"Failure is Not an Option": SBS's "Doctor X" Sparks a Whirlwind Sensation by Refreshing Viewers

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X" has surpassed 15% in viewership ratings by its third episode, breaking its own highest rating record for three consecutive episodes.

In particular, during the third episode broadcast yesterday (October 16), a scene where the character Gye Su-jeong, played by actor Kim Ji-won, saves a cerebral hemorrhage patient played a major role in driving the ratings.

"Doctor X" is a drama that tells the story of Gye Su-jeong, who became a genius doctor based solely on her skills, regardless of her academic background or gender.

With a firm declaration of "I won't do it," Gye completely rejects professors' hospital rounds, dinners, and social gatherings.

[These are my working conditions. Director's rounds, professor's rounds, and participation in dinners. Assisting with professors' thesis ghostwriting and organizing materials. I will not do any of these under any circumstances.]

She is a character who directly criticizes doctors who blindly obey the hospital director's authority, calling them "irresponsible people" to their faces.

Yun Seok-jin, a Chungnam National University professor and drama critic, analyzed, "With continued medical strikes, there have been concerns about South Korea's medical system," adding, "Gye Su-jeong's voice is refreshingly scratching the exact points that the public finds frustrating."

Until now, genius doctors with overwhelming skills in medical dramas have predominantly been the domain of male actors.

Works like "Romantic Doctor," "The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call," "White Tower," and even the overseas drama "Good Doctor" were like that.

Of course, there were works featuring female doctors as protagonists, but they mainly focused on the process of growing into a doctor.

Against this backdrop, "Doctor X" is one of the few works where a female doctor with already unrivaled skills appears as a "dark heroine."

According to Nielsen Korea, the premiere recorded 11.4% nationwide, marking the highest first-episode viewership rating among miniseries broadcast this year.

Episodes 2 and 3 jumped to 14.9% and 15.1% respectively, figures comparable to "Agent Kim Reactivated," which surpassed 20% in just four episodes and recorded the highest viewership rating among dramas this year.

"Doctor X" is based on the Japanese drama "Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon," which aired across seven seasons from 2012 to 2021.

While maintaining the core premise of a highly skilled, non-mainstream doctor standing up against the authority and absurdities of the medical establishment, the story has been restructured to fit South Korean realities and sentiments.

(Photo Source: Drama "Doctor X: Mafia in White")
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.