Kdramas Similar to Resident Playbook: There is nothing sadder than when you’re done watching a drama that felt like home. You just sit there, holding your pillow, replaying scenes in your head, wondering how to fill that weird emptiness. Resident Playbook did that—it did not shout drama or plot twists. It just settled quietly in our hearts with its slice-of-life comfort, real hospital scenes, and friends-like people. So if you’re also stuck in that desolate post-drama blues and wondering what to watch next, here are 7 best Medical Kdramas like Resident Playbook to give you that same warm, healing feeling. (Tears, laughter, and heart fluttering included.)
Medical Kdramas Similar to Resident Playbook
Hospital Playlist
Staring Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-myung, and Jeon Mi-do, this one needs no introduction. Seriously, it’s the template for Resident Playbook, and if you have no idea what it is yet, what have you been doing? It’s all of it. The banter. The food. The musical jam sessions. The existential hospital moments that make you think about life. The not-so-quiet medical emergencies that get your heart going.
Binge-ing this drama is like just hanging out with people who get you. Laughter and tears (sometimes at the same time) every single episode, and the hospital cases weren’t “plot fillers”—they counted. You grow up with these doctors, you care about the patients, and by the last episode, they’re family. Pure gold.
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
Let’s just say that this drama made me love trauma surgeons in a whole new light. Baek Gang-hyeok (Ju Ji-hoon) is not your average doctor-next-door. He’s fearless, no-nonsense, and lives as if every second in the ER counts—which, let’s be real, it does. But the thing is: all this intensity, in spite of it, the drama never gets too heavy. Strangely enough, it’s a breeze to watch. There’s laughter. There’s bonding. There’s heart. Though we don’t get really in-depth looks at every character’s history, their instincts leak through every little gesture. The bromance. The wars. The life-and-death calls. You’ll want more than 8 episodes.
A Daily Dose of Sunshine
Okay, this one speaks differently. Yes, we’re aware that most med drams involve surgeries and emergencies, but this one is in mental health. Jung Da-eun (played wonderfully by Park Bo-young) becomes a psychiatric nurse, and through her, you get a glimpse of what patients endure—and what caregivers keep quiet. It’s not preachy or melodramatic for the sake of being so. It’s real, honest, and packed with little little moments that will break and mend your heart simultaneously. It reminds  you don’t always have to be “strong.” Everyone needs a little sunshine—especially on the inside.
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Doctor Romantic
There’s just something so wise and warm about Master Kim played by Han Seok-kyu. If you’ve ever had a mentor who transformed your life, you’ll exactly know what I mean. Doctor Romantic does something that very few of the medical Kdramas do—it makes you so desperately care about both the surgeries and the surgeons who carry them out. Master Kim’s presence is a grounding force. The younger doctors? Flawed, passionate, and authentic. And the cases? They’re not about survival—they’re about choices, ethics, and second chances. If Resident Playbook taught you how beautiful teamwork is, Doctor Romantic will show you how powerful good leadership is.
Doctor Stranger
Now this one’s slightly more hot than all the rest. Doctor Stranger is what you get when political thriller, medical drama and romance rollercoaster meet. Lee Jong-suk as Park Hoon is intense, in the best way possible. He’s a medical prodigy, trained in North Korea, who’s attempting to navigate South Korea’s political-medical puzzle to reclaim the woman he lost. Sounds insane? It is. But under all the insanity is a man who wants to just mend lives and be with the woman he loves. If you’re in the mood for something just a little more dramatic but still based on life in the hospital, this one’s your ticket.
Doctor Cha
This show is a big hug to anyone who’s ever put their own dreams second for family. Doctor Cha is a 40-year-old woman who put her medical career on hold for marriage and children and then reappeared years later on the scene of the hospital. And trust me—it’s inspiring, hilarious, sad, and hopeful all at once. Seeing Cha Jung-sook played by Uhm Jung-hwa discover her voice again, ride out the storm of medical residency (as an adult woman!) and gradually rediscover herself. it’s breathtaking. This drama is a rediscovery tale for 40-something women. Highly, highly recommended.
Doctor Slump
This one? Surprisingly sentimental. Park Hyung-sik and Park Shin-hye play two childhood friends reunited as adults, now burnt out and adrift in life. It’s no ordinary medical drama, but along the way, their journey picks them up again and re-anchors them in the world of medicine and healing—but this time, for themselves. It’s gentle. It’s reflective. It’s full of little moments that are so real. One minute you’re laughing at their clumsy one-upmanship, the next you’re crying because someone finally snapped about their exhaustion. If you enjoy shows with balanced laughter and tears, then Doctor Slump is your next must-binge-watch.
Resident Playbook was not twisty or suspenseful, it was emotional. About friendship and growth and meals eaten and all-night heart-to-hearts and saving lives beat by beat. All 7 of these Kdramas have a different flavor, some bold, some understated, but they all share that same quality. Whether you’re watching for the surgeries, the friendships, or just for the sense of being heard, your new go-to healing drama may just be on this list.
Which one are you trying first? Or did we miss one that you have close to your heart? Let us know in the comments!
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