Doctor Shin () is a 2026 South Korean medical melodrama thriller television series written by Phoebe, directed by Lee Seung-hoon, and starring Jung E-chan in the title role, along with Baek Seo-ra, Ahn Woo-yeon, , , , Jeon No-min, and . The series tells the story of a genius neurosurgeon, Doctor Shin, who dares to defy the boundaries of life and death, and a woman, whose soul is lost after a brain injury leaves her in a coma. It aired on TV Chosun from March 14, to May 3, 2026, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Coupang Play.
In contrast to the writer's previous commercial successes, the series was both a critical and commercial failure. Critics and audiences criticized it for its unclear storyline, brain-switching premise, and the performances of the cast, particularly actor Jung E-chan. The series marks Baek Seo-ra's acting debut. As a newcomer, she garnered notice for her "one person, four roles" performance, playing four different characters inhabiting the single body of "Momo".
Synopsis The series follows top actress Momo, who is engaged to genius neurosurgeon Shin Ju-shin. After a tragic accident leaves Momo brain-dead while her body remains intact, Shin, unable to accept her death, pursues experimental medical procedures. At the urging of Momo's mother, Hyun Ran-hee, Shin performs a brain transplant, placing Ran-hee's brain into Momo's body. The body survives, but an unexpected event unfolds later.
Cast Main Jung E-chan as Shin Ju-shin A genius brain surgery expert, he is the director of the neurosurgery department at Nua Hospital and the chairman of the Nua Foundation. He is a brain surgeon who inherited his father Dr. Shin Woo-pil's exceptional skill. After losing his love Momo, his obsessive love for her led him to attempt a dangerous procedure to revive her body through a brain swap. He is a character who acts on his desires, prioritizing control over emotions and disregarding others' feelings. Baek Seo-ra as Momo A top actress, engaged to Doctor Shin, suffers a catastrophic scuba diving accident in the ocean, loses consciousness, and her condition becomes critical. It severely damages her brain, leaving her in a coma, although her body is unharmed. Following a brain transplant performed by her fiancé, Momo’s soul is transferred into her mother's body, where she ultimately loses her sanity and passes away. Meanwhile, her own body becomes possessed by a succession of other characters' souls seeking to fulfill their own desires. Ahn Woo-yeon as Ha Yong-joong A successful game developer, who is Ju-shin's close friend, has a crush on Momo. as Geum Ba-ra Comes from the Nua orphanage, she is the youngest journalist in Seongwoo Ilbo's culture department. She has feelings for Yong-joong, who protected her and called her "baby" during their childhood. She is Momo's half sister. as Kim Jin-ju Momo's stylist at Jaeim Company, who also came from the Nua orphanage. as Hyun Ran-hee Momo's mother, who is a gallery owner. Jeon No-min as James Yong-joong's older brother, whose real name is Ha Jae-im, lives in his late father's body after a successful brain swap. He is a top stylist and CEO of Jaeim Company. as Paul Kim A western painter. He is searching for his biological daughter with Hyun Ran-hee, with whom he has a complicated relationship from high school. In Germany, he was in a traffic accident and had surgery that altered his face, which is why Hyun Ran-hee didn't recognize him when they reunited.
Supporting as Kim Gwang-cheol Jin-ju's biological father. as Ji An-hee A former soldier who was a childhood friend of Yong-joong and Ba-ra. He was killed by an unknown suspect in episode 2. Kang Na-eon as Tae Ye-jeong Daughter of an attorney and the high school "queen bee" who bullied Ba-ra and Jin-ju. In episode 4, she was found dead in her family's vacation home.
Episodes
Production The development of Doctor Shin began when screenwriter Im Sung-han (credited as Phoebe), who penned Durian's Affair (2023), Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) (2021), and Princess Aurora (2013), joined Arc Media (now known as Syn&Studio) in August 2023. Scheduling discussions were already underway in March 2025 for TV Chosun. Five months later, Min Sun-hong, Baek Seo-ra, Ahn Woo-yeon, , , , and Cheon Young-min were cast to lead the series.Lead cast confirmation:
The lead and supporting actors were all chosen through auditions. The series is a medical melodrama thriller directed by Lee Seung-hoon and produced by Syn&Studio and TME Group.
Principal photography commenced in July 2025 and ended after seven months. It concluded in the Eulwang-ri area of Incheon.
The screenwriter Phoebe describes the series as a story exploring how medicine and medical practice impact human lives and destinies, rather than a traditional medical drama. She named the protagonist Shin Ju-shin, using the character for 'spirit' (神), given the show's theme of altering the human brain. She and the producer sought novice actors who fit the characters' "unconventional, unique, and mysterious charm", and felt the auditions succeeded in finding them. Shin Ju-shin is described as a character who inherits his father's hospital, possessing confidence in his skills and a free spirit. To reflect the character's personality, Phoebe asked Jung E-chan to keep his hair long. This is the writer's debut medical thriller, exploring love's true target – body or soul – through brain swapping.
Baek Seo-ra, former main dancer of Hot Issue which disbanded in 2022, made her acting debut as the main character Momo. From the audition process, she stated that there were two rounds. After passing the first round, she participated in a second round that lasted 10 hours and was conducted in a tournament-style format. Baek stated that she was surprised by her casting. She noted that the audition for writer Im Sung-han was competitive, and said her approach was to focus on doing her best rather than on winning. She added that she aimed to avoid being overly ambitious and to perform without regrets, and believed the production team appreciated her effort. She earned the nickname "Im Sung-han's Cinderella" after being cast in the lead role as a newcomer, which was seen as demonstrating her potential. She stated that maintaining a stable career after being discovered through the writer's work is important to earning such a title. She expressed happiness at receiving the title and said she intends to work hard to continue her career. In the series, Baek Seo-ra portrays four roles following the brain swap, as the consciousnesses of Hyun Ran-hee, Kim Jin-ju, and Geum Ba-ra enter Momo's body. Baek said she was initially concerned when told she would portray multiple characters in addition to the lead role in her debut project. However, she viewed it as an opportunity to demonstrate her range as an actress and resolved to work harder to perform the roles successfully. Baek stated that the script clearly defined each character's traits, which helped her in differentiating them. She credited the writer and senior actors with helping her develop the roles during readings, including specific habits such as Jin-ju's lip-licking and Ran-hee's subtle eye-rolling. Distinct vocal characteristics were also established for both Ran-hee and Jin-ju. She described the original Momo as calm and said she emphasized the "sophistication" noted by the writer, which she felt distinguished Momo from Ran-hee and Jin-ju.
Release Doctor Shin was reportedly scheduled to premiere on TV Chosun in the first half of 2026. By February 2026, the premiere date was confirmed to be on March 14, 2026, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Coupang Play.
Original soundtrack Produced by Storypeak and XP, the original soundtrack for Doctor Shin was released every Sunday from March 22 to April 26, 2026. Notably, lead actress Baek Seo-ra and performed a song for the series. Baek performed "Call My Name" (이름을 불러줘) from the third installment, released April 5, 2026, depicting Momo's identity confusion, while Joo performed "Always" (언제나) from the sixth installment, released April 26, 2026, capturing Geum Ba-ra's emotions.
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Part 6
Part 7
Reception Doctor Shin received generally negative reviews. According to Hankyung, the series faced criticism for its premise involving a brain-swap surgery between a leading actress and her mother. The outlet described the plot and character actions as "괴랄하다", meaning "bizarre" and "grotesque", and claimed the concept pushed beyond reasonable storytelling limits. Industry critics noted that while the writer had historically succeeded with extreme "" elements, the series showed that shock-value tactics are an outdated concept that no longer resonate with modern streaming audiences. Lead actor Jung E-chan received significant public attention for his performance. IZE reported that while his acting did not meet conventional standards of quality, his distinctive delivery led to numerous memes and clips circulating on social media, which drew additional viewership. The finale ended with a character's brain transplanted into a dog that was later revealed to be Doctor Shin. Described as a "strange twist of fate", the scene stunned audiences and critics and left a lasting impression.
Viewership The series premiered with a 1.4% nationwide audience share, a figure also recorded in the Seoul metropolitan area. Ratings for subsequent episodes remained between 1% and 1.5%, lower than the screenwriter's previous works. In the second half of its run, viewership saw a modest increase, rising to over 2.2% for episode 14 and peaking at 2.3% for the final episode.
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 March 14, 2026 1.4% 1.354% 2 March 15, 2026 1.4% rowspan="2" 3 March 21, 2026 1.3% 4 March 22, 2026 1.501% 1.430% 5 March 28, 2026 rowspan="5" 6 March 29, 2026 1.2% 7 April 4, 2026 1.307% 8 April 5, 2026 1.2% 9 April 11, 2026 1.2% 10 April 12, 2026 1.466% 1.583% 11 April 18, 2026 1.1% 12 April 19, 2026 1.839% 1.802% 13 April 25, 2026 1.565% 1.626% 14 April 26, 2026 2.244% 2.171% 15 May 2, 2026 1.792% 1.647% 16 May 3, 2026 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. N/A denotes ratings that were not published. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
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