Resident Playbook review: Is the Netflix release worth watching?

Resident Playbook, starring Go Youn-jung, Kang You-seok, Shin Si-ah, Han Ye-ji, and Jung Joon-won, aired between April 12 and May 18, 2025, on tvN and Netflix. The show portrays the story of rookie medical professionals who are just starting their residency at the OB-GYN department.

The drama is a spin-off of Hospital Playlist, which focused on the stories of experienced surgeons in their 40s with a wise approach to life.

It features Oh Yi-young (Go Youn-jung), a bright resident who has zero interest in working but finds herself in a difficult position due to her credit card debt. Oh Yi-young pushes herself through each day, despite the pressure and toxic environment, just to pay off her debt.

Pyo Nam-kyung (Shin Si-ah) is a confident and intelligent resident, but her clumsiness emerges as she faces unpredictable situations with patients and co-workers.

Meanwhile, Kang You-seok’s character, Um Jae-il, is a K-pop idol turned medical professional who may not be as smart as his peers, but his socializing skills and kindhearted demeanor take over the patients’ hearts.

On the other hand, Kim Sa-bi (Han Ye-ji) is known as AI among other first-year residents due to her lack of empathy towards them. Kim Sa-bi lives by logic and reasoning and finds it difficult to approach the patients through emotions.

Resident Playbook, penned by author Kim So-hee, helmed by director Lee Min-soo, and created by Shin Won-ho and Lee Woo-jung, sheds light on the messy lives of medical residents who are adjusting to the hectic workload whilst navigating their personal lives.

Viewers may find themselves comparing Resident Playbook and Hospital Playlist. However, the Go Youn-jung starrer has its own charm, which will take the viewers through an exciting ride different from the previous show.

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Resident Playbook review: Go Youn-jung starrer leaves viewers wanting more

The Netflix drama was in the limelight even before the release, as it is a spin-off of Hospital Playlist, a highly acclaimed slice-of-life Korean drama produced by the renowned duo Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung.

Resident Playbook's silver lining is its characters; unlike Hospital Playlist, here the young residents have a unique approach to work and find it difficult to adjust to the pace of the hospital.

Go Youn-jung shines as Oh Yi-young, an unmotivated individual who is forced to work due to her financial circumstances. Oh Yi-young, despite the purpose, does not take her job as a resident lightly and completes just the tasks assigned, no more or less.

Kang You-seok, who captured viewers’ attention through his role in When Life Gives You Tangerines, finds a home in the viewers’ hearts with his role as Um Jae-il in Resident Playbook.

Meanwhile, Shin Si-ah’s Pyo Nam-kyung captures viewers' attention with her distinct fashion, hairstyle, love for luxury good and her passion for work.

She prefers work-life-balance but due to an increasing number of patients, she is expected to give her precious time while she fights the urge to quit.

Han Ye-ji played her first significant role as Kim Sa-bi through Resident Playbook, showcasing exemplary acting skills. Kim Sa-bi may be the most interesting character in the show, who stayed true to her core beliefs and rules of sticking to book-oriented solutions.

Her apathetic personality turned several serious moments hilarious. However, as time goes by, she gives warmth to patients in ways she finds best.

Resident Playbook illuminates a realistic perspective on the friendship dynamics between Gen Zs, where individualism is valued but it takes time for them to blend in with others.

Remarkably, Oh Yi-young is seen specifying that the 1st-years are “not her friends,” yet deep down she knows they've got her back in times of crisis.

This drama depicts the chaos the residents bring into their own lives because of the lack of experience and knowledge.

With time, they learn and unlearn new things, yet the next day they turn into rookies as they encounter emotionally and mentally challenging situations.

The message that everyone is an amateur when facing new trials is beautifully complemented by the OST titled Amateur, sung by the fan favorite band Mido and Falasol.

Resident Playbook becomes a reflection of Hospital Playlist with moments the residents share with the patients or the professors, stirring a flood of emotions.

Another captivating aspect of the show was that the residents had professors like Seo Jeong-min (Lee Bong-ryun) and Ryu Jae-hwi (Lee Chang-hoon) who made their work lives easy.

Meanwhile, they also had experienced the torment of Professor Myung Eun-won, who previously brought hindrance to Chu Min-ha's life in Hospital Playlist.

Although each episode has a new story to tell, Resident Playbook has loose ends, which may leave viewers wondering if there was more to it.

In particular, the wholesome cameos of the Hospital Playlist cast were too short-lived and would have the viewers yearning for more—like a third season.

Additionally, Oh Yi-young's romance with Ku Do-won started strong but did not captivate us till the end. On the other hand, the gradual change of Um Jae-il and Kim Sa-bi's dynamic from friends to lovers was more alluring.

While watching the show, it is impossible to not draw a comparison between Resident Playbook and Hospital Playlist and highlight the flaws of the spin-off.

Just like the patients, viewers may not want to see the inexperienced residents while looking for the veteran professors.

However, they may enjoy the show better if they let go of the idea that the two dramas are the same, even though they had the same foundation and were created by Shin Won-ho and Lee Woo-jung.

Add Resident Playbook to your watchlist if you enjoy wholesome slice-of-life dramas, as it mirrors the lives of young individuals through its realistic portrayal of stories.

The characters eventually grow on you as the Netflix show comes to an end, making you wish there was another season.

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Meanwhile, all 12 episodes of Resident Playbook are available for streaming on Netflix.