Binge-worthy: Rising star Go Youn-jung shines as rookie doctor in K-drama Resident Playbook
Resident Playbook (NC16)
Netflix
★★★☆☆
Set in the fictitious South Korean hospital Jongno Yulje Medical Centre, Resident Playbook is a spin-off of the popular Hospital Playlist series (2020 to 2021).
While the original focused on the lives of five specialist doctors and their tight friendship, Resident Playbook is a coming-of-age series about four junior doctors starting their medical careers in the obstetrics and gynaecology department.
The plot is straightforward, one that revolves around the first-year residents being put through the wringer. Expect lots of drama as the quartet – played by Go Youn-jung, Shin Si-a, Kang You-seok and Han Ye-ji – bumble through their tasks, are constantly scolded by their superiors, and learn to get along with one another.
Here are three reasons you should stream this 12-episode K-drama on Netflix.
1. A star on the rise
Since Go's show-business debut in 2019, the 29-year-old has been making her mark in high-profile shows, the last being 2023's science-fiction drama Moving.
Her Resident Playbook character Oh Yi-young is apathetic and disinterested, who drags herself to work because she needs to pay off her mounting credit card debt.
Her jaded attitude towards work is not lost on her peers, surgeons and patients. But as the episodes unfold, Oh's demeanour melts and her superiors recognise that she possesses the qualities of a good doctor.
Go plays the role to perfection. She also nails the deer-in-the-headlights expression, disdainful pout and spaced-out look.
2. New faces to watch
While Hospital Playlist starred acclaimed veterans such as Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jeon Mi-do, Jung Kyung-ho and Kim Dae-myung, Resident Playbook rides heavily on untested newcomers.
Go is strongly supported by her co-stars who, like their characters, are rookies in their profession.
K-drama Resident Playbook, starring (from left) Han Ye-ji, Shin Si-a, Go Youn-jung and Jung Joon-won.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
Han, in her acting debut, plays the socially awkward top student Kim Sa-bi, whose by-the-book personality sees her locking horns with Shin's carefree Pyo Nam-kyung. Kang, who has a bit part in the hit K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025), rounds up the ensemble cast as the enthusiastic former K-pop idol Um Jae-il.
The chemistry between the four of them is sizzling, making it easy to root for the underdogs.
Fans of Hospital Playlist can also look out for the series' key characters such as Yoo, Jung, Ahn Eun-jin and Kwak Sun-young, who make cameos in various episodes.
3. Reflection of reality
The characters are seen working long hours, a reality said to be faced by South Korean medical interns and residents.
Labour challenges were among the reasons leading to the country's prolonged nationwide doctors' strike in 2024, which coincided with the show's initial release.
Public opinion turned against the doctors who abandoned their patients, causing a year-long postponement of Resident Playbook.
Despite the delay, it has been criticised for romanticising residents' lives.
Regardless of the backlash, Resident Playbook remains one of Netflix's global top 10 non-English shows since its premiere on April 12. The show and Go earned the top spot on South Korean data analytics company Good Data Corporation 's weekly list of dramas and stars that generate the most buzz.
Joanne Soh is a lifestyle correspondent at The Straits Times, with a special interest in entertainment and pop culture.
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