"Doctor X: Mafia in White" has surpassed a peak viewership rating of 20% in just four episodes, once again proving the formidable strength of SBS-style gratifying justice dramas.

SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Doctor X: Mafia in White" (written by Pyeon Seong-geun, directed by Lee Jung-rim) depicts the journey of genius surgeon Gye Soo-jung (played by Kim Ji-won) as she shatters deep-rooted corruption. Following hit series like "Taxi Driver", "The Fiery Priest", and "The Judge from Hell", which delivered exhilarating catharsis and built an unmatched universe of justice-driven satisfaction, this is SBS's first medical noir in the genre.

From its premiere, "Doctor X: Mafia in White" recorded an 11.4% nationwide rating and a peak of 12.9%, ranking first among premiere ratings for all miniseries aired in 2026. After breaking its own viewership record with every subsequent episode, it recorded a peak rating of 20.8%, a nationwide rating of 18.5%, and an 18.4% rating in the Seoul metropolitan area in just four episodes, maintaining explosive upward momentum.

Furthermore, the key 20-49 demographic rating, which gauges buzz and targeted viewership, soared to a peak of 6.56% and an average of 5.9% for Episode 4. This placed it at No. 1 among all programs broadcast on Saturday, demonstrating the unstoppable "Doctor X: Mafia in White" syndrome.

Its momentum on global charts is equally strong. According to the streaming analytics site FlixPatrol (as of October 19), "Doctor X: Mafia in White" not only held the No. 1 spot on Netflix Korea's Top 10 TV Shows for two consecutive weeks, but also landed in the Top 10 across 61 countries and ranked No. 1 in 18 countries, rising to No. 4 on the Global Top 10 TV Shows chart.

Hong Sung-chang, CEO of production company Studio S, stated, "We are grateful for the passionate support shown to 'Doctor X: Mafia in White'. In particular, we find it deeply rewarding that we successfully expanded and established the grammar of the SBS-style justice-driven genre that Studio S has developed into a new arena." He added, "We believe this is the result of the intense deliberation and effort put in by the production crew and actors. Please look forward to and support the upcoming journey of genius surgeon Gye Soo-jung."

Having cemented its place as a new hit card in the SBS justice universe, "Doctor X: Mafia in White" will air Episode 5 on Friday, October 23, at 9:50 p.m.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)