K-Drama Star Lee Jae Wook's 'The Atypical Family' Hits 5% Rating

ENA's new Monday-Tuesday drama 'Doctor Slump' is achieving strong early viewership ratings despite the hiatus due to lead actor Lee Jae-wook's military enlistment. The drama's relatable, "human-touch" theme is analyzed to have been effective in attracting viewers from the previous drama, 'The Uncanny Counter'.

Premiering on the 1st, 'Doctor Slump' is based on the popular webtoon 'Jongbeo Doctor' and tells the story of a public health doctor, Do Ji-han (Lee Jae-wook), who goes to the notorious island of 'Pyeondongdo' and meets a nurse, Yuk Ha-ri (Shin Ye-eun). The premiere viewership rating recorded 4.1%, the highest ever for an ENA Monday-Tuesday drama, and it showed a rapid upward trend, rising to 5% within just two episodes.

This viewership trend is faster than that of the previous drama, 'The Uncanny Counter', which was ENA's highest-rated Monday-Tuesday drama, during the same period. 'Doctor Slump' has succeeded in securing about half of the viewers of 'The Uncanny Counter', which recorded a final viewership rating of 8.1%, as loyal channel viewers. Contrary to concerns that it would be difficult to generate initial buzz due to Lee Jae-wook's military enlistment, 'Doctor Slump' is winning over audiences with the drama's own charm.

The use of public health doctors as the subject matter, which is rare in existing medical dramas, is a differentiating point. The story, which began with scenes of public health doctors undergoing combat training, coinciding with Lee Jae-wook's military enlistment, uniquely combines the genres of human drama and romantic comedy.

A characteristic feature is the ironic humor that arises from the discrepancy between Do Ji-han's serious first-person perspective and the cheerful truth of events as seen by Yuk Ha-ri. In particular, a scene where Do Ji-han, who has a trauma related to the sea, appeared to jump into the water to save Yuk Ha-ri, but in reality, Yuk Ha-ri carried him, still under the influence of sedatives, to the health center, has formed a romance trope recently favored by young female viewers.