Doctor X Hits Record Ratings Amid Medical Inaccuracy Backlash
Doctor X Reaches Record Ratings Amid Medical Accuracy Backlash
SBS medical noir drama Doctor X secured its highest ratings yet on October 17, climbing to an average nationwide viewership of 18.5 percent according to Nielsen Korea figures. The series has maintained a continuous streak of rating increases with each successive broadcast, making it the most-watched program of any genre on Sunday.
That broadcast milestone arrives alongside intense public scrutiny regarding the show’s medical procedures. Viewers have targeted scenes depicting an inguinal hernia operation and unilateral decisions made during multi-specialty surgery, arguing that the portrayals diverge from real-world protocols and disrupt narrative realism.
Consultant Addresses Fictional Liberties in Surgery Scenes
Namgung In, an emergency medicine physician at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital who worked on the production as a medical consultant, addressed the online criticism directly on social media on October 11. If you see something medically inaccurate, you can assume that the consultant and the production team disagreed, and the consultant lost the argument,
Namgung wrote.
While some viewers maintain that fictional liberties are inevitable in serialized television drama, the debate has accompanied a dominant commercial launch. The series premiered on October 9 with a nationwide rating of 11.4 percent, rising to 14.9 percent for its second episode, figures that established the highest miniseries debut rating of 2026, per Nielsen Korea data.
Global Streaming Metrics and Rival Weekend Broadcasts
The program’s international footprint matches its domestic rise. Netflix data published on Tudum indicated that the series ranked first in the non-English TV category with 4.6 million views between May 5 and 11, contributing to Studio Dragon’s streak of global number-one hits spanning five consecutive years starting in 2022.
Across the wider weekend schedule, tvN spy romance drama 100 Days of Deception secured its highest Saturday ratings yet with its third episode on October 17, scoring a nationwide average of 7.0 percent and defending its position as the top-watched cable program of the night. JTBC series Fly High Butterfly recorded an average nationwide rating of 1.4 percent prior to its series finale, while Channel A broadcast Dive into You at 0.16 percent for the start of its second half. KBS 2TV programming saw A Love Other Than Yours dip to 1.8 percent, while Love on the Menu held steady at 14.3 percent nationwide.
Disclaimer: The views and cultural analyses presented in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only. Information regarding legal disputes or financial data is based on available public records.
