Doctor John (TV Series 2019) Poster

(2019)

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7/10
Just so good !!
mervesenalovatic10 August 2019
I generally don't like medical dramas. But i love Ji Sung's acting so i gave it go and ... it is so good. There a few things that doesn't make sense at first but you understand them a few episodes later. Lee Se-young's acting is also really good. And it is not one of these dramas that just consists of love triangles , childhood traumas and such. It has a good plot and the OST is also good. You should definetely check this out.
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8/10
Great show but a plot element at the end was disappointing
leahcubed28 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
8/10 is my rating. This is a South Korean medical romantic drama with 32, 22 minute, episodes.

When they first meet, Kang Si-young (Lee Se-young) is working as a doctor to inmates but has no confidence as she quit medical school after a tragic accident left her guilt ridden and convinced she is flawed as a doctor. Cha Yo-han (Ji Sung) was a famous pain doctor but a career altering decision landed him in prison for three years. In prison he is known as the man with all the medical answers since the doctors that work in the prison tend to shy away from diagnosis and perform medical triage. Si-young is not sure about this mysterious doctor at first but quickly decides he knows what he is talking about. With just a little mentoring from him, Si-young regains some confidence and decides to return to residency only to discover Dr. Cha was released and reinstated at the same hospital she returned to. As they work closely together he as her professor and mentor and she as the mentee and resident, they find many similarities in the circumstances of the past as well as in their approach to medicine.

Spoilers* This had such a great start and was intriguing the whole way through. The ending really ruined it a bit for me. I love both the Male Lead and Female Lead characters. Both are doctors who suffer emotional wounds from patients who were terminal and where they had to make a determination between life and death. Their experience in that regard is what draws them together. They are both brilliant, dedicated doctors who do not play politics but do whatever is best for their patients. Because they are so much alike, it is easy to understand how they would like each other as deeply as they do. Where it fell apart for me was toward the end when they have confessed their love for each other and he disappears from her life for three years. He comes back with some lame excuse about needing to take care of his health but, to me, that is exactly the time when you should be drawing the person you love closer not pushing them away. He watches her from afar for nearly a year when she doesn't even know he is back in South Korea. She is so heart broken during that whole time that it is hard to imagine her ever forgiving him for trampling on her heart. But she does forgive him, and actually quite easily, which made me disappointed in both the male and female lead characters. This is worth the watch but just expect that the ending will sour it a bit as he acts in total disregard to her feelings and she forgives far too easily.
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7/10
Good but expected more
marshmallow_kitten5 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There is something at the end that pissed me off. Like Dr Cha was back to Korea for a year and he didn't even contact Si Young. I understand that he was still being treated and all but that doesn't justify his action, I think that's just selfish watching her while she was worried to death about him without saying a word.
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10/10
Awesome drama !!!!!!!
tiyamohona12 August 2019
A grt drama with both the actors amazing performance . please guys do not compare this with other dramas . this has its own charms. the tracks are awesome too. this drama can be rated as humanity witha fresh plot only potraying doctors nothing else.pleas watch it if possible
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9/10
Jisung+medical drama=high rating
madbird-6124321 July 2019
I would give a rating of 8.5. This is the second doctor role Ji sung is performing. It is a formula for a well received drama.

The first four episodes, I must confessed, is not extremely impressive. As an addict of medical drama my expectation is high. Hopefully we can see a new expression of medical drama.

Female lead has a pair of big eyes, making her acceptable by first impression.

In the drama Jisung, I believe, is deliberately acting in a low key. This suits the character of the role he is acting. His clothing is also very casual. I expect him wearing suit at least in delivering talk. I like more his surgeon look in New Heart.

The whole drama centred on euthanasia, rather than on case basis. It would be perfect if there are more different complicated cases, while tbe main theme is still on euthanasia.

No matter what, with the presence of Jisung, the drama is very enjoyable to me.
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8/10
Cry baby female doc...
ushagowri-6073626 May 2022
This is a program that would have gone down as an amazing movie had the characters risen to their roles. The issues discussed like eusthanasia and prolonging life have no straight answers. Both doctors , patients, families and caretakers go through intense pain and dilemma. The legal aspects clash with the doctors and patients decisions most times. Dying and death are not easy to decide on and the question of the role of a life saver like a doctor becoming the Terminator of pain.

Ji sung as the doctor protagonist plays his role so well. And his good looks ..the female lead was dead pan . No doctor weeps all the time like she does. Playing a role requires a lot of preparation and if those nuances aren't captured the character becomes weak.

Many issues are left open ended as should be because there are no one answer to the issues discussed. The dilemmas were well captured .

The team of young doctors stood and stared most of the time and appeared totally ignorant. I couldn't stop comparing with Dr Stranger, The Good Doctor - action packed and capturing reality powerfully.

But saw the whole program because of the powerful issues raised and Dr Cha's role.
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8/10
Very good medical drama.
jaseemp8 August 2020
This is one of the great shows of 2019. Fantastic acting by the leads. It is a Suspense, thrilling, romantic, and heart warming medical drama. The show kept the momentum untill the last episode. The only thing I didn't like about the drama is the last episode. I am not saying the last episode was bad or not good enough. But I couldn't justify the action of the lead. (just my personal opinion). You will see what I am talking about when you watch it. But don't stop watching it just because of what I just said, because you might have a different opinion and also this is very good show you can't miss.
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7/10
Jisung's Medical drama
lmerana10 January 2020
It was a pretty interesting drama about pain medicine and issues about euthanasia. I thought it would be similar with beautiful mind of Janghyuk but it was different. I kinda started to like the premise but then it becomes boring in the middle that I had to skip some parts. The chemistry between him and her leading lady is not much either.
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10/10
Fantastic Medical Drama!
morebon23 September 2019
Absolutely fabulous medical drama! Incredible story: I did not expect such an amazing narrative! Every episode was completely captivating. The entire cast was so incredibly talented: the chemistry among all was unbelievably enthralling and endearing! Ji Sung's performance as Dr. John was extraordinary: he is such an exceptionally brilliant actor. Bravo to the cast, crew & writers for a wonderful emotionally riveting show! Loved it!
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7/10
Korean culture is a lot about guilt tripping others when they don't think the same as you
hanalisss8 June 2022
When like me, you are from a country where euthanasia is actually legal and accepted widely across the population this series becomes a bit annoying because they keep debating about it and it just doesn't make sense to me.

Otherwise the series is interesting and the acting is great, just a bit of an irrelevant subject to me.
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10/10
A must watch
applesauce36526 June 2021
This drama touched on the subject of death like no other. This actually changed my perspective on hospice medicine.
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7/10
Quite enjoyable
blebbe31 May 2023
Medical dramas have never been my thing, but this one took me by surprise. I think the element that makes this medical drama stand out from the others are all the different stories besides the obvious medical ones. There were so many subplots to follow and I found myself being interested in many characters that weren't the main ones. I really enjoyed the soundtrack as well.

I think what disappointed me most in this series was how the romance part of the plot carried out. I liked the beginning a lot, I think how the couple met is really unique and interesting. But their story just dragged a lot and it was filled with unnecessary, magical coincidences. I did like the ending, but I think how it played out was a little bit disappointing.
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5/10
Coulda Been So Much Better
newkrejados22 March 2021
This show was supposedly about two explosive topics, each with deep, philosophical implications, neither of which were fully explored... or maybe they were. Who could say? There were so many loose ends, dead-ends and promising plotlines that went nowhere, it was hard to tell. What wasn't hard to recognise were the unbelievable elements, discordant elements and things that were just flat wrong... like those godawful hair extensions. This could have been so much better!
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8/10
Great acting, great story based on Yo Kusakabe's novel
voyetra25 March 2020
Interesting story on a doctor's obsession in the diagnosis and cure of often-neglected rare diseases and a good discussion on euthanasia in Asia.

In reality though, with limited medical staff and resources, most patients will not receive as much attention and diagnosis - which was also somewhat depicted in the initial episodes.
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10/10
Wow
reharryoneh8 November 2020
If the drama ended and I couldn't get over it that's mean it was a great drama. I love the kinds of actors who makes me feel angry, happy and sad at the same time that me they are so great. Oh my God the cast are amazing and the story was great and the show was The greatest thing I've ever seen I'm really sad and I'm literally crying because I finished the show . Bravo all Korean drama are amazing thumbs up to them
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9/10
A different kinda love
deanadeva1 June 2020
I have watched a lot of Kdrama. I have few of my absolute favorites. And I am adding this to my list now. Things I loved. Of course the whole medical mysteries and passionate doctors. The potryal of pain, there are so many kinds of pain in life. Death, sickness, loss and even love. Just so many and so raw that makes your heart ache. Watching this series made me realize how much suffering and hope exist side by side. The actors did their absolute best. I can bet there would be atleast one moment in the series where your heart goes out for one or the other characters. The message behind. And the love expressed with the absolute undramatic everyday-life-like. It just made me sit and watch and think. Will I watch it again. Yes I would.
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9/10
One Of The Best Medical K-Dramas
Chaokage8 August 2021
I have to say I enjoyed watching this one. Started with a punch of a first episode. During the first episodes, you'll come to find that the theme of Euthanasia and relieving pain will be the driving force for this series. One of the things I enjoyed about this series was how some characters position changed over time which uplifted the series overall. Coming to terms with others decisions while experiencing the situation that led to those same decisions. I had a great time watching this. A must watch!!!
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6/10
Ugh
madskmace28 September 2020
I'm only 5 episodes in but I just needed to say that the lead actress has the WORST hair extensions I've ever seen
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10/10
Great drama
twigs69-263-77819529 November 2020
Great drama. Very good story line and as always Ji Sung's acting is superb. Every drama he's been in is a credit to his acting skills. Hope to see more of him in the future.
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7/10
Korean House M.D
backnblack-061236 November 2020
It's okay but lets be honest they stole this from House M.D and the nervous tic he has they stole from Cold Eyes, I'm expecting him to start popping Oxy soon, still worth a watch but its not more than a 7 star show
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8/10
Interesting Premise with Very Good Writing
fake_moviestar5 March 2021
This series isn't perfect - some things were left open ended or unexplained, but the core of the show was very well done. The plot is interesting and well written, with a lot of good characters. Great acting along with a suitable if not stand out soundtrack make this a really good binge watch. I didn't think the main couple had a lot of chemistry, but it definitely didn't spoil the show. I was, however, extremely distracted by Se-Young's either horrific hair cut or awful hair extensions - what was up with that??

Definitely give this a show a shot I think its well paced plot and good acting are very much worth it!
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6/10
Not sure about this one
xmasinswiss17 August 2023
I really wanted to like this because I like the lead actress and actor. The beginning was very nice, with the drama of the prison and all that (although the prison looked like a summer camp for middle-schoolers).

But slowly, the show just became empty. The drama feels very artificial. I constantly remember that I'm watching actors.

A stereotypical senior medical official yells at everyone. This happens in every Korean drama.

"Seniors" immediately start bullying "juniors". All they care about is seniority. I've seen this in every Korean drama.

Some nameless "senior doctors" keep yelling at our lead actors at every step and turn. It got tiring really soon.

At episode 5, I can't force myself to keep watching, feels like I'm wasting my time. And 32 episodes of this? Thank you, maybe not.
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5/10
Delusional sobstory
badchicky0077 March 2022
Sobsob cry, sad song, flashback, sad song, cry, rewind. Puppy eyes aren't enough for me to make a proper story. Ever been to a hospital? There's no time to be slow and overly sensitive. Keep your personal sob at home please, it dishonors healthcare. Maybe it's fiction, but for me it's far too romantic/hysterical in the wrong way. It feels dishonest, although the actors are not at fault imo. Ironically, the main topic is all about discussing how to be a professional with integrity. Too bad I feel like it missed the point, though.
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10/10
One of the best kdrama.
swarniis13 November 2020
The concept and balance of emotions , the conclusions and morals we get from this drama . It's amazing ..this drama created history 👍
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10/10
COME ON, watch this immediately guys! I'm addicted myself :)
goodgoodgood28 December 2020
I'm addicted myself :) Bottom line: They are immersed in acting roles, very entertaining. Good work! Jisung looks young here :)
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