Charming K-drama has drinking and medical situations.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Fist fighting, bullying behavior, harassment, threats, and name calling. Intimidating behavior by a man in a powerful position to a woman in a junior position feels like sexual threat, and includes poking, yelling, and shoving. High-intensity medical situations include lots of blood: blood spurting, splashing, gurgling, bloody gauze plopped onto a bloody floor. Graphic scenes on an operating table.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Characters get drunk as an escape. A drunken adult family member gets violent with her sister. Characters drink beer, soju, and hard liquor. Characters smoke.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
U.C.L.A., American Heart Association. Emphasis on beauty and external appearance; a main character is a plastic surgeon who specializes in cosmetic surgery.
Positive Messages
some
Work hard, but take care of yourself. Stay strong. Don't neglect your mental health. Be open to change. Have a sense of humor. Get to know yourself. Who you are on the inside is the most important person you'll ever know. Inner beauty counts.
Positive Role Models
some
Both main characters are hard-working, high-achieving young people who face adversity. There are dysfunctional family and work dynamics that affect the main characters, who have to stand up for themselves to find peace.
Diverse Representations
some
Women take leadership roles, running complex situations in surgical settings, in courts of law, in business dealings. South Korea is the show's setting and most characters are of Korean descent. Some characters from Macau have connections to casinos.
Observational information about contemporary South Korean culture. Some medical terms, conditions, and medications are mentioned.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Doctor Slump is a South Korean romantic drama that has an intense, bloody medical situation in the first episode that might be too much for sensitive viewers. Other episodes don't have the same intensity. Violence includes fist fights, verbal abuse, and threats. The main characters experience stress and pressure to succeed. Mental health issues are addressed, and a character is diagnosed with depression. Drinking serves as an escape at times for adults. Language includes "damn" and "bastard." Characters show perseverance and humility throughout the series.
Doctor slump is a perfect drama it’s different from the regular KDrama. It’s reminds me of Welcome to Samdal-rib romantic/comedy. I think both the actor and actress doing amazing job playing their role. Love seeing them both together. The drama is relatable because we all go through a slump in some point of our lives. Love it can’t wait for the next two episodes. Just getting good!!
In DOCTOR SLUMP, a family in a South Korean seaside town celebrates their daughter, Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye, The Call), who's placed first in the country's scholastic achievement tests. She tells her feuding family that she's determined to go to the best university, and it's time to move to Seoul. Meanwhile, in Seoul, a student named Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik, Soundtrack #1) places at the top at his school. When Ha-neul joins his class, he's suddenly got serious competition. Later in life, these two arch-rivals reunite in an unexpected way. Will they learn to appreciate each other? Or will they fight to the very end?
Just when it looks like this romantic comedy is starting to sag, a twist in plot builds suspense. Doctor Slump is catchy without being edgy. It's quickly paced, and it's pretty cute.
Teens and fans of K-drama will like this one, though sensitive viewers will want to avoid the scenes in the hospital. A little mystery posted in the midst of the rom-com might serve to keep adult viewers engaged.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about perseverance in Doctor Slump. When is it a good thing to work hard? How do you know when to take a break?
Being humble means knowing that you are not better than anyone else-- and that no one is better than you. How do you practice humility in your life?
Both main characters in this show are challenged by outside circumstances that threaten to break their spirits. How does self-control help them get through tough times?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
