Hospital Playlist 2 sets tvN record

SEOUL • The second season of hit medical drama series Hospital Playlist got off to a good start on Thursday, recording the highest first-episode viewership rating in the history of South Korea's tvN network.

Thursday night's episode recorded an average viewership rating of 10 per cent, according to Nielsen ratings, making it the first tvN drama series to chart double-digit ratings on day one, as it reached as high as 12.4 per cent at its peak.

The TV drama, written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho, centres on the five doctors from the previous season, depicting their daily lives and hectic hospital routines as well as friendships.

The bond between the five main characters - Lee Ik-joon (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung) and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) - seemed to have become stronger in the second season's first episode, with stories of patients and their families at the crossroads of life and death touching the hearts of viewers.

Thursday's episode also explored romantic relationships among the characters, hinting at a season with love in the air and, perhaps, heartaches.

The 12-episode first season aired from March through May last year, recording a peak viewership rating of 14 per cent.

A notable feature of the drama is the conclusion of each episode with a performance of a favourite Korean pop tune by the five doctors, who have formed a band.

Thursday's episode ended with the band performing The Rain And You, a song released in 2006 as part of the soundtrack for the hit film Radio Star.

Hospital Playlist 2 premiered on Netflix on Thursday, with new episodes every week.

THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK