The third episode of Doctor X drew a 15.1 percent nationwide rating on October 16, making it the most-watched program of any kind on Friday television. It is the third straight episode to set a new personal best for the SBS medical noir drama — a climb that has taken the series from a strong premiere to genuine phenomenon status in a single week.
Nielsen Korea reported the figures, which show the drama gaining with every outing. Doctor X premiered on October 9 with an 11.4 percent nationwide average, then jumped to 14.9 percent for its second episode before Friday's broadcast pushed it past the 15 percent mark. The 2049 demographic stayed hot as well, with a 4.7 percent average and a 5.23 percent peak.
The runaway numbers are all the more striking given the modest expectations set before launch. At the drama's press conference earlier this month, the director predicted a 9.21 percent rating for the premiere — a figure the show has now left far behind. For Kim Ji-won, the success marks a commanding return: Doctor X is her first television drama in two years, following the global hit Queen of Tears, and her performance as a surgeon who answers to no one has become the week's most talked-about turn on Korean television.
A genius surgeon takes on a corrupt establishment
Based on the hit Japanese series Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, the drama stars Kim Ji-won as Gye Soo-jung, a brilliant freelance surgeon who relies on pure skill rather than status or connections. Working through a medical staffing agency run by the sharp-tongued Jang Hee-sook (Lee Jung-eun), she is dispatched to a powerful university hospital where she openly challenges questionable surgical decisions and colleagues who prioritize VIP patients over ordinary ones.
The ensemble around her includes Son Hyun-joo and Kim Woo-seok, and the cast grew in episode 3 with the arrival of Jang Seung-jo as Na Dae-il, a newly appointed surgery professor positioned as Gye Soo-jung's rival. Episode 4 airs Saturday night, with the new rivalry expected to take center stage.
Ratings soar as debate follows
The drama's explosive popularity has come with scrutiny. Some medical professionals have criticized the show's portrayal of doctors and operating-room protocol, and a viewer claiming to be an orthopedic surgeon said they had filed a formal broadcast complaint. SBS has said it has "no separate position" on the matter.
Public reaction, however, has largely defended the drama, with viewers arguing that a fictional medical noir should be judged as entertainment rather than a documentary. A one-minute scene of Gye Soo-jung delivering a blistering critique of the hospital hierarchy has surpassed 8 million combined views across Shorts and Reels — a sign that the show's anti-establishment streak is exactly what audiences came for.
The momentum extends well beyond Korea. Doctor X debuted at No. 1 on Netflix's global non-English TV chart in its first days on the platform, recording 4.6 million views, entering the Top 10 in 36 countries and ranking No. 1 in seven, including South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Source: Nielsen Korea
