MBC premieres Saturday medical suspense drama Night Hospital
by javabeans
For something a little different in the way of drama offerings, there’s a late-night Saturday drama that just premiered on MBC called Night Hospital, which is billed as a medical suspense thriller starring the very underrated (in my opinion) Yoon Tae-young as a surgeon-slash-boxer. What’s not to like?
Night Hospital‘s first episode drew a very promising 5.9% rating for its premiere episode on the 15th — note that that’s for a drama airing at midnight-thirty on a Saturday night. Considering that some prime-time weekday shows average in that range, that’s a pretty great number. Viewers have been impressed with its compelling plot and quick pacing, and I think the 10-episode length is a mark in its favor.
The story: Yoon Tae-young (who was great in Strike Love and Legend) plays Heo Jun, which is not coincidentally also the name of the famed court physician of Joseon times. This Heo Jun is a promising doctor specializing in liver transplants who for some reason roams from fighting match to fighting match (he practices MMA, or mixed martial arts). He gets “kidnapped” by another liver transplant specialist, Dong-man (Choi Jung-woo), and is put to work in his night hospital. His secret night hospital. Wait, this isn’t the kind where you wake up in a bathtub full of ice and a note, is it?
Jun’s motivation for fighting is to avenge the wife who was killed in front of his eyes. He had at one point found the killer, but had to watch him walk free on account of insufficient evidence. Dong-man entices Jun to work for with the promise to hand over a video that’ll ensure the killer’s capture, and makes him director of the night hospital.
However, Jun’s hands aren’t like they used to be, and in fact he was fired from his old hospital after making a mistake, so he brings in another surgeon, Na-kyung (Ryu Hyun-kyung) to work with him.
A promising start, it sounds like. Night Hospital airs at 12:20 AM on Saturday nights (technically Sunday morning) and is set for a 10-episode run.
Via Star News
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Tags: Ryu Hyun-kyung, Yoon Tae-young
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1 disfigurine
October 16, 2011 at 1:10 PM
soo, who's the girl?
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2 mud
October 16, 2011 at 1:13 PM
Hmmm.. this is definitely a different offering. I like how there's more darker material in dramas, espeically now with the explosion of cable dramas.
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3 Arhazivory
October 16, 2011 at 1:25 PM
Well, this sounds just like my cup of tea. I hope someone subs it.
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4 Quiet Thought
October 16, 2011 at 1:26 PM
Well . . . yes . . . it follows that pretty much the last recreational activity a surgeon would get involved in would be boxing. It would make as much sense as a painter taking up rugby or an opera singer taste-testing acid mixes. At least you have a reason for his being unemployed. All the people hiring surgeons would think he's nuts.
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Jo
October 16, 2011 at 5:35 PM
What? There is such thing as recreational boxing after work...
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Webfoot
October 16, 2011 at 5:52 PM
"However, Jun’s hands aren’t like they used to be... "
Well.. duh! That's what I thought as well, why would a surgeon regularly mess with his hands?
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5 Raine
October 16, 2011 at 1:37 PM
Alright, this sounds like it will totally kick GA's ass. And that's fine by me. When George died it just wasn't the same...
But the combination of two things as different as surgery and boxing should make for an interesting combination. Key word: SHOULD.
Crossing my fingers for an entertaining watch.
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Ani
October 16, 2011 at 2:44 PM
GA? As in Grey's Anatomy? Nah. I hated Grey's before, but season 5 was where it took off for me. The first 4 seasons are forgettable, but Grey's is amazing nowadays. Kind of hard to compare though since this drama and GA are different in tone. In some ways, maybe we can compare it to Dexter instead. By day one thing, by night another.
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Raine
October 16, 2011 at 7:21 PM
I stopped watching Grey's as soon as Dexter came on! I LOVE Dexter. It's so twisted. I hope his kids take after the kids in the books, though. (They were both sociopaths, too.) That would be some juicy material for the writers (and the child actors) to work with!
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Ani
October 17, 2011 at 1:45 PM
I need to start Dexter, but right now I'm marathoning Monk in honor of my love for the show from the beginning and me finally watching the series finale. Maybe I'll watch Dexter after I'm done catching up on Psych.
Hahaha. I gotta give it to USA Network and America for their crime shows. Totally Daebak!
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Raine
October 18, 2011 at 7:49 AM
I've never seen Psych but omg Dexter. It's sad that a show about a bloody, violent serial killer is so endearing. Did I just use that word? But yes, I relaly love it.
And MONK! Every time I see an episode on re run I park it on the sofa and watch. I can't help myself.
6 kerik
October 16, 2011 at 1:51 PM
ahhh it's YOON TAE YOUNG!!!! this man gives me the hots for sure with his performance in Legend.
off to find this!
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Beng
October 16, 2011 at 8:12 PM
he also give me the hots. yes, i agree that he's underrated in kdrama. i'm glad he's back =)
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7 supah
October 16, 2011 at 2:12 PM
It's an omnibus style drama from MBC adopting a similar format to what they used for Beating Heart (the one with Bae Jong-ok, Bae Doona playing sisters? Anyone remember?). But instead of allocating accomplished writers two episodes each, what they'll be doing is switching rookie PDs each with distinct styles every two episodes.
In theory it all sounds exciting.
But in practice?
Awful! Episode 1 was so BAD! I laughed till I cried.
I will tune in to the 3rd episode to see whether the PD switch improves anything.
Really disappointed though, I love this format and short dramas in general.
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8 otk
October 16, 2011 at 2:56 PM
LOL it's MBC's response to cable dramas xD
i heard that this show has multiple directors, each directing 2 episode. That is definitely a plus in terms of a production -much like an american tv production I might say.
The show is pretty good! I can't help but now I want to request a korean Dexter LOL
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9 yukisama69
October 16, 2011 at 3:22 PM
I usually avoid medical dramas (in any language) but once in a while an Asian one will catch my attention. This might just be it for this season.
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10 crazedlu
October 16, 2011 at 4:43 PM
hrmm. interesting.
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11 lovepark
October 16, 2011 at 6:29 PM
The premise sounded intriguing, but the first episode was cheesy.
I think, though, that the synopsis is a bit off. I think it might just be some translation errors. In actuality, the main character was framed as the murder but released because of a lack of evidence (not the actual killer). That's why he takes up MMA to find the killer in episode 1.
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12 MJ
October 16, 2011 at 6:36 PM
I have not watch the show yet. So, What is the TV content rating for Night Hospital that airs at 12:20 AM on Saturday nights (technically Sunday morning)?
Did MBC give Night Hospital a TV content rating of 19 or 15?
19 (19세 이상 시청가, sib-gu-se ii-sang si-cheong-ga) – This rating is for programs that are not recommended to those younger than 19. 19-rated programming may air only after 11:00 PM and before 7:00 AM, thus after the watershed. Examples include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation on MBC, and Grey’s Anatomy on KBS. If a program is classified as this rating, the icon has to be displayed through the duration of the program.
15 (15세 이상 시청가, sib-o-se ii-sang si-cheong-ga) – This rating is for programs that contain material that may be inappropriate for children under 15, and that parental discretion should be used. Examples include most reality variety programs, dramas, and talk shows on OTA TV (KBS, MBC, SBS), and many American TV shows/dramas on Cable TV channels like OCN and OnStyle. The programs that have this rating may include moderate or strong adult themes, language, sexual inference, and violence. Since 2007, this rating is the most used rating for TV. Examples include The Simpsons.
I’m curious: "Does MBC Channel have a "Night Hospital" disclaimer commercial that is spoken and also written in Korean stating, "This program contains material that may be disturbing to some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised." before the start of the drama. They do that sometimes with shows in the U.S.A if after they are aired people complain about.
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13 mellowyel
October 16, 2011 at 8:01 PM
for a medical suspense drama the girl looks waaay too perky... Is she like that in the drama or is it just in the promotional material?
[sidenote: it seems weird, yet appropriate that I call the female lead, who's obviously a grown woman, a girl. socialization by the patriarchy, or the infantilization of women in the Korean media? who knows.]
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14 ar_arguably romantic
October 16, 2011 at 9:36 PM
It's pretty cool how this drama is airing right in the middle of the night. It's nice to have a bit of tv to look forward to on a late Saturday night right before you go to bed.
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15 turquoise_Home
October 18, 2011 at 9:00 PM
hi all, pls let me knw where i can watch this drama online with english subtitle? pls msg me turquoisehome@yahoo.com..tq!!!
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