The Most Important K-Drama of 2024 So Far is Streaming on Netflix

Summary

• K-dramas are riding the crest of a wave right now.
• This could well be one of the most important shows of the year, period.
• Its message is clear and unambiguous.

Every once in a while, a TV show comes out that simply resonates with audiences. It's not always the highest budget or the most anticipated show. It just has that little je ne sais quoi that hits the spot.

At a time when many people are struggling and we're more aware than ever of the toll that poor mental health can take on anyone, no matter how well their life seems to be going, this new K-drama is one such example.

It deals with some dark subject matter

Doctor Slump was released on Netflix in January 2024 and has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 88%.

Starring Park Yung-sik and Park Shin-hye as two medical professionals who were once academic rivals, it starts from a dark place for both characters. Yeo Jeong-woo (played by Yung-sik) is a plastic surgeon facing a legal battle after a high-profile surgery went wrong. Rejected by his friends and family in the wake of the scandal, he stands to lose everything.

Nam Ha-neul (Shin-hye) is an anesthesiologist at a university hospital. After years of stress in a pressure cooker environment, she is burned out and has been diagnosed with depression.

In school, they were constantly competing against each other, both desperate to be top of the class and meet the high expectations of their respective parents. Throughout their education and careers to date, both have been encouraged by those around them to sacrifice everything for material success and status.

Now, as they meet for the first time in 14 years, both have hit rock bottom.

It's an everyday story of hope

The early part of the series focuses on the struggles each of them is facing and how, for the first time in their lives, each of them is experiencing a sense of failure. It can feel a bit depressing, but it's crucial to the story that viewers understand the position they're in and how far they've fallen in their own eyes.

The two characters give excellent performances that allow us to connect with two people we know were self-centered until recently. Most viewers will never be in the position of being the golden boy/girl with all the pressure and prestige that comes with it. Yet the characters are relatable. Not because of the specifics of their situations, but because of the emotional toll that life has taken on them at that moment.

For Park Hyung-sik, it was the realism of the script that first attracted him to the project.

'I really liked the script because it didn't just present the subject matter of slumps, burnout and depression in a dark way,' he told Primetimer, 'but in a more normal, everyday-colour way'.

A message for 2024 and beyond

Ultimately, this is a story about dealing with what life throws at you. Both characters have experienced huge falls from grace that we can all relate to in some way.

But it's not just about overcoming the challenges of their situations. It's about them re-examining their lives. This is a story about getting under the skin of what really matters and focusing on becoming a stronger, more robust person through self-reflection and finding love.

Yes, they grow closer as the series progresses. But that's the only spoiler I'm going to give away. Because this is a show you have to watch to 'get'. So be prepared to laugh, cry, and root for this couple as you sink your teeth into one of the most important shows of 2024.