Go Youn-jung's Resident Playbook Overtakes a 60-Billion-Won Blockbuster as the Most Talked-About K-Drama

According to the FUNdex rankings released by Good Data Corporation on April 22 (tracking April 14–21), tvN’s weekend drama Resident Playbook has ranked No.1 in the combined TV-OTT drama category for the third week of April. The drama’s leads, Go Youn-jung and Jung Joon-won, also took the top two spots among most buzzworthy actors.

Resident Playbook is a spin-off of the hit series Hospital Playlist. It follows a group of young OB-GYN residents as they navigate medical training, life struggles, and emotional growth. Go Youn-jung plays Oh Yi-young, a first-year OB-GYN resident, with Shin Si-ah, Kang You-seok, Han Ye-ji, and Jung Joon-won rounding out the ensemble cast.

The drama is currently in a close battle for attention with "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (폭싹 속았수다), which had previously dominated the rankings for six straight weeks. As of this week, Resident Playbook holds a 10.87% share in buzz, compared to When Life Gives You Tangerines’ 7.24%.

Ratings-wise, the drama is also climbing steadily. Episode 4, aired on April 20, recorded a 5.1% nationwide viewership according to Nielsen Korea, up from 4.5% for Episode 3. Earlier episodes scored 3.7% and 4.0%, showing consistent week-to-week growth.

Though Resident Playbook completed production back in May 2023, its release was delayed due to ongoing medical resident strikes in Korea. At the press conference held on April 10, Creator Shin Won-ho addressed the delayed premiere:

“If it weren’t for the current circumstances, I wouldn’t be here. Normally, the cast and director would be promoting this, but I’ve had to step in more than expected.”

He continued, “We were anxious. The situation unfolded midway through production, and no one knew when it would end. We were afraid that the story we wanted to tell—about young people and their growth—might be misinterpreted. That’s why we kept delaying the broadcast, in constant talks with tvN.”

“But now the show is out there, and it’s up to the viewers. We can’t control how it’s perceived—we just have to wait and see,” he added.

Shin also emphasized how much care went into the project: “We truly poured our hearts into it. Everyone involved—writers, directors, and actors—are still at the beginning of their careers, but they gave it their all. I hope people watch it. What hurts the most is when something you worked so hard on goes unseen.”

Director Lee Min-soo echoed this sentiment: “Even though the strike started during the later stages of filming, it didn’t affect the on-set atmosphere at all. Everyone had a great time filming, and the cast grew closer as it went on. Social issues didn’t impact our shoot.”

tvN’s Resident Playbook airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9:20 p.m. KST.

📈 Viewership Trend (Nielsen Korea - Nationwide):

Episode 1: 3.7%

Episode 2: 4.0%

Episode 3: 4.5%

Episode 4: 5.1%

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