Dr. Brain (Korean: Dr. 브레인; RR: Dr. Beurein) is a South Korean television series created by Kim Jee-woon. The sci-fi thriller is based on the Korean webtoon of the same name by Hongjacga. Lee Sun-kyun stars in the lead role as a brain scientist trying to solve the mysterious death of his family by hacking into the brains of the deceased. The series is the first Korean-language show produced for Apple TV+. It debuted on November 4, 2021, to accompany the streaming service's launch in South Korea.
| Dr. Brain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hangul | Dr. 브레인 |
| Created by | Kim Jee-woon |
| Based on | Dr. Brain by Hongjacga |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Kim Jee-woon |
| Composer | Mowg |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography | Kim Cheon-seok |
| Editors |
|
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | November 4 – December 9, 2021 |
On January 27, 2022, multiple official sources stated that the series would have a second season.[1] However, Lee Sun-Kyon died on December 27, 2023 before it could ever happen.
Premise
editAfter losing his family in a mysterious accident, Sewon, a brilliant brain scientist, tries to solve what happened. He performs "brain syncs" with the deceased in order to search for clues hidden in their memories, but it becomes difficult to separate those memories from his own experiences.
Cast
edit- Lee Sun-kyun as Sewon Koh, the brain scientist
- Lee Yoo-young as Jaeyi Jung, Sewon's wife
- Park Hee-soon as Kangmu Lee, a private investigator
- Seo Ji-hye as Jiun Choi, a lieutenant of an investigative unit
- Lee Jae-won as Namil Hong, Sewon's colleague
- Uhm Tae-goo[2]
- Joo Min-kyung as Doctor
Episodes
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 6 | November 4, 2021 | December 9, 2021 | |
Season 1 (2021)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Chapter 1" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 4, 2021 |
| 2 | 2 | "Chapter 2" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 11, 2021 |
| 3 | 3 | "Chapter 3" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 18, 2021 |
| 4 | 4 | "Chapter 4" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 25, 2021 |
| 5 | 5 | "Chapter 5" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | December 2, 2021 |
| 6 | 6 | "Chapter 6" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | December 9, 2021 |
Production and release
editDirector Kim Jee-woon had reportedly tried to adapt the Daum webtoon Dr. Brain, but it never went into production. In May 2019, however, he was able to go into series production with YG Studioplex.[3] For a time, the project was developed under the working title Mr. Robin, and Lee Sun-kyun was offered the lead role in October 2020.[4] Lee had signed on by March 2021 when Apple picked up the series as it was entering production, making it the first Korean-language series for its streaming service.[5] In October 2021, Apple set a release date of November 4, 2021[6] to coincide with the launch of Apple TV+ in South Korea.[7] Along with the release date, the rest of the main cast was revealed. The series consists of six episodes to be released on a weekly basis from the series debut through December 9, 2021.[6]
On January 27, 2022, multiple official sources stated that the series would have a second season.[1]
Reception
editThe review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 80% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10, based on 15 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Working its way through a heady premise perhaps a little too ponderously, Dr. Brain nevertheless gives viewers plenty of cerebral thrills to mull over." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 71 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b Park Jeong-sun (January 27, 2022). [단독] 애플TV+ 'Dr. 브레인', 시즌 2 제작…이선균 돌아온다 [[Exclusive] Apple TV+ 'Dr. Brain', season 2 production... Lee Sun-kyun is back] (in Korean). JTBC. Retrieved January 27, 2022 – via Naver.
- ^ 강, 효진 (October 27, 2021). 엄태구, 애플TV+ 론칭작 'Dr.브레인' 출연…김지운 감독과 재회. entertain.naver.com (in Korean).
- ^ Han, Hyeon-jeong (May 29, 2019). 김지운 감독, YG 손잡고 웹툰 '닥터 브레인' 드라마로 연출. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean).
- ^ Jung, Yu-jin (October 28, 2020). 이선균, 애플TV플러스 '미스터 로빈' 출연할까 "제안받은 상태". News1 (in Korean).
- ^ Otterson, Joe (March 3, 2021). "'Dr. Brain' Korean Webtoon to Get Live-Action TV Series Adaptation at Apple". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
- ^ a b Villei, Matt (October 25, 2021). "'Dr. Brain' Trailer Reveals Sci-Fi Thriller From 'I Saw the Devil' Director Coming to Apple TV+". Collider. Valnet, Inc.
- ^ Eun-byel, Im (October 25, 2021). "Apple TV+ to launch service in Korea on Nov. 4". The Korea Herald.
- ^ "Dr. Brain: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
- ^ "Dr. Brain: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
