Resident Playbook

A spin-off of Hospital Playlist, Resident Playbook is centered around 4 1st year residents, as they go through the chaos in their daily routine of hospital life.

Although the story starts well, with day-to-day medical emergencies encountered by doctors in real life. While the show was good, but it didn't meet my expectations and was a par show compared to another medical drama released this year, The Trauma Code.

The main characters didn't have an impact and while I love Go Youn Jung, she didn't seem at her best with this drama. The positives include good real-life medical setting with a sense of urgency and chaos and honest part played by the side characters. The negatives I would say are the leads, as expectations were high from them and a bit stretchy runtime with less emotional impact.

Overall, Resident Playbook is a good medical drama show that shows a real side of medical life, but couldn't reach the heights of being excellent due to a stretchy runtime with little plot and disappointing main leads.

My Rating : 3.5/5.

The first episode didn't impress me and looks liked another cliche medical drama but I didn't give up and watched the other episodes and I glad I did it.

Like the four residents don't caring about the patients in the begining I didn't care about the residents but them I realize the main characteres are not the residents but the patients. They are the teachers who show the residents not to be doctors but human beings.

The emphasis the writers give to the patients are the strenght in the show.

They are not passive characters, they tell the residents what is wrong.

The resident O I Yeong (Go Youn Jung) is the character who represents better the transformation, being heartless in the begining to cry with the patients with the time. Highly recomend the show.

After watching 9 episodes one character who grow on me is the resident Kim Sa bi (Han Ie ji). She is emotionless like Spock and is very funny. The episode when she turn into patient is hilarious.

This is a fun show. Perhaps not as good as the Hospital Playlist series from which it was spun off, with four leads who collectively and individually don't match up to the megawatt charisma of the five leads of the parent show. By confining the leads to the Ob-Gyn section of the Yulje Hospital, the variety of cases is not as great either. But still an enjoyable watch with an engaging cast. I am looking forward to a medical show in which the senior doctors treat the younger ones with a little more patience and kindness - there's one saint in this show and a lot of abusive behavior. Just as abusive parents beget abusive children, abusive doctors make miserable role models for their subordinates and will turn even the best of them into similarly abusive replicants. I'm wondering what our four residents will be like when they do a follow-up show in a few years time.

I must also protest the incessant and obtrusive Subway product placements. Leave aside that I consider Subway one of the less desirable fast food chains, and even accepting that eating fast foods is the lot of first year hospital residents and, this being a Korean show, meals are always needed to fill up every episode, I just don't want any product, even one I like, to be in my face the way it is in this show. My recommendation: fast food forward through every Subway-infected scene. You won't miss one morsel of the plot. If we must have product placements, please may we have a bite more subtlety?

Though the first episode of Resident Playlist felt a bit chaotic and overwhelming, Episode 2 manages to pull things together beautifully. The storyline is more grounded, the pace steadier, and the characters begin to show real emotional depth. It's the kind of episode that hooks you in - not through high drama, but with the subtle charm of everyday life in a hospital setting.

One of the biggest strengths of Episode 2 is the acting. The cast delivers layered performances that help us understand their characters not just as residents, but as young people trying to survive an intense, competitive environment. There's vulnerability, camaraderie, and quiet resilience, all of which come through without being overdone. We're beginning to see their personalities unfold - some are awkward and anxious, others overconfident but clearly masking insecurities. It feels authentic.

There's a natural temptation to compare Resident Playlist with Hospital Playlist. For many of us, Hospital Playlist was more than just a show - it was comfort TV, full of warmth, friendship, and slice-of-life moments that made us laugh and cry. The bond between the five friends, their jam sessions, and their steady rhythms made it a favorite.

Resident Playlist, however, is intentionally different. The tone is more intense, the atmosphere more high-pressure, reflecting the brutal realities of residency. Instead of five best friends who already have their lives figured out, we see fresh doctors trying to find their footing, unsure of themselves, often clashing with seniors, and dealing with unpredictable emergencies. It's not as cozy, but it's real. Episode 2 really leans into this - showing us how challenging and emotionally taxing the residency period can be.

That said, the show is slowly building heart. We see glimpses of mentorship, small moments of kindness, and the beginning of bonds forming among the residents. It doesn't rush to make them best friends - which is actually refreshing. The show takes its time to develop relationships, much like in real life. And that's where its strength lies.

The cinematography and background score remain subtle and effective, reminiscent of the calming vibe we loved in Hospital Playlist. While it doesn't have the musical interludes or nostalgic charm yet, it's beginning to create its own atmosphere - one rooted in chaos, but not without warmth.

In short, Episode 2 is where Resident Playlist finds its footing. It's not trying to replace Hospital Playlist, and it shouldn't have to. It's telling a different kind of story - of uncertainty, struggle, and growth. And for that reason alone, it's definitely worth watching. If the coming episodes continue on this path, this might just turn out to be another comforting-yet-real medical drama we'll grow attached to.

When I first started watching this series, I had my doubts. While I enjoyed the first few episodes, I found them to be just OK. The acting was great but the story was somewhat plodding. The medical cases were fine but the main characters were rather one dimensional and that doesn't really change until toward the end of the season. Having seen Go Youn-jung in Alchemy of Souls, I know she has a much broader range than what is shown in the first part of this series so I blame the directing. Fortunately, in the second half of the series, the actors are allowed to start showing growth with their characters and the show becomes much more engaging.

A big part of the series are the stories of the patients themselves. Those become very engaging and will take you on a roller coaster of emotions...from joy of a birth to the passing of a cancer patient. The stories cover a wide range of OBGYN cases. The actors for these stories are excellent and bring a great deal of feeling to the show.

Another aspect of the show is the steady stream of cameos. While I wasn't familiar with all of them, the ones I did recognize brought another interesting angle to the show. I especially liked bringing in some of the leads from the predecessor show for guest appearances.

Finally. They did a great job with wrapping up the season appropriately while leaving the door open for a second season to follow the residents thru their second year. I really hope we do see a second season!