Hey, everyone! How’s it going? Today I’m here to review the drama Hospital Playlist, which has been warming hearts worldwide with its perfect blend of medical storytelling, lifelong friendships, and soul-soothing music.
Hospital Playlist premiered on tvN on March 12, 2020, and ran for two incredible seasons through 2021, delivering a total of 24 episodes with an average runtime of 90 minutes each. Available on Netflix globally, this Korean medical drama created by Lee Woo-jung stands as the second installment of the Wise Life series, following Prison Playbook (2017-18).
The series centers around five doctors who have been best friends since medical school in 1999, now working together at Yulje Medical Center. What sets Hospital Playlist apart from typical medical dramas is its focus on the human connections that sustain us through life’s most challenging moments. Rather than relying on high-stakes emergencies or dramatic romances, the show finds extraordinary beauty in ordinary hospital life.
The drama explores how “every day is extraordinary for five doctors and their patients inside a hospital, where birth, death and everything in between coexist.” The tone is remarkably warm and healing, using music as a therapeutic element both for the characters and viewers. Each episode feels like spending time with old friends, creating an atmosphere of comfort and genuine human connection that’s rare in the medical drama genre.
The Five-Friend Dynamic: Decades of Unbreakable Bonds
The story follows five doctors who have been friends since they entered medical school in 1999, each specializing in different medical fields but united by their shared history and deep affection for one another. Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), the hepatobiliary surgeon with endless energy and dad jokes, serves as the group’s mood maker and emotional center.
Their friendship isn’t just background context but the driving force of the entire series. These aren’t colleagues who happened to become friends, but lifelong companions who chose to work together because they genuinely enjoy each other’s company. The authenticity of their relationships shines through every interaction, from their weekly band practice sessions to their casual hospital corridor conversations.
The group dynamic feels so natural that viewers often forget they’re watching actors perform scripted scenes. Their bond represents the kind of friendship many people long for, deep connections that weather decades of change and provide unwavering support through life’s ups and downs.
Dr. Chae Song-hwa: The Heart of Yulje Medical Center
Jeon Mi-do delivers a luminous performance as Dr. Chae Song-hwa, the neurosurgeon whose quiet strength and compassionate nature make her the emotional anchor of both her friend group and the hospital itself. Song-hwa’s character represents the perfect balance between professional excellence and human warmth.
Her relationships with patients showcase the series’ commitment to depicting medicine as fundamentally about human connection. Song-hwa’s patient interactions are never rushed or clinical; instead, she takes time to understand not just their medical needs but their fears, hopes, and family dynamics. Her approach to medicine reflects the show’s overall philosophy that healing involves more than just technical skill.
The romantic subplot involving Song-hwa adds depth without overwhelming the friendship dynamics, showing how personal relationships can evolve within established friend groups while maintaining the core bonds that define them.
Musical Healing: The Band That Bonds
One of Hospital Playlist’s most distinctive elements is the friends’ amateur band, where they perform covers of beloved Korean songs from the 1990s and 2000s. These musical interludes aren’t just entertaining breaks from medical cases; they serve as emotional release valves for characters dealing with the weight of their profession.
The Hospital Playlist original soundtrack, released on June 4, 2020, consists of covers of popular Korean songs from the 1990s and 2000s, with all songs charting on the Gaon Digital Chart. The music becomes a form of therapy, allowing the characters to process their emotions and reconnect with simpler times when they were just students with big dreams.
The band practice sessions reveal different sides of each character, showing how music strips away their professional personas and reveals their more vulnerable, playful selves. These moments create some of the series’ most touching scenes, where friendship, nostalgia, and hope harmonize perfectly.
Supporting Characters: The Extended Hospital Family
The supporting cast at Yulje Medical Center creates a rich ecosystem of relationships that extends far beyond the main five friends. From nursing staff to residents, administrators to patients’ families, each character contributes to the hospital’s sense of community.
The series excels at showing how hospitals function as small cities, where personal dramas, professional challenges, and human connections intersect daily. Viewers appreciate how “this drama has no villain,” focusing instead on how people navigate difficulties together with understanding and support. The realistic portrayal of hospital hierarchy, the mentorship between senior and junior staff, and the way everyone looks out for one another creates an aspirational workplace dynamic that feels both authentic and hopeful.
Success on Netflix: Global Comfort Food for the Soul
Hospital Playlist has achieved an impressive 8.7 rating on IMDb, reflecting its universal appeal and exceptional quality. The series’ success on Netflix stems from its ability to provide comfort viewing that doesn’t sacrifice depth or authenticity. With two complete seasons available, the show offers the perfect length for a satisfying binge-watch experience. The drama even had real-world impact, significantly increasing organ donation registrations in Korea due to its warm portrayal of various donation cases. Hospital Playlist proves that audiences worldwide crave stories about genuine human connection and finding joy in everyday moments, even within the high-pressure environment of a hospital.
If you love heartwarming medical dramas with authentic friendships, beautiful music, and stories that celebrate the extraordinary in the ordinary, Hospital Playlist is the perfect series to binge on Netflix. This Korean gem will leave you believing in the power of friendship and the healing nature of shared experiences.
Hospital Playlist delivers a masterclass in heartwarming storytelling, proving that the most powerful medicine is often the connections we make with the people who truly understand us.
Series Details:
Number of Episodes: 24 episodes across 2 seasons
Platform: Netflix
Rating: 8.7/10 (IMDb)
Genre: Medical Drama, Slice of Life, Musical
Protagonists: Jo Jung-suk (Lee Ik-jun), Yoo Yeon-seok (Ahn Jung-won), Jung Kyung-ho (Kim Jun-wan), Kim Dae-myung (Yang Seok-hyeong), Jeon Mi-do (Chae Song-hwa)
Antagonist: None (focuses on life’s challenges rather than villains)