Recently, the Netflix series “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” has been making waves. Released in full on January 24, “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” follows the story of a genius surgeon, Baek Kang-hyuk (played by Joo Ji-hoon), who once roamed the battlefield. He takes on the challenge of reviving an ineffective trauma team, delivering a thrilling and satisfying narrative. The drama is based on a popular webtoon of the same name.
Upon release, the drama immediately topped Netflix’s ‘Top 10 in Korea,’ proving its immense popularity. Furthermore, in Good Data Corporation’s drama buzz rankings for the fifth week of January, “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” secured the No. 1 spot in the drama category, while Joo Ji-hoon ranked first in the actor buzz category. Notably, the drama dominated three out of four buzz metrics: netizen response, video content, and social media engagement, while its overall buzz score was more than 2.5 times higher than that of “Squid Game 2,” which ranked second.
The global response has been explosive as well. According to Netflix’s Tudum TOP 10, “The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call” recorded 11.9 million views from January 27 to February 2, securing the No. 1 spot in the global non-English TV category in its second week of release. Meanwhile, “Squid Game 2,” which had been reigning at No. 1 for five consecutive weeks since its December 26 release, fell to second place with 5.2 million views.
Meanwhile, “Study Group” is gaining traction on TVING.
Premiering on January 23, “Study Group” is an action-packed high school comedy based on a hit webtoon of the same name. It follows Yoon Ga-min (played by Hwang Min-hyun), a student who desperately wants to excel in academics but is only gifted in fighting. He dives into a brutal academic competition at the worst delinquent school, forming a ‘study group’ along the way.
“Study Group” releases two episodes weekly, and from the very first episodes, it has been off to a strong start.
The series successfully captures the webtoon’s energetic and cartoonish appeal, while its fast-paced and rhythmical action sequences enhance the thrill of the overpowered high school action genre. In particular, the exhilarating fight scenes and the unexpected charm of Yoon Ga-min, brought to life by Hwang Min-hyun’s passionate performance, have received widespread acclaim.
Both domestic and international audiences have responded enthusiastically to “Study Group.” According to TVING, the drama ranked No. 1 in contributing to new paid subscriptions during its second week of release. Additionally, on the global OTT platform Rakuten Viki, “Study Group” entered the weekly top five rankings in 143 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, the U.K., France, India, and the UAE, within just one week of its release.
With a series of globally released OTT productions achieving massive success, expectations are rising for the emergence of a second Squid Game.
Released in September 2021, “Squid Game” took the world by storm. According to Netflix Patrol, it held the No. 1 position for 46 consecutive days, setting the longest record at the top. In terms of Netflix’s official viewing hours, “Squid Game” amassed 2.25 billion hours of watch time in 91 days, making it the most-watched series in Netflix history. “Squid Game 2” premiered in December last year, and Season 3 is set to be released on June 27.