Dr. Brain

Brilliant brain scientist Sewon suffers a horrific personal tragedy. Desperate to uncover what happened to his family, he conducts "brain syncs" with the dead to access their memories for clues.

Dr. Brain (2021) is a South Korean science fiction mystery series created by Kim Jee-woon and released on Apple TV. Brilliant brain scientist Koh Se-won (Lee Sun-kyun) is shattered by a horrific personal tragedy and becomes desperate to uncover what happened to his family. Working alongside Lee Kang-mu (Park Hee-soon) and investigators such as Lieutenant Cho (Seo Ji-hye), he conducts unauthorized brain syncs with the dead, slipping into their memories to hunt for clues. Each episode pushes him deeper into the fragmented minds of the deceased, where every recovered image threatens to reveal more than he can bear. The engine of the show is the tension between clinical neuroscience and obsessive grief, as surgical precision collides with a man's private need for answers. Set in contemporary South Korea, the six-episode run moves with a tense, clinical atmosphere, blending procedural investigation with eerie mind-world sequences. Its tone is dark, brooding, and cerebral, with a harrowing edge. Fans of Dark, Black Mirror, and Dark Matter will find resonance in its memory-driven mystery, moral unease, and science-fiction premise. The series is a single season that ended with its story left open.

Reception is mixed, with audiences rating the single season moderately well and finding its sci-fi mystery engaging while questioning some of its execution.

• Dark Mattershared cerebral mystery tone, neuroscience premise, and grief-driven investigation
• Black Mirrorshared psychological sci-fi mystery built on memory and the mind as a investigative space
• Mr. Sunshineshared Korean crime thriller tradition with a troubled investigator and dark procedural tension
• Darkshared memory-based mystery, grief, and a protagonist reconstructing a lost past

Created by

Kim Jee-woon

Release Date

2021-11-04

Episode runtime

58 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (171)

What is Dr. Brain about?

A brilliant brain scientist races to uncover what happened to his family by entering the memories of the dead.

What is Dr. Brain like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Dr. Brain as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Dr. Brain violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Dr. Brain as moderate.

What did critics think of Dr. Brain?

Reception is mixed, with audiences rating the single season moderately well and finding its sci-fi mystery engaging while questioning some of its execution.

Which shows are like Dr. Brain?

Shows with a similar feel include Dark Matter, Black Mirror, Mr. Sunshine, and Dark.

How long is Dr. Brain?

Dr. Brain: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is Dr. Brain still running?

No, Dr. Brain was canceled.

Where can I watch Dr. Brain?

In United States, Dr. Brain streams on Apple TV, Apple TV Amazon Channel.