SBS’s new Friday-Saturday drama Doctor X has taken the top spot on Good Data Corporation’s weekly drama buzz list for the second week of October 2026. Its lead actress Kim Ji Won also rose to No. 1 on the actor buzz rankings, beating strong competition from Choo Young Woo, Kim You Jung, Kim So Hyun, and Ahn Eun Jin. The medical noir series has also topped Netflix’s global non-English TV chart, adding a major international win to its fast-growing list of records.
Doctor X Leads the Drama Buzz List With a Wide Gap
Good Data Corporation’s FUNdex rankings for October 5 to 11 placed Doctor X at No. 1 among TV and OTT dramas. The show recorded a 33.88 percent buzz share, nearly double the 16.15 percent share of the second-place drama, tvN’s 100 Days of Deception.
The top five dramas on the buzz list were:
- No. 1: Doctor X (SBS)
- No. 2: Between Steps (ENA)
- No. 3: 100 Days of Deception (tvN)
- No. 4: The Ordinary Jackpot (TVING)
- No. 5: A Love Other Than Yours (KBS 2TV)
Good Data Corporation builds these rankings from news articles, blog posts, online communities, videos, and social media posts about dramas that are currently airing or about to air.
Kim Ji Won Takes No. 1 Among Actors
Kim Ji Won jumped from No. 4 in the previous week to No. 1 on the actor buzz list after the drama’s premiere. She plays Gye Su-jeong, a brilliant freelance surgeon who refuses to follow hospital politics and fights corruption with her surgical skills.
The actor rankings for the second week of October were:
- No. 1: Kim Ji Won (Doctor X)
- No. 2: Choo Young Woo (Between Steps)
- No. 3: Kim You Jung (100 Days of Deception)
- No. 4: Kim So Hyun (Between Steps)
- No. 5: Ahn Eun Jin (A Love Other Than Yours)
Kim Ji Won spoke about preparing for the role and the physical demands of playing a surgeon. She said she worked closely with medical consultants to make the operating room scenes feel real.
“To fully portray the image of the genius female doctor Gye Su Jeong, I constantly practiced wound suturing techniques with medical consultants. I received a lot of support from the crew and worked hard to memorize medical terminology.”
Ratings Climb to 18.5 Percent by Episode 4
Doctor X premiered on October 9 with an 11.4 percent nationwide rating, the highest first-episode rating for any miniseries aired in 2026. The second episode rose to 14.9 percent, and the third episode reached 15.1 percent. By the fourth episode, the drama hit 18.5 percent nationwide with a peak rating of 20.8 percent, marking a new all-time high for the series.
The show also performed well with viewers in their 20s to 40s, a key advertising demographic. The second episode recorded a peak 5.4 percent rating in the 2049 age group, showing strong engagement beyond total household numbers.
Netflix Global Chart and International Reach
Netflix’s official Tudum rankings for October 5 to 11 placed Doctor X at No. 1 among non-English TV shows worldwide. The drama collected 4.6 million views and 9.9 million viewing hours in its first three days of release. It entered the Top 10 in 36 countries, including South Korea, Indonesia, and several others.
The show is a remake of the long-running Japanese series Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon. The Korean version keeps the core idea of a gifted surgeon who works outside the traditional hospital system, while adding a darker, corruption-focused storyline.
Cast and Story Background
Doctor X: Mafia in White follows Gye Su-jeong, a surgeon dispatched from a medical temp agency. She arrives at Guseo University Hospital and quickly clashes with doctors who protect their own positions instead of patients. The drama mixes medical cases with power struggles inside the hospital.
The main cast includes:
- Kim Ji Won as Gye Su-jeong
- Lee Jung Eun as Jang Hee-sook, the head of a doctor-supply agency
- Son Hyun Joo as Boo Seung-kwon, a hospital director
- Kim Woo Seok in a supporting role
- Jang Seung Jo as Na Dae-il, a new surgeon who arrives in episode three
Medical Accuracy Criticism and Viewer Response
Some medical professionals have criticized the drama for showing doctors in a negative light and for taking liberties with hospital procedures. An orthopedic surgeon filed a request for a broadcast review with the Korea Communications Standards Commission on October 13, arguing that the show could give viewers a distorted view of medical practice.
SBS has not released a separate official statement on the complaint. Online reactions have been mixed. Some viewers defended the show as fictional entertainment, while others compared Kim Ji Won’s performance with the original Japanese lead, Yonekura Ryoko. Many viewers also connected with the character’s refusal to work overtime and her blunt personality, calling her a relatable figure for working people.
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Other Dramas Holding Strong in the Rankings
Between Steps, starring Choo Young Woo and Kim So Hyun, held No. 2 on the drama list. 100 Days of Deception, led by Kim You Jung and Park Jinyoung, stayed at No. 3. Both shows also placed their leads in the actor top five, showing that the buzz race is still close across multiple series.
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