# Doctor John (2019)

> An arrogant genius anesthesiologist and a warm resident team up to solve mysterious cases of acute and chronic pain.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/76872

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Jo Soo-won
- Network: SBS
- Cast: Ji Sung, Lee Se-young, Oh Hyun-joong, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Kim Hye-eun, Shin Dong-mi, Jeon No-min, Uhm Hyo-seop
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10544464/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: melancholic, earnest, tense, heartfelt

## Synopsis

Doctor John (2019) is a South Korean medical drama created by Jo Soo-won and broadcast on SBS, a single-season run of sixteen one-hour episodes. Ji Sung plays Cha Yo-Han, an arrogant but brilliant anesthesiology doctor, opposite Lee Se-young as Kang Shi-Young, a smart and warm resident who becomes his partner. Oh Hyun-joong, Lee Kyoo-hyung and Kim Hye-eun fill out the hospital world around them. The engine of the show is the pair's work on patients suffering from mysterious cases of acute or chronic pain, where each diagnosis demands unconventional thinking and each patient carries a personal history that the doctors must uncover. Each episode builds around a new case while the characters' own wounds, including tragic pasts and a student-teacher bond that deepens over time, gradually come into focus. The series delivers a mix of clinical puzzle-solving and emotional drama, with romance threaded through the professional partnership. It is a k-drama with a melancholic, earnest tone that dwells on suffering, dignity and the ethical weight of end-of-life choices. Fans of Good Doctor and Hospital Playlist will find similar resonance in its blend of medical intrigue and heartfelt character drama.

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- [Partners for Justice (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/68145)
- [Live Up to Your Name (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63487)
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