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| From left, actors Kim Byong-chul, Uhm Jung-hwa, director Kim Dae-jin, Myung Se-bin, and Min Woo-hyuk pose during the press conference for JTBC's new medical comedy series "Doctor Cha," held at Josun Palace Hotel in Gangnam District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of JTBC |
By Lee Gyu-lee
JTBC's new medical comedy series "Doctor Cha," starring singer-actor Uhm Jung-hwa, got off to a strong start, garnering a 4.9 percent viewership rating with its premiere episode on Saturday.
The new series revolves around a housewife, Cha Jung-sook (Uhm), who picks up her medical career, which she left some 20 years earlier to care for her family. Returning as a first-year resident at the hospital where her husband, Seo In-ho (Kim Byung-chul), works as the chief surgeon, she sets out on a journey of self-discovery while struggling to rebuild her career.
The Saturday episode showed Cha as a dedicated housewife, spending 20 years looking after her husband and two children. However, despite her long-standing commitment to the family, she learns her husband has not been as loyal after catching him secretly meeting a fellow doctor at the hospital, Choi Seung-hee (Myung Se-bin).
On top of her husband's affair, Cha is hospitalized for acute hepatitis and needs an immediate liver transplant to live. It turns out Seo is the only possible donor, but he hesitates as his mother strongly opposes the idea. Cha lives after a transplant and after getting a second chance at life, she reflects back on everything she has been through and revives her dream of becoming a doctor.
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| A scene from the series "Doctor Cha" / Courtesy of JTBC |
Uhm shared that playing the character, who is on the path to self-discovery, was comforting.
"(While becoming a doctor,) the character reignites her dream and finds joy in the process. The time I've spent as Cha was very heartening and happy," she said during the press conference for the series, held at Josun Palace Hotel in Gangnam District, Seoul, Thursday.
"I could relate to how she gets through difficult situations. I felt comfort from playing her."
She added that she saw similarities between herself and the character.
"I really wanted to do a medical series. And as I was reading through each page of the script, I really liked Cha's story. In a way, she was a lot like me so I could relate to it," she said, adding she created the character hoping the viewers will also be able to relate to her. "For some reason, maybe because it's been a while (since I've led) a series, but I felt I share a lot of similarities with the character. So I cherished each scene and put a lot of thought into it."
The series is helmed by director Kim Dae-jin, who previously led the Tving thriller series, "The King of Pigs" (2022), and is written by Jung Yeo-rang.
The director noted this is a lighthearted comedy series with little emphasis on the medical side of things.
"Our series is a family drama disguised as a medical series. There is no need to understand medical jargon to enjoy the series," he said. "As long as you know if a person will survive or not, you should be able to (follow the story). For those who don't like complicated stories, 'Doctor Cha' is a series you can settle into, relax and enjoy."
"Doctor Cha" airs Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
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