Netflix’s ‘Resident Playbook’ pulls in highest viewership ahead of finale

The new medical K-drama ‘Resident Playbook’ aired its penultimate episode on May 17, recording its highest viewership to date. The Go Youn Jung, Jung Jun Won and Kang You Seok starrer, which failed to recreate the magic of the original ‘Hospital Playlist’ among domestic audiences, pulled in dramatic viewership on ‘Netflix’, where the show has been dominating the non-English TV series genre for weeks. On the other hand, the Korean horror thriller ‘Haunted Palace’ has maintained its reign on both ends with an unbeatable score. New K-dramas like ‘Tastefully Yours’ and ‘Dear Hongrang’ have already debuted on OTT to replace the current lineup. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Crushology’ ended with disappointing ratings.

According to ‘Nielsen Korea’, on May 17, the medical K-drama revolving around the life and daily chaos of first-year OBGYN residents at Yulje Medical Centre received an average nationwide rating of 6.6 percent, marking its highest Saturday ratings, though it is typically low compared to its Sunday scores. With just one episode to go, it became the most-watched show on the cable network. On ‘Netflix’, ‘Resident Playbook’ pulled in 2.1M views this week with five weeks in the ‘Top 10’. Currently, it’s trending at No. 6 with a ‘Top 10’ placement in 16 countries. The show will air its finale on May 18.

SBS’ ‘The Haunted Palace’, starring Bona, Yook Sung Jae, Kim Ji Hoon and Kim Young Kwang, scored a nationwide average of 9.8 percent on May 17. The show is streaming on ‘Netflix’ in select areas and returns every Friday and Saturday with a new episode.

‘Crushology 101’ ended its run with a 0.8 percent rating on MBC. The show is streaming on ‘Amazon Prime Video’ for a global audience and stars Roh Jeong Eui, Lee Chae Min, Jo Joon Young and Hong Min Gyi. Airing during the same time slot as ‘Haunted Palace’ clearly didn’t benefit the teenage romance show that tried recreating the magic of high school classics like ‘True Beauty’ and ‘Lovely Runner’.

Meanwhile, Son Suk Ku, Kim Hye Ja and Han Ji Min’s ‘Heavenly After’ scored a nationwide average of 6.1 percent rating for its Saturday episode. On ‘Netflix’, the romance fantasy K-drama ranks five, a point below ‘Weak Hero 2’ and pulled in 2.1M views this week after spending three weeks in the ‘Top 10’.