| Dr. Brain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hangul | Dr. 브레인 |
| Created by | Kim Jee-woon |
| Based on | Dr. Brain by Hongjacga |
| Written by |
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| 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 |
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| Cinematography | Kim Cheon-seok |
| Editors |
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| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | November 4 (2021-11-04) – December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) |
Dr. Brain (Korean: Dr. 브레인;RR: Dr. Beurein) is aSouth Korean television series created byKim Jee-woon. Thesci-fithriller is based on the Koreanwebtoon 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 forApple TV+. It debuted on November 4, 2021, to accompany the streaming service's launch in South Korea.
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.
After 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.
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 6 | November 4, 2021 (2021-11-04) | December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) | |
| 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 (2021-11-04) |
| 2 | 2 | "Chapter 2" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 11, 2021 (2021-11-11) |
| 3 | 3 | "Chapter 3" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 18, 2021 (2021-11-18) |
| 4 | 4 | "Chapter 4" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25) |
| 5 | 5 | "Chapter 5" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | December 2, 2021 (2021-12-02) |
| 6 | 6 | "Chapter 6" | Kim Jee-woon | Kim Jin A, Koh YoungJae, Kim Jee-woon | December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09) |
DirectorKim Jee-woon had reportedly tried to adapt theDaumwebtoonDr. Brain, but it never went into production. In May 2019, however, he was able to go into series production withYG Studioplex.[3] For a time, the project was developed under theworking titleMr. Robin, andLee Sun-kyun was offered the lead role in October 2020.[4] Lee had signed on by March 2021 whenApple 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 ofApple 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]
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten 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]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | International Emmy Awards | Best Performance by an Actor | Lee Sun-kyun | Nominated | [10] |
