November 4 (2021-11-04) – December 9, 2021 (2021-12-09)
Dr. Brain (Korean: Dr. 브레인; RR: Dr. Beurein) is a South Korean television series created by Kim Jee-woon. The sci-fithriller 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.
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
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.
Director Kim Jee-woon had reportedly tried to adapt the DaumwebtoonDr. 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 titleMr. 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
The 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
^ abPark 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.
