Hospital Playlist (2020)

A Hospital and some music sprinkled in

Before starting I should state this is a spoiler free review and is strictly based on the first season of "Hospital Playlist" only.
I overall enjoyed this show. I found many things to like and was happy with how this first season went. That being said, there were issues as well and in my opinion did not live up entirely to the common consensus of the show. Lets get into it!

Story(7): The story of this show is not an overarching journey that you're taken on, but a slice of life progression through human interactions and character growth as they live their lives. slice of life shows are great, but I felt this one did not really harness its potential. The show feels like it was edited by some one with ADD. It constantly jumps to different characters in the middle of building a narrative, sometimes going back, and sometimes forgetting what it had given us prior. Overall Its great at building tension, but then ultimately loses it when it cuts away to other cast members in the middle. I found it was only really effective when they would do this at the end of an episode, to then draw you into when the next started(its brilliant in these moments) but other than that the editing can be quite frustrating. Also the show is more impactful at putting you in the feels and empathizing with patients in the first half, while then gradually losing that to focus on the main characters in the second half of the show. Don't get me wrong I love the characters, but it leads me to believe the show doesn't really know what it is. The power some of the patient stories can bring is incredible and on the other side, this cast put all together(and in drinking scenes XD) is a great entertaining time but they don't fully capitalize on either. Many of the patients stories lack conclusions in the ladder half and there simply aren't enough karaoke scenes and wholesome friend moments either in my opinion.

Characters(9): The acting in this show is great. It is filled with constant powerfully emotional scenes and gets through them without missing a beat. Whether its the main or supporting cast, they all did a phenomenal job. Now for the characters, the main cast is very versatile, generally every character brought something different and could add depth to the scenes. Not much to complain about here.

Music(8): There was not much music in this show, ironic for it having "playlist" in the title. We generally get a good band session in each episode that's probably around five minutes. It also has a few good songs sprinkled throughout. But you have to remember, most of the show has 1:15 to 1:35 long episodes, so its actually quite a lot of time without any music. That being said all the music is really good and really wholesome to see when performed.

Rewatch Value(6): With the way the pacing is, and knowing the end result its difficult for me to see myself dying to rewatch this show. It was a great ride but its hard to imagine getting more without having a medical background before hand.

Overall(8):Overall I really did enjoy this show. It was a fun watch and I would recommend, especially if you are a fan of medical shows. I think the only real disappointment is how the pacing/editing hurts the show in moments and the expectations set by the ratings on MDL. Other than this There are some great moments and characters to experience in this show. Thank you for reading my review, I hope it was helpful!

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A medical drama with heart and soul

Hospital Playlist is a medical drama series that premiered on Netflix in March 2020. The series is directed by Shin Won-ho and written by Lee Woo-jung, who also created the popular TV series "Reply".

The drama follows the lives of five doctors, who are not only colleagues but also best friends. Despite their busy and stressful work lives, they find solace and support in each other's company. The main characters are all complex and well-developed, each with their own struggles and personal lives outside of the hospital. You'll quickly find yourself rooting for them and invested in their journeys.

One of the key strengths of the show is its well-developed characters, who are all unique and likable in their own ways. The chemistry between the five main characters is also excellent, and their interactions feel natural and genuine. In addition, the show does a good job of exploring their personal lives and struggles outside of the hospital, adding depth and complexity to their characters.

The drama’s writing is top-notch, balancing humor and drama with ease. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and the pacing is just right, with each episode leaving you wanting more. The medical cases featured in the show are also well-researched and interesting, and the drama avoids becoming too bogged down in technical medical jargon.

Another standout feature of Hospital Playlist is its soundtrack, which features a mix of classic Korean pop songs and original compositions. The music plays an important role in the show, both in setting the mood and enhancing emotional moments, and each episode features a musical performance that will leave you humming the tunes long after the credits roll.

Last but not least, Hospital Playlist season 1 is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good character-driven drama. With its excellent writing, talented cast, and heartwarming moments, it's a series that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. Don't miss out on this gem of a drama!

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You've got to be in the right mood to appreciate Hospital Playlist

Hospital Playlist is an objectively good watch, but it's got some heavy topics and every episode can leave you feeling a bit down because it portrays the ugly, natural parts of life that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.

I tried watching Hospital Playlist a couple of times, but I never stuck with it - I just wasn't in the right mood to appreciate it. This last time I was finally in the right state of mind - I had to watch it casually and NOT binge watch it. Over the course of about 2 weeks I finished it.

The acting is good and the chemistry between the friends helps bring the mood back to less sad, but there's still a lot of real life dragging down the genre to a true melodrama.

At this time, I'm not committed to Season 2, but mostly because I don't want to feel sad while watching TV, not because I think the season won't be good.

***As a warning, some of the characters and the dilemma's they face can be very triggering for some people, based on context. For example, if you are someone who has experienced difficulties with pregnancy/labor, the Ob/Gyn scenes could hit a bit too close to home.

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Easy watching, story about friends and how they help each other, low stress

Easy watching, story about friends and how they help each other, low stress

Life is too short for stressful drama. Why spend all that time watching and be stressed? Don’t our lives already provide enough of that?

Summary of the series:
- Light hearted about friendship; some romance
- Likable characters and on how they go beyond to help people as doctors
- No real villains, just annoying family members to jump the gun and blasting doctors who is caring for their family
- Great chemistry on the MLs and FL, they are like Korean Doctors' version of Friends
- ending was not done succinctly, but can show all the couples together for karaoke or doing something together


By far one of my favs, its light hearted yet heart warming. At occasions it may bring some tears but not because of sadness, but for heartfelt moments.

If you are looking for gratuitous stress/drama, frequent miscommunications, abrupt ending, insipid side stories, then this is not for you.

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The five main leads were well casted!

Hospital Playlist's main leads were well-casted!!! Especially, Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun, he is hilarious, sociable, and a loving father; I would re-watch the whole drama to just have a good laugh. Aside from the comedy of the drama, the seriousness of every scene about onto the patients, residents, and professors are well-researched and skillfully written. The writer, Lee Woo-Jung, no only wrote the Reply Series but also the Prison Playbook, I knew that Hospital Playlist will be worth the watch and it is. I just found out that Writer Lee is the screenwriter of variety shows such as Youn's Kitchen, Youth Over Flowers, and many others. This drama has the feels that is truly relatable in many ways, as a student, patient, family member, etc. An incredible piece of art!

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A heartwarming, feel-good drama for a chill weekend...

This drama was marked as ‘Not Interested’ by me and for ages, I ignored the signs to watch it. My dad watched it and loved it. My friends watched it and loved it. Even Netflix has recommended it multiple times since its release and I stubbornly refused to watch it.

It was only after binging Dr. Romantic and Dr. Romantic 2 in a week that I finally wanted to start this drama. But no! Season 2 was airing and I would have to wait until SEPTEMBER to watch Season 2 so no, I must not start Season 1. What if I can’t wait for all of Season 2 to air once I finish the first season? (I plan to watch the rest of S2 as it airs)

So I put it off. At this point, it was difficult. Netflix showed Hospital Playlist at the top of every list they could think up. As expected, who has that much self-control when the drama you want to watch is basically being served on a platter? So obviously, I watched it.

Upon further research after watching Ep 4, I found that the writers are the same as Reply 1988! It was yet another one that I had put off for YEARS until a few weeks ago and which I love as well, but I digress. And armed with this knowledge, these Easter eggs stood out more to me, from a few seconds of the OST or even a cameo from the Reply 1988 cast. It was nice to see them. My only gripe is the timeline of Hospital Playlist (set in 2019) and Reply 1988 don’t fit particularly well (so that character cameos don’t quite make sense) but I can overlook that for fangirling’s sake.

So what do I like about this drama? Honestly, the list would go on and on. Every scene was meaningful. I could feel emotions for each character, as minor as they each are. But most of all, I love that this drama is mostly slice of life. There’s no super-evil villain out there to destroy what our MCs have built up, and the plot mostly revolves around the lives of our MCs. It’s heartwarming and fun, almost like I’m with my own group of friends that I haven’t seen in a while. I like that it’s not ridiculously fast-paced and suspenseful like other medical dramas, but more realistic, kinda like how one would expect a doctor’s job to be like at a big hospital: dealing with anxious patients, irritating colleagues that don’t pull their weight as well as night shifts, emergency calls, etc.

The finale wasn't my cup of tea, but watching this in 2021, I know there is a 2nd season that will hopefully address the things that the writers left to the audience's imagination. But it wasn't too bad, definitely cheering on a romance between a certain professor and resident!

The *main* thing I don’t like about this drama is probably the fact that the cast is MASSIVE! I felt so confused keeping track of names and faces and honestly, I even forgot the names and faces of characters if they got an outfit change. However, it’s completely understandable why there was such a big cast though. A hospital as big as Yulje would likely have even more doctors, nurses and patients in real life, so I really can’t fault this drama at all.

Other than that, the acting is spot-on, I loved how the actors really brought out their characters, and I absolutely LOVE the soundtrack! Using a song in each episode was really smart! The songs picked really fit the main events in each episode, plus, I got to expand my music taste, so no complaints there!

As for watching it again, I would definitely go through it all again. For this watch, I would argue that I’ve binged it since I finished all of it within a week. BUT, if I’m going to watch it again, I would probably wait a year or so, and then go through the episodes slowly, maybe a few episodes every weekend or something like that. It’s definitely not one that I would binge again.

If you got to the end, thank you for reading this review, and apologies for all the faff…

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A darn great drama

Alright i have rewatched this show like 20 times im not even kidding i really love this show so so so much

Honestly on my very first watch i was very very confused because the writers and director like to make things go slowly to make it more realistic that's how i intepreted it, so i was like oh alright

Then it all came together and i was like MINDBLOWN

I'm super shocked at how the writer can write all these stories out and make them all come together like wow what kind of talent!!!!!!!

I love how they don't add a cliffhanger to every episode's ending because 1 episode per week will KILL especially it ends with a cliffhanger.

BUT behold they ended the season with a cliffhanger pls i will take the episode end cliffhanger over a 1 year wait anytime i really suffered during the 1year wait Hahahah

THE OSTS ARE JUST SO DAMN GOOD i really love confession is not flashy so much its like my top 5 on spotify and this drama is just so different by making their cast sing the osts every episode, it felt like a flashback to the 1990's

Talking about flashbacks the flashbacks were sooooooooooo good

All the main couples were so perfect, but i have to give it to iksong, i totally did not expect them to be each other's love interest because ikjun was married at the start and songhwa was dating someone

Iksun and junwan were just so cuteetete

Bear couple was not very developed in this season but theyre cute still HAHA

Winter garden though, wow, i really love them so much


I love how they built the friendship like everyone has different dynamics but they just match each other so well

I have so many things to say but im afraid i mighr just spoil it all so PLEASE WATCH IT, it might be slow and confusing at the start but it all works out

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Hospital Playlist is not for those who like makjang dramas.

I found this drama during the times that I am on the verge of giving up. This might sound generic to you but when I watched this one, I never expected that it will gave me that kind of belongingness despite of the culture differences. I owe my life to this drama and to the entire casts. Thank you for saving me. I love you!!!!!!!!!!


I found this drama during the times that I am on the verge of giving up. This might sound generic to you but when I watched this one, I never expected that it will gave me that kind of belongingness despite of the culture differences. I owe my life to this drama and to the entire casts. Thank you for saving me. I love you!!!!!!!!!!

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BEAUTIFUL IN ITS PORTRAYAL OF THE ORDINARY...

Though I do hate medical-related stuff, I am fascinated by the lives of doctors and residents working in a hospital and have never have watched a medical drama before though I have always been interested. Due to the rave reviews of Hospital Playlist on social media, I decided to check it out since it is on Netflix anyways.

Relaxing and comforting. Just regular people living their everyday lives. And that's what makes it beautiful. I get the same feeling when I watch Terrace House. It's beautiful seeing the deep relationships that form between medical students, residents, doctors and professors all working towards the same goal, to help better the lives of others. I cannot wait to see the second season!

I can see why some people were unsure to continue watching as this drama throws you right in the middle of the character lives, so you are kinda disoriented and confused, especially when so many names of people you don't know gets dropped. However, you quickly get used to it and are exposed to something ordinarily beautiful. You feel like you are a part of these character lives.

On a side note, it's an interesting dichotomy. Doctors are highly respected in society, but they can also be treated quite poorly, being at the mercy of their patients and their families, often getting yelled at and harassed by them. Sometimes, even having to profusely apologize for unintentional oversights or being unable to save a patient. This series shows both aspects.

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Not your typical medical drama

I absolutely loved the drama. I rewatched it about 7 times I guess. This is absolutely not your typical medical drama. The drama depicts medical officers as ordinary people. Drama revolves around everyday life of 5 best friend doctors.
Don't let the first episode fool you. You might think drama is clumsy. But it is not. You'll get to experience different kinds of romantic relationships as there are 5 leads here. From mature relationships to lovebird relationships.
The drama has its own fun element too. You can laugh out loud. And you can cry out loud as well. The drama will give you an emotional rollercoaster depending on which episode you are watching.
The actors and actresses are doing their job well. Of coarse there are 5 main characters. So a lot can happen during a single episode. I feel very single character(major / minor) is important to this drama. They make the drama worth watching.I love their acting and their dedication to their roles. Leading characters had to learn musical instruments for the drama. And they all play the songs themselves. They even have a band called "Mido and parasol" now.
Speaking of musical instruments, I have to mention about the OSTs. They are absolutely amazing. I love everything single one of them. This drama has the best OSTs among 25+ kdramas I have ever watched. Every episode of the drama has a band scene. So you get to listen to a lot of music. Because this is Hospital PLAYLIST. And this is my fav playlist.
I can't wait for the season 2.

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