Netflix Reality Check: The True Stories Behind ‘Resident Playbook’ And ‘The Residence’
Netflix’s current favorites, Resident Playbook and The Residence, have completely won viewers over with their authentic depictions of high-stakes environments—a Korean hospital and the White House. These shows blend realism and creative storytelling, and curiosity about their real-world counterparts is not fleeting.
This article explores what’s fact and fiction in both series and how ‘Resident Playbook’ mirrors the real-life struggles of South Korea’s medical community while ‘The Residence’ transforms a nonfiction book about White House staff into a murder mystery. These real-world foundations deserve viewers’ appreciation, which makes alive and vibrant the stories behind the stories they love.
Medical Reality: The Way The ‘Resident Playbook’ Reflects Life In Healthcare
‘Resident Playbook’ brings viewers into the busy world of first-year medical residents at Jongno Yulje Medical Center. The show is not based on a single true story but closely mirrors the lives of medical professionals in South Korea.
A drama created by Shin Won-ho and Lee Woo-jung, it follows four new doctors as they confront the uncompromising reality of life through a stethoscope. The exhaustion, the pressure from senior doctors, and the rigid hierarchy portrayed in the series correspond with what real residents face daily.
“The show depicts a lot of the experiences that young doctors face,” says the director, Lee Min-soo. “We wanted to show the challenges and growth in this important time of a doctor’s career.”
What makes the show particularly well-timed is its obstetrics and gynecology department setting. South Korea now has a declining birth rate, creating unique pressures on physicians in this area. Balancing the joy of bringing new life into the world with the occasional tragedy at the other end of the life cycle provides honest tension that the show depicts well.
The writer, Kim Song-hee, didn’t model the characters on specific real people but made composite characters facing real challenges. This often leads the show to tell emotional stories while preserving the lived realities of medical professionals.
From Book to Screen: How ‘The Residence’ Transforms White House History
Unlike Resident Playbook, Netflix’s The Residence has a more straightforward real-world link. The show is inspired by Kate Andersen Brower’s 2015 nonfiction work, The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.”
Brower, a former White House correspondent, spoke to dozens of staff members, many of whom had worked intimately with presidents and their families. “I had the idea in 2013,” Brower told Bethesda Magazine.
“And Michelle Obama had this lunch for women reporters who covered her. A butler entered, bearing an elaborate meal, Michelle Obama calling him by his first name. They had this rapport to where he was almost part of their family.”
Though Brower’s book tracks the real stories of White House butlers, maids, chefs, and other staff, Rhimes and her staff took some creative liberty to make space for a murder mystery in the Netflix adaptation.
The series centers on a detective, Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), who investigates a murder at a state dinner attended by more than 150 suspects, a group of world leaders and celebrities. This serial plot device is entirely made up — no murders have occurred in the White House.
But the show does have a nod to history. In 1859, Congressman Daniel E. Sickles fatally shot U.S. District Attorney Philip Barton Key near the White House in Lafayette Square after learning of Key’s dalliance with Sickles’s wife.
Beyond The Surface: The Art Of Authenticity In Fiction Writing
Both series are adept at building credible worlds by embedding fictional players in real ones. In ‘Resident Playbook,’ Won-ho spoke of a departure from previous medical dramas: “If a doctor’s last work was about capable doctors, now it will be about first-year residents who become capable step by step.
This perspective describes the developmental path many young doctors walk. The show does not overlook the mistakes, self-doubt, and steep learning curves accompanying medical training.
Much like ‘The Residence,’ its fictional world is built on the framework of real operations in the White House. And characters like the White House chief usher A.B. Wynter (portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito) aren’t meant to represent individual people directly but to fulfill the indispensable positions that keep the White House afloat.
Susan Kelechi Watson, who plays Jasmine Haney on the series, said she had no idea what a Chief Usher or Assistant Usher was before she filmed the show. Through Brower’s book, she discovered that these critical staff members keep the household running and the residence on track.
Both series entice viewers with a level of authenticity while offering creative license to their characters by combining real job descriptions with their fictional counterparts.
The Setting: How Location Influences Each Story
The settings of both shows, a Korean hospital and the White House, aren’t merely backdrops but active participants who shape the tales. In Resident Playbook, obstetrics and gynecology create an emotional landscape.
As ector Lee Min-soo explains, “On one side, new lives are born, but on the other side, someone needs to let them go because they’re sick, so it’s an intricate space.” The department choice also reflects broader societal problems in South Korea.
The country’s decaying birth rate has strained its health system, particularly obstetrics. The show shares personal stories to address workforce shortages and systemic challenges.
With “The Residence,” the White House is a natural setting with built-in tension and grandeur. The juxtaposition of the world’s most consequential political theater with the intimate, individualized service offered by the residence staff offers inherent dramatic potential.
The White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and six levels, offering myriad locations for real-life drama and fictitious murder mysteries. It is an ideal setting for a show that uses public personas and private lives to explore the drama within its walls.
FAQ
Are any characters in Resident Playbook based on real doctors?
No. The challenges portrayed are true to life, in that they present medical training in South Korea, and the character of “Dr. Kim” is a fictional composite of characters, meant to represent everyday experiences rather than one person.
Did a murder take place in the White House like in The Residence?
There have been no murders within the White House. The murder mystery in “The Residence” is pure fiction, invented by the show’s creators to create dramatic tension.
Can you tell us about Kate Andersen Brower’s connection to Netflix’s The Residence?
Although her book inspired the series, there is no indication that Brower was directly involved in writing or producing the Netflix adaptation.
What led ‘Resident Playbook’ to focus on obstetrics and gynecology?
This department was selected to emphasize the emotional dichotomy of birth and loss, echoing South Korea’s prevailing issue of declining birth rates.
How accurate are the portrayals of the White House staff in The Residence?
The job descriptions and titles are based on actual White House positions. While the characters are fictional or composite and not intended to represent individual staff members, I should clarify that they are not based on current White House staff.
Final Words
Fact and fiction make compelling television, and Netflix’s ‘Resident Playbook’ and ‘The Residence’ show how. Both shows give audiences a window into worlds they might never enter by anchoring fictional stories in realistic places with real-life struggles.
‘Do No Harm’ Offers an Inside Look at Medical Training in Korea While Telling a Riveting Tale of Personal Growth. ‘Resident Playbook’ offers insights into medical training in South Korea while telling an engaging story about personal growth. ‘The Residence’ Gives Us a Behind-the-Scenes Look at America’s Most Famous Address—and Adds Mystery and Drama to Amuse.
Knowing the real-life basis of these shows makes watching all the more enjoyable. So, the next time you see these Netflix hits, you will enjoy the mindful dial between truth and imagination that keeps you engaged. Whether in a hospital corridor or a White House hallway, these stories remind us that some of the best dramas begin with a kernel of truth and then blossom into something more.
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