Doctor Slump (TV series)

Doctor Slump is a 2024 South Korean television series written by Baek Seon-woo, directed by Oh Hyun-jong, and starring Park Hyung-sik, Park Shin-hye, Yoon Park, and Gong Seong-ha. 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 turned to love relationship of Nam Ha-neul and Yeo Jeong-woo who 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 high school. But when they are forced to quit their jobs as doctors they end up living together at Ha-neul's house.

Main

 * Park Hyung-sik as Yeo Jeong-woo
 * A carefree student but who always came first in exams and become a plastic surgeon who was popular but suffered from a medical accident.


 * Park Shin-hye as Nam Ha-neul
 * An straight A student who was very hardworking and became an anesthesiologist after a lot of struggles but runs out of the hospital after being 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 as Lee Hong-ran
 * An anesthesiologist and Ha-neul's best friend.


 * Oh Dong-min as Min Kyung-min
 * Jeong-woo's friend and Ha-neul's senior who is the youngest professor in the anesthesiology department.

Ha-neul's family

 * Jang Hye-jin as Kong Wol-seon
 * Ha-neul's mother.


 * Yoon Sang-hyeon (actor, born 2002) as Nam Ba-da
 * Ha-neul's younger brother.


 * Hyun Bong-sik as Kong Tae-seon
 * Ha-neul's maternal uncle.

People of Yeongwon High School

 * Jeong Ji-sun as Han Sang-chul
 * Jeong-woo and Haneul's homeroom teacher during their third year of high school.


 * Park Won-ho as Kim Mu-geun
 * Jeong-woo's friend since high school.


 * Kang Sang-jun 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 as Kang Jin-seok
 * An anesthesiologist who went into surgery together with Jeong-woo and dropped him into the abyss due to a medical incident.

Extended

 * Kim Jung-hwan (actor) as Doctor Woo
 * Ha-neul's fellow classmate.


 * Oh Ryoong 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 as a prosecutor
 * Jeon I-soo
 * Kim Il-joong
 * Kim Ha-eun (announcer)
 * Lee Sung-kyung as Han Woo-ri
 * Jeong-woo and Ha-neul's former high school classmate.

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, directed by PD Oh Hyun-jong, 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 and 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 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.

Critical response
The series received a mixed to positive response from critics. 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. Netflix Global Top 10 TV (Non-English):
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