Heartfelt, hilarious & healing: I think Hospital Playlist proves that slice-of-life Korean dramas are the best

Hospital Playlist, the medical K-drama, became Netflix's breakthrough show of 2020, and the world realized the beauty of slice-of-life dramas.

While slice-of-life shows do not get their proper due in a plethora of genres, like action, thriller, and romance, they are secretly the best and offer a comforting watch. I recently discovered this Korean medical drama, and it is a must-watch.

The show follows a group of five doctors: Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Myung), and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do), who have been best friends since med school and are navigating their careers, friendships, and relationships.

They work in the same hospital in their respective departments and cross each other's paths throughout the day in the most hilarious and heartfelt moments.

While the show starts as any other medical show, it transcends the genre through shared camaraderie among its characters and offers the best of each emotion.

More on Hospital Playlist in our story.

Hospital Playlist offers an optimistic view of life even in the bleak setting

While Hospital Playlist looks like just another medical drama, it vastly differs from its American counterparts. Despite its bleak setting, the K-drama became my comfort show.

Without being over-the-top dramatic or investing in life-or-death cliffhangers, the show manages to create enough tension needed in a medical show. Its reality lies not in the emergency but in how the doctors solve and move past it. Patients die, and death is all around their lives, but the show focuses on how they continue amid this crisis.

The small moments they get to spend with each other during their busy days make for the most heartfelt moments on Hospital Playlist. Ik-jun showing up with fried chicken is enough for the gang to smile, and for those few moments, they forget their profession and bask in the mundanity of life.

The K-drama is healing and finds beauty in life's trivialities. It perfectly highlights all human emotions and is grounded in reality, which makes it a wholesome watch. The intense moments are perfectly balanced with comedic relief, not only for the viewers but also for the characters.

Hospital Playlist proves laughter is the best medicine

One of the most interesting parts of the show is the gang's band practices, which are performed once every week. Not only are these sessions extremely close to their hearts, but music and shared laughter become their catharsis, a way to forget about the loss they see around them daily.

This camaraderie between the characters highlights human suffering and reiterates that it is universal. When Jeong-won is unable to save a baby in the pediatric ward or when Song-wa gets a big health scare, the gang sticks by their side. Even in these dire situations, they find comforting moments to highlight that life goes on.

Because of these difficult moments, we appreciate life's slow routine and that makes all the difference. While the gang's friendship is at the centre, Hospital Playlist also excels at creating beautiful love stories between the characters, which are equally heartwarming.

While Jeong-won, Jun-wan and Seok-hyeong each find love in the hospital (with other residents), Ik-jun and Song-hwa's friendship eventually blossoms into love. With no dramatic love confessions or unnecessary confrontations, each character gets the love they deserve as the show ends.

Hospital Playlist is now streaming on Netflix.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback