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comforting.

this drama is so comforting. It’s just what I hoped for. Shin PD really never fails. every drama made by him is always good.

i really liked how the characters grew. Yiyoung used to always want to quit, but now she enjoys being a resident. Namkyung learned a lot from her patients. Jaeil studied hard to become more helpful. And Sabi now feels more like a real, normal person.

Resident Playbook is not just about doctors, but about their personal growth and daily lives. It shows their struggles, their small victories, and their friendships in a very warm and quiet way. watching them made me feel comforted and calm.

it’s a slow and gentle drama, but that’s what makes it special. it reminds you that it’s okay to grow slowly, to feel tired sometimes, and to find happiness in small things.

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Can't compare and it shouldn't compare to Hospital Playlist

This series started slow for me and I was expecting so much more. I kept wanting it to be like Hospital Playlist but it was not. Once I stopped wanting it to be Hospital Playlist and started appreciating it for what it was, I started to enjoy it, I saw the personalities and complexities of each of the characters, and better understood the purpose of the narrative. It was a well made series with a fantastic cast, and, yes, endearing cameos for Hospital Playlist fans. The creators and writes of this series have collaborated on other amazing series (Hospital Playlist, Reply 1988, and Prison Playbook) and I hope they keep collaborating together and bring us more quality series.

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Don't expect too much and you're gonna enjoy it!

First of all, it's not the best show on Earth, not even the best medical drama, and it's not really accurate either, BUT it's a LOT of fun, and feelgood drama with well-written stories, and characters.

I think the biggest problem with the show is the main couple, I don't think there's any chemistry between the leads. The show could've been better without the romance plot. The fact that in the finale, all of them got a love interest was a bit much. Sabi and Jaeil were easily the best "couple" on the show. Their dance scene was one of the funniest part of the show.

The banter between the characters and the way SOME senior doctors taught their juniors were fun and interesting. I'm glad the so called "villain" of the story got her well-deserved ending, but I'd loved it if FL go on rampage because of her.

The 4 residents were likable and had a great dynamic, but I feel like the writers didn't do much with the plot. We could say YET, because I have a feeling we might get a 2nd season. It's more like a week-to-week drama with new cases, so don't expect some massive main plot. To be honest, it doesn't need anything like that.

My other problem with the show is that when real problems occurred, like deaths, I don't think the characters had much time to deal with it, they basically forget about what happened in the same episode. It would've been better if we actually see them struggling a bit with PTSD or something.


Overall, it's a fun show, and if they're planning a 2nd season, I'm up for it, but only because the characters are great. Especially the 4 main lead.

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Frustratingly Inaccurate

I rarely do reviews, but I had to make an account just to write a review for this. I do not know whether they mean to ragebait or they have based their show on inaccurate information. How can a resident not have basic communication skills that is required of any doctor? Forget about difficult things such a 'breaking the bad news', the show depicts the residents to be devoid of basic human emotions, such as empathy towards a patient with cancer recurrence or reassuring the family members. These are basic skills that we learn in internship.

Alongwith that they are shown to even lack basic medical skills and knowledge to the point that I started feeling second hand embarassment and at some point wanted to get inside the screen and shout at them.
How can they make a show on residency with characters dumber than first year med-school student!?

I will edit my comment once I complete the series.

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enjoyable, but not that great

The Good
⌲ It's decently well researched.
⌲ While this is no Hospital Playlist, in the world of Doctor Romantics, this is still very far above average in the medical kdrama genre.
⌲ The lead actors did great.
⌲ The cool episodic patient related plots
⌲ The supporting actors were also up there.

The Average
⌲ The drama feels quite boring at times.
⌲ The romance (it's alright, but not nearly as interesting as the prospective couples we've had in HP, let alone what's the norm in a decent romance drama)
⌲ The semi-villains of the show
⌲ While I enjoyed the HP cameos, most of the appearances felt rather forced.

The Bad
⌲ The lottery thing is egregious.
⌲ FL survived med school & everything to finally become a resident & all she talks and thinks about is quitting.
⌲ To add to the previous point, the whole plot about the debt is a bit insane too..
⌲ The rubber mannequin surgeries were quite immersion breaking.

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Romance Drama In Hospital Cosplay

I was looking forward to a slice-of-life medical drama about the hardships of residency, but all I got was an awkward romance.

This felt like a classic bait and switch/false advertising. It's not even classified as a Romance genre. Don't get me wrong, I like a good romance, but this one was so abrupt and misplaced, and dare I say even inappropriate. Not even the charms of Go Youn Jung could salvage it.

Like other reviews, I found it strange that the residents themselves received so little focus, while the FL and ML took up the predominant amount of screen time trying to force a romance that no one asked for, with hospital stuff in between romantic breaths. Not to mention that the medical knowledge is extremely lacking... like can't even get into medical school, no less residency, level of incompetency.

Besides the leads, I thought the acting was solid and the characters were likeable, but were not given much time or opportunity to explore them. The ML and FL had a decent mentor-mentee relationship, but throwing in a romance made it weird. Not only is the ML her direct superior, but also related to her in another way, which made it even weirder. Not to mention the age gap (both in real life as actors and in the drama as well), I kept thinking the ML looks 40 while she looks 20. Go Youn Jung literally just played a student in Moving.

I did enjoy the brief moments of camaraderie that we did get. Some of the interpersonal dynamics between residents, nurses, doctors, and patients were nice but underdeveloped. There is a pretty decent subplot on IVF that I found heartbreaking and also genuine.

But unfortunately, there just weren't enough of those genuine slice-of-life moments, and there was far too much forced romance for my liking.

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I expect it to be good and it didn't disappoint.
It's a drama talked about the journey, not a relationship or a friendships or even a business ship.
I personally liked this drama a lot. It obviously remind me of hospital playlist and liked the appearance of its cast.
I enjoyed it from the first ep to the last. I liked to see their friendship be stronger day over day.
I went emotional every time a baby was born. The last episode i cried several times because of how much i got attached to them.
It's just a really good life series.
I liked every character of the doctors even if they are a bit lame. The acting was good, no one pissed me off.
There are nothing i don't like about this series. I fel in love with it

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Resident Playbook: Nostalgic and Heavily Dependent on Former Series

I have a tendency to watch some of the most formative dramas during my exam season.

Last year, I had two weeks filled with exams, and to keep myself from getting stressed, I decided to start a little K Drama called My Liberation Notes. It had a few quotes I saw online, and some beautiful characters, so I thought what harm would it do to start the show and just watch an episode a day?

Five days, sixteen episodes, and three crucial exams later, I had finished the whole series, and my life forever changed. My Liberation Notes, and it's anthem of "Something Good Will happen today" continues to echo on my lockscreen and everything I o. Son Sukku and Kim Jiwon continue to live on in my heart.

Obviously, I didn't expect Resident Playbook to have the same effect. But somehow it did.

All the actors were enthralling, and absolutely played their part perfectly: the bored Yiyoung, the bright Jaeil, the stubborn Sabi, and the romantic that is Namkyung. All of the characters were lovely, and their actors were even better. The fact that this is Han Yeji's (Sabi's) acting debut is insane, and I hope to see her blossom in other dramas as well.

I also want to give a shoutout to the actor that is Kang Youseok. I thought he looked familiar in the show, but kind of brushed it off as he may have looked like a character from When Life Gives You Tangerines. Then after a bit of a deep dive, I realized that he was in WLGYT, but a few years before that he was on a little show called Light on Me, where he played the main character. I, of course, genuinely DIED when I found that out because, WHAT??!! HE WAS SHINWOO FROM LIGHT ON ME??!! CLUMSY, INTROVERTED SHINWOO??!! And I think that shows how good of an actor he is, so props to him.

I apologize that was a bit off topic with the rant, but ANYWAYS.

So yes, of course the acting was phenomenal as expected, but the story?? well....

I didn't love the story. I didn't really like Yiyoung's motivations at all. I know it was important to the development of the character, but it jsut felt a bit odd. Despite the actor's best efforts, all the characters felt a bit two-dimensional. I am going to be honest, I don't think there are any character's that I am going to necessarily remember or anything. I think this is going to just become a show I watched. And I think that's okay.

I think the one thign that kept me going through this show were the CAMEOS, which I was so excited for. I really liked how Junwan's cameo was so him: I absolutley loved it. And Andrea's cameo?? Guys, I sobbed my eyes out it wasn't even funny. The depiction of grief was so honest and real that my heart genuinely hurt. Ikjun and Songhwa's cameo was amazing of course, and seeing them on screen in the same manner as usual, but just a bit more intimate made me so happy. Lastly, the fact that I got to see Seokhyung and Chu Min Ha on the same screen again??!! Words cannot describe how ecstatic I was.

So ya, overall, I believe the cameos really did carry. However, there was something also special about the year that this show was set in.

2023 was genuinely one of the most interesting years of my life. I was going through the worst heartbreak, was living one of the best memories, and was battling my inner demons if you will every day. I thought I wasn't really going to make it out the same way I did. I was in such a hole all year, and was miserable to everyone around me all year. However, when 2024 was about to come, I swore to myself that I was going to make it the best year ever, and that I wasn't going to let everything from 2023 follow me into 2024.

And it didn't.

So there was a bit of a sentimental thing going on with the year that this was set, which is why I may have liked it as much as I did. And if you are maybe looking for a piece of home, and a piece of yourself, maybe you can find it in this drama.

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