New K-Drama Surpasses 50B-Won ‘When the Stars Gossip’ — What to Expect Next

tvN’s new weekend drama Resident Playbook is off to a promising start, topping its time slot among cable and general programming channels and breaking the network’s recent ratings slump. Unlike its predecessors, which struggled to make an impact, Resident Playbook has quickly captured viewers’ attention with strong ratings and positive word-of-mouth.

According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode aired on April 13 achieved an average rating of 4.5% in the Seoul metropolitan area (peaking at 5.1%) and 4.0% nationwide (peaking at 4.4%), surpassing the first episode’s 4.4% and 3.7%, respectively. The drama ranked No.1 in its time slot among cable and general programming channels.

📈 Outperforming Previous tvN Dramas

What’s more notable is that Resident Playbook has already outperformed recent tvN weekend dramas. It surpassed The Potato Lab’s first and second episode ratings (1.7–1.8%) by nearly 2%, and even beat the highly anticipated but underwhelming sci-fi drama When the Stars Gossip, which had a massive 50 billion KRW production budget and premiere ratings of just 3.3% and 3.9%.

Many are calling Resident Playbook the “relief pitcher” tvN desperately needed.

A spin-off of the hit series Hospital Playlist, Resident Playbook follows the daily lives and struggles of OB-GYN residents. The original show Hospital Playlist launched with a 6.3% rating and concluded its first season with a record-breaking 14.1%, ranking sixth among the highest-rated tvN dramas of all time.

🎬 Delayed, Then Delivered

The show was originally set to air last year but was postponed due to public controversy over proposed increases in medical school enrollment in Korea. Despite some pre-airing backlash calling it a “medical fantasy,” Resident Playbook has quickly proved itself with both ratings and content.

In episode 2, first-year residents Oh I-young (Go Youn-jung), Pyo Nam-kyeong (Shin Sia), Eom Jae-il (Kang Yu-seok), and Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji) are thrown into a whirlwind of nonstop charting, patient rounds, studying, and emergency calls — painting a chaotic yet relatable picture of life in the hospital. As they cycle through denial, anger, compromise, and fatigue, the show captures their emotional evolution with honesty and warmth.

One standout moment features a surprise cameo by Hospital Playlist’s Ahn Eun-jin, reprising her role as Chu Min-ha. Now a fellow at Yulje Hospital, she’s seen chatting on the phone with her husband, proudly saying, “I love you more” — a heartwarming update for fans of the beloved “Chu-Chu Couple.” Her character’s marriage to OB-GYN professor Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung) added a sweet layer of continuity to the spin-off.

Elsewhere, Pyo Nam-kyeong and Kim Sa-bi’s emotional growth takes center stage. Pyo, exhausted by a sensitive patient’s behavior, breaks down after receiving an unexpected apology. Meanwhile, Kim learns to respond with calm professionalism rather than emotional over-identification, showcasing how doctors develop their own coping styles.

📺 What’s Next?

Resident Playbook airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM KST and will continue to follow the ups and downs of life as OB-GYN residents. With its solid start and strong ensemble, viewers are watching closely to see if this drama can build on its early momentum and become tvN’s next big hit.

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