Netflix’s Gripping New Medical Drama Is Perfect for ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans

Medical shows are a dime a dozen on TV, but Netflix’s latest K-drama is already drawing in an audience. The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, directed by Lee Do-yoon and written by Choi Tae-kang, was originally adapted from the animated web series Trauma Center: Golden Hour, and focuses on a hospital that, at least initially, functionally has no trauma department. When devilishly handsome trauma surgeon Baek Kang-hyuk (Ju Ji-hoon) arrives at the hospital, he is horrified to find out that doctors from all departments take turns being on-call for emergency surgeries. The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call‘s depiction of the petty office politics that come up in hospital settings is very reminiscent of Grey’s Anatomy, as is the way it switches between moments of levity and harrowing emergencies with ease, perfectly balancing gut-wrenching depictions of medical procedures with funny, quirky characters.

‘The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call’ Features Wild Medical Emergencies

Over its 21 seasons to date, Grey’s Anatomy has become well-known for huge emergency situations, including plane crashes, as well as wild medical cases, like a patient who shows up almost entirely covered in cement. Although it’s only in its first season, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is already delivering in a similar way. From Episode 2’s midair surgery during a helicopter rescue that rivals anything Grey’s Anatomy has to offer to the episode where a giant car wreck means the surgeons have to perform multiple high-risk organ transplants, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call strikes a perfect tone through all of these tense moments. The stakes feel real enough to be exciting, but the characters’ banter throughout offers a welcome note of levity to what could otherwise be a bleak watch.

Like Grey’s Anatomy, the best part of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is the strong character relationships at its core. While the dynamic between Kang-hyuk and his protégé Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo of Once Upon a Small Town) isn’t exactly the same as the iconic friendship between Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), it serves the show just as well. Jae-won is an awkward hospital fellow who’s talented but feels ambivalent about going into trauma rather than a more stable field. At the beginning of the series, Jae-wan is specializing in colorectal surgery, which leads to Kang-hyuk giving him a rather crude nickname in response. Despite those initial signs of disrespect, Kang-hyuk clearly sees potential in Jae-wan and wants to shape him into a great doctor. Their odd couple relationship lends the series a throwback procedural feel in the vein of Suits.

A small group of strong supporting players rounds out the cast of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, adding to the overall workplace drama. Han Yu-rim (Yoon Kyung-ho), the head of general surgery, becomes an antagonist to Kang-hyuk after he swears revenge on him for stealing Jae-won, who was originally his protégé. Their petty rivalry makes for a great comic relief plotline, but it also raises the stakes and creates serious conflict, since Kang-hyuk has to continually battle with his peers for funding and resources. Ha Young is a highlight as Cheon Jang-mi, a nurse who’s less intimidated by Kang-hyuk and laughs at the way he ribs Jae-won. Kang Myeong-hui (Kim Sun-young), the Minister of Health and Welfare, is a powerful figure who both helps and hurts the protagonist at different times. She’s the one responsible for Kang-hyuk being at the hospital in the first place, but she also keeps a close eye on his progress to hold him accountable.

‘The Trauma Code’ Feels Like the Early Seasons of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

In case the comparisons between The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call and Grey’s Anatomy weren’t already obvious, Netflix’s new medical drama bears strong similarities to the early seasons of the Shonda Rhimes series. Before Meredith Grey was the confident, capable surgeon she is now, she was an intern who didn’t know which specialty was right for her, as mentors like Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) pushed her in her journey of self-discovery. On The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, Jae-won faces similar struggles, attempting to forge his own path while being steamrolled by Kang-hyuk, who believes trauma is clearly the best field for him. That compelling depiction of a doctor figuring out what he wants — while seeing the consequences that their decisions have on people’s lives firsthand — is just one small part of what makes The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call so gripping.

While The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call ultimately features a smaller cast of characters than the sprawling ensemble of Grey’s Anatomy, and also happens to be less focused on romance and sex, its hunky leading man, gripping surgeries, and developing workplace friendships and rivalries make it a strong successor to the longest-running medical drama on network television.

The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.