Dr. Romantic TV Series Details:
| Also known as | Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim |
| Hangul | 낭만닥터 김사부 |
| Hanja | 浪漫닥터 金師父 |
| Literal meaning | Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim |
| Revised Romanization | Nangmandakteo gimsabu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Nangmandakt’ŏ kimsabu |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Genre | Romance, Drama |
| Season | 3 |
| Episodes | 54 |
| Release date | November 7, 2016 – June 17, 2023 |
| Aired on | Monday, Tuesday (S1) Monday, Tuesday (S2) Friday, Saturday (S3) |
| Running time | 60 min (season 1) 63–90 min (season 2) 70 min (season 3) |
| Age rating | 18+ |
| Starring | Han Suk-kyu Yoo Yeon-seok Seo Hyun-jin Ahn Hyo-seop Lee Sung-kyung Kim Joo-hun |
| Directed by | Yoo In-shik (season 1–3) Park Soo-jin (season 1) Lee Gil-bok (season 2) Kang Bo-seung (season 3) |
| Written by | Kang Eun-kyung (season 1–3) Lim Hye-min (season 3) |
| Produced by | Park Hyun-ji (season 1) Ahn Jae-hyun (season 2) Shin Sang-yoon (season 2) |
| Cinematography by | Lee Gil-bok Song Yo-hoon |
| Edited by | Jo In-hyung Lim Ho-cheol |
| Music by | Jeon Chang-yeop |
| Production Companies | Samhwa Networks Studio S (season 3) |
| Distributor | SBS TV |
| Budget | ₩6.783 billion (S1) ₩13.28 billion (S2) ₩28.8 billion (S3) |
Dr. Romantic TV Series Cast & Character:
Main
- Han Suk-kyu as Kim Sa-bu (Teacher Kim) / Boo Yong-joo: The only surgeon in South Korea who achieved triple-board certification in general surgery, cardiac surgery, and neurosurgery.
- Yoo Yeon-seok as Kang Dong-joo: A GS (General Surgery) specialist. Intelligent and armed with excellent skills, his desire to succeed is driven due to an incident that happened to him in his childhood in which his father died at the hands of neglectful doctors.
- Yoon Chan-young as young Kang Dong-joo.
- Seo Hyun-jin as Yoon Seo-jung: Initially, she wants to become a doctor due to her strong desire to be recognized and appreciated by President Do who is more like a father figure to her and takes up her responsibility as her guardian.
- Shin Yi-joon as young Yoon Seo-jung
- Ahn Hyo-seop as Seo Woo-jin: A second-year GS fellow. He’s a victim of “Familial Suicide” and the only survivor.
- Lee Sung-kyung as Cha Eun-jae: A second-year CS fellow. She was a top student at medical school, often in competition with Woo-jin with whom she had a complicated relationship.
- Kim Joo-hun as Park Min-gook: A professor of general surgery who later on became the new director of Doldam Hospital.
Supporting
- People of Doldam Hospital:
- Kim Hong-pa as Yeo Woon-young: An internal medicine specialist and director of Doldam Hospital. A proud doctor who lost his motivation after the death of his wife. In Season 2, he was dismissed by Do Yoon-wan as the director of Doldam Hospital.
- Jin Kyung as Oh Myung-sim: Head nurse. A woman with strong will, who is able to stand up to Kim Sa-bu.
- Im Won-hee as Jang Gi-tae: Manager of Doldam Hospital.
- Byun Woo-min as Nam Do-il: A freelance anesthesiologist.
- Kim Min-jae as Park Eun-tak: A nurse, now a nurse practitioner at Doldam Hospital.
- Seo Eun-soo as Woo Yeon-hwa: A staff member who likes Dong-joo. Later, she comes back as a doctor at Doldam Hospital.
- Lee Gyu-ho as Mr. Gu: An orderly who also serves as a guard at the hospital.
- Shin Dong-wook as Bae Moon-jeong “Dr. Bones”: An orthopedic surgery specialist.
- So Joo-yeon as Yoon Ah-reum: A fourth-year emergency medicine resident.
- Yoon Na-moo as Jeong In-soo: An emergency medicine specialist.
- Jung Ji-ahn as Uhm Hyun-jung: An emergency room nurse.
- Yoon Bo-ra as Joo Young-mi: An emergency room nurse. She recently started working at Doldam Hospital.
- Kim Yong-jin as Chief Lee: Chief of Administration at Doldam Hospital.
- Lee Shin-young as Jang Dong-hwa: The youngest doctor in Doldam Hospital.
- Lee Hong-nae as Lee Sun-woong: A first-year thoracic surgery fellow who is full of spirit and passion, in which he is a former military doctor.
- Lee Geung-young as Cha Jin-man: A thoracic surgery specialist. He was a former rival of Kim Sa-bu and Eun-jae’s father.
- People of Geosan University Hospital:
- Yang Se-jong as Do In-bum: Yoon-wan’s son. He went to the same college and was in the same class as Dong-joo.
- Choi Jin-ho as Do Yoon-wan: Director of Geosan University Hospital. In Season 2, he became the Chairman of the Geosan University Foundation following the death of Shin Myung-ho.
- Jang Hyuk-jin as Song Hyun-cheol: Chief of Surgery at Geosan University Hospital.
- Joo Hyun as Chairman Shin: Owner of Jungsun Casino and the hidden Chairman of Geosan Foundation.
- Park Min-gook’s staff:
- Go Sang-ho as Yang Ho-joon: A third-year general surgery fellow. He is the surgeon’s assistant to Park Min-gook.
- Park Hyo-joo as Shim Hye-jin: A professor of anesthesiology at Geosan University Hospital.
- Bae Myung-jin as Heo Yeong-gyoo: A nurse at Geosan University Hospital.
Storyline:
Dr. Romantic Season 1:
A story about Boo Yong-joo (Han Suk-kyu), a triple-board certified surgeon, who was once at the top of his field and used to work at Seoul’s top medical center, Geosan University Hospital. After a traumatic incident, he disappears and changes his name to Kim Sa-bu. He begins working at a small hospital named Doldam, located in Gangwon Province. He guides Kang Dong-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) and Yoon Seo-jeong (Seo Hyun-jin) to become great doctors by teaching them to fight against power and money for the sake of patients.
Dr. Romantic Season 2:
Three years following the events of the first season, Kim Sa-bu visits Geosan University Hospital to recruit a general surgeon. He finds Seo Woo-jin (Ahn Hyo-seop), a doctor with a troubled past who is ostracized by his fellow doctors and offers him the job. In the meantime, Cha Eun-jae (Lee Sung-kyung) is suspended after making another mistake in the operation room and has no other choice but to follow the two doctors to Doldam Hospital. A doctor named Park Min-gook (Kim Joo-hun) saw this but was traumatized after seeing Kim Sa-bu again. They both got into a bus accident and saw Sa-bu risking his life helping an injured lady. He became the new chairman of Doldam only for him to be betrayed by his own team from Geosan. So, he ended up supporting Doldam and thus stayed there permanently.
Dr. Romantic Season 3:
Three years following the events of the second season, the Doldam Hospital Regional Trauma Center which was Kim Sa-bu’s long-held dream will be opened. With the opening of the Regional Trauma Center, the scale of incidents and accidents that Doldam Hospital has to deal with also increased. The events will also feature Kang Dong-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) temporary return, as well as the rivalry between Kim Sa-bu and Dr Cha Jin-nam, who happens to be Cha Eun-jae’s estranged father.
About Dr. Romantic TV Series:
Dr. Romantic (Korean: 낭만닥터 김사부) is a South Korean romantic drama television series starring Han Suk-kyu in the title role, alongside Yoo Yeon-seok, Seo Hyun-jin in the first season, Ahn Hyo-seop, Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Joo-hun in the second and third season.
The series is also available for streaming on Viu for the first and second seasons and Disney+ for the third season in selected regions.
Season 1:
The first script reading took place on September 13, 2016, at SBS Ilsan Production Studios in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Filming for the series began on September 23, 2016. Dr. Romantic season 1 aired on SBS TV from November 7, 2016, to January 16, 2017, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST) for 20 episodes. The first season received positive reception, recording over 20% in ratings. In addition, it also received positive reviews for its plot and Han Suk-kyu’s performance.
Season 2:
The first script reading took place in September 2019 at SBS Ilsan Production Studios in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Han Suk-kyu, Kim Hong-pa, Jin Kyung, Im Won-hee, Byun Woo-min, Kim Min-jae, Choi Jin-ho, Jang Hyuk-jin, Yang Se-jong, Lee Gyu-ho and Yoon Na-moo reprised their roles from the first season. Dr. Romantic season 2 aired on SBS TV from January 6 to February 25, 2020, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:40 (KST) time slot for 16 episodes.
Season 3:
In September 2021, it was reported that production for Dr. Romantic Season 3 would begin in late 2021, but filming had to be postponed due to the actor’s schedule and the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. Season 3 is scheduled to be filmed to broadcast in the first half of 2023. Dr. Romantic season 3 aired on SBS TV from April 28 to June 17, 2023, every Friday and Saturday at 22:00 (KST) time slot for 16 episodes.
Dr. Romantic Season Overview:
| Season | Episodes | Start aired | End aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 | November 7, 2016 January 17, 2017 (Special) | January 17, 2017 |
| 2 | 16 | December 30, 2019 (Special) January 6, 2020 | February 25, 2020 |
| 3 | 17 | April 28, 2023 | June 18, 2023 |
Dr. Romantic TV Series Episodes List:
| Episodes | Original Broadcast Date (Season 1) | Original Broadcast Date (Season 2) | Original Broadcast Date (Season 3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | – | Mon, Dec 30, 2019 (Special) | – |
| 1 | Mon, Nov 7, 2016 | Mon, Jan 6, 2020 | Fri, Apr 21, 2023 |
| 2 | Tue, Nov 8, 2016 | Tue, Jan 7, 2020 | Sat, Apr 22, 2023 |
| 3 | Mon, Nov 14, 2016 | Mon, Jan 13, 2020 | Fri, Apr 28, 2023 |
| 4 | Tue, Nov 15, 2016 | Tue, Jan 14, 2020 | Sat, Apr 29, 2023 |
| 5 | Mon, Nov 21, 2016 | Mon, Jan 20, 2020 | Fri, May 5, 2023 |
| 6 | Tue, Nov 22, 2016 | Tue, Jan 21, 2020 | Sat, May 6, 2023 |
| 7 | Mon, Nov 28, 2016 | Mon, Jan 27, 2020 | Fri, May 12, 2023 |
| 8 | Tue, Nov 29, 2016 | Tue, Jan 28, 2020 | Sat, May 13, 2023 |
| 9 | Mon, Dec 5, 2016 | Mon, Feb 3, 2020 | Fri, May 19, 2023 |
| 10 | Tue, Dec 6, 2016 | Tue, Feb 4, 2020 | Sat, May 20, 2023 |
| 11 | Mon, Dec 12, 2016 | Mon, Feb 10, 2020 | Fri, May 26, 2023 |
| 12 | Tue, Dec 13, 2016 | Tue, Feb 11, 2020 | Sat, May 27, 2023 |
| 13 | Mon, Dec 19, 2016 | Mon, Feb 17, 2020 | Fri, Jun 2, 2023 |
| 14 | Tue, Dec 20, 2016 | Tue, Feb 18, 2020 | Sat, Jun 3, 2023 |
| 15 | Tue, Dec 27, 2016 | Mon, Feb 24, 2020 | Fri, Jun 9, 2023 |
| 16 | Mon, Jan 2, 2017 | Tue, Feb 25, 2020 | Sat, Jun 10, 2023 |
| 17 | Tue, Jan 3, 2017 | – | – |
| 18 | Mon, Jan 9, 2017 | – | – |
| 19 | Tue, Jan 10, 2017 | – | – |
| 20 | Mon, Jan 16, 2017 | – | – |
| 21 | Tue, Jan 17, 2017 (Special) | ||
| Total Episodes | 21 | 16 | 16 |
