| Native Name: |
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| Genre: | Medical drama | ||||||
| Creator: | SBS Drama Operation Team | ||||||
| Music: | Moon Seong-nam | ||||||
| Country: | South Korea | ||||||
| Language: | Korean | ||||||
| Num Episodes: | 16 | ||||||
| Producer: | Jang Jin-wook | ||||||
| Camera: | Single-camera | ||||||
| Runtime: | 70 minutes | ||||||
| Network: | SBS TV |
Doctor John is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Ji Sung, Lee Se-young, Lee Kyu-hyung, and Hwang Hee. It is based on the Japanese novel On Hand of God by Yo Kusakabe[1] and aired on SBS from July 19 to September 7, 2019.[2]
A recurring theme throughout the series is the debate over euthanasia.[3]
Cha Yo-han (Ji Sung) is a doctor of anesthesiology. He acts strangely sometimes, but he is a genius at his work. Kang Shi-young (Lee Se-young) is a resident of anesthesiology who works with Cha Yo-han. She is smart, warm and listens carefully to her patients. People with mysterious acute or chronic pain come to the hospital. There, Cha Yo-han and Kang Shi-young try to find the causes of their pain and treat them.
A talented anesthesiologist who spent three years in prison for performing euthanasia on a dying patient whose pain he could not reduce. He is often called "Ten Seconds" as he can diagnose one's disease very quickly. He secretly suffers from CIPA until it was exposed by Chae Eun-jeong, who held hatred towards Yo-han for ending the life of her daughter's murderer with euthanasia.
A second year resident who was a top student at medical school. She took a break during her studies after she could not save her father in an accident. She decides to come back to the hospital after working in the prison where she met Yo-han.
A prosecutor who is against the practice of euthanasia. He was present during Yo-han's trial and wanted to sentence him to ten years in prison. He holds a grudge against the doctor who ended the life of Yoon Seong-kyu, a murderer who killed Seok-ki's son. He suffers from stomach cancer. It is also shown that he is an opponent to the death penalty, viewing it as an act nothing less than murder, albeit a legally-sanctioned one.
A fellow of the Anesthesiology Department. He first wants to prove Yo-han wrong as the doctor corrected his misdiagnosis twice when he was an inmate, but eventually decides to learn from him instead.
A nurse at a hospice center. Yo-han ended the life of her daughter's murderer, terminal cancer patient Yoon Seong-kyu — who also killed Seok-ki's son — which causes Eun-jeong to hate Yo-han, and become an antagonist.
A third year resident and Shi-young's younger sister who is allergic to animal hair, including cats. She has a strained relationship with Shi-young over the health of their comatose father.
A fourth year resident.
A first year resident.
A nurse with 20 years of experience.
A nurse with 3 years of experience.
Chief of the Anesthesiology Department. Shi-young and Mi-rae's mother.
A lawyer specializing in medical affairs.
Director of Hanse Hospital.
Professor of the Anesthesiology Department. Shi-young and Mi-rae's aunt.
Professor of the Anesthesiology Department.
An anal cancer patient. He was a child murderer who murdered Seok-ki's son and Eun-jeong's daughter, but before he could be punished by law, Seong-kyu was hospitalised for terminal cancer. Yo-han allegedly ended his life with euthanasia as Seong-kyu could not bear the torment of his illness any longer.
Inmate 5353 who suffers from Fabry disease. Also a barista.
A Mixed Martial Arts Champion who suffers from myasthenia gravis.
A CIPA patient and high school student.
A shingles patient (first mistaken for CRPS).
A melioidosis patient.
A phantom limb patient.
A former actress who suffers from neuroblastoma.
A professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
A professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
Former Minister of Health and Welfare. He supports the practice of euthanasia.
A third year resident in ophthalmology.
According to director Jo Soo-won, the series was in development since 2014, the year when SBS bought the rights to adapt Yo Kusakabe's On Hand of God as a TV series.[13]
Early working titles of the series were Doctor Room and Pain Doctor Cha Yo-han .[14]
The first script reading took place in March 2019 at SBS Ilsan Production Center in Tanhyun, South Korea.[15]
| Doctor John OST | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Various artists |
| Released: | 2019 |
| Genre: | Soundtrack |
| Label: | Blending Co., Ltd. SBS Content Hub Co., Ltd. |
| Original broadcast date | Title | Average audience share (AGB Nielsen)[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||||
| 1 | July 19, 2019 | Between Hope and Despair (Korean: 희망과 절망 사이) | 6.0% | 6.3% | |
| 2 | 8.4% | 8.7% | |||
| 3 | July 20, 2019 | A 0.00001% Hope (Korean: 0.00001%의 희망) | 7.0% | 7.5% | |
| 4 | 10.1% | 11.3% | |||
| 5 | July 26, 2019 | Champion (Korean: 챔피언) | 7.7% | 8.0% | |
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | July 27, 2019 | About Fears (Korean: 두려움에 대하여) | 8.0% | 8.5% | |
| 8 | 11.2% | 11.3% | |||
| 9 | August 2, 2019 | 21g, The Weight of the Soul (Korean: 21그램, 영혼의 무게) | 8.5% | 9.3% | |
| 10 | 10.8% | 11.5% | |||
| 11 | August 3, 2019 | World Without Pain (Korean: 고통 없는 세계) | 6.9% | 7.6% | |
| 12 | 9.2% | 10.2% | |||
| 13 | August 9, 2019 | Secrets and Lies (Korean: 비밀과 거짓말) | 7.9% | 8.2% | |
| 14 | 10.3% | 11.2% | |||
| 15 | August 10, 2019 | Understanding Someone (Korean: 누군가를 이해한다는 것은) | 7.3% | 8.4% | |
| 16 | 10.1% | 11.3% | |||
| 17 | August 16, 2019 | Terminal: Terminal and Incurable (Korean: Terminal: 말기의, 불치의) | 7.2% | 7.9% | |
| 18 | 9.2% | 9.5% | |||
| 19 | August 17, 2019 | Foreboding on a Crisp Afternoon (Korean: 화창한 오후의 불길한 예감) | 6.5% | 7.1% | |
| 20 | 9.4% | 9.9% | |||
| 21 | August 23, 2019 | Consolation (Korean: 위로) | 7.5% | 8.4% | |
| 22 | 9.2% | 9.9% | |||
| 23 | August 24, 2019 | Schrödinger's Cat (Korean: 슈뢰딩거의 고양이) | |||
| 24 | 8.0% | 8.8% | |||
| 25 | August 30, 2019 | The Promise to Try (Korean: 노력한다는 그 약속) | 7.1% | 8.1% | |
| 26 | 8.6% | 9.0% | |||
| 27 | August 31, 2019 | A Certain Choice (Korean: 어떤 선택) | 6.1% | ||
| 28 | 8.8% | 9.8% | |||
| 29 | September 6, 2019 | The Heart of the One Who Leaves (Korean: 떠나는 사람의 마음) | 6.3% | 7.1% | |
| 30 | 8.1% | 8.7% | |||
| 31 | September 7, 2019 | Farewell, I Hope to Meet You Again Someday (Korean: 이별은, 언젠가 다시 만나길 바라는) | 6.7% | 7.3% | |
| 32 | 10.2% | 11.3% | |||
| Average | |||||
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 12th Korea Drama Awards | Excellence Award (Actor) | Lee Kyu-hyung | [17] | |
| 27th SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award in Miniseries (Actor) | Ji Sung | |||
| Excellence Award in Miniseries (Actor) | Lee Kyu-hyung | ||||
| Excellence Award in Miniseries (Actress) | Lee Se-young | ||||
| Best Couple Award | Ji Sung and Lee Se-young | ||||
| Child Actor Award | Yoon Chan-young |