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K-Drama

Doctor X episode 9 holds No. 1 at 15.3% as The Perfect Lie hits a series high

Nielsen Korea put SBS's Doctor X: Mafia in White episode 9 at 15.3% nationwide on November 6 — still No. 1 overall for a fifth straight week — while MBC's The Perfect Lie climbed to a series-best 2.2% in the same Friday slot.

By 2FC NEWSROOM · Published

Still from SBS Doctor X Mafia in White featuring Kim Ji-won
Image: SBS / Money Today

Doctor X remains Korea's top-rated show even as its Friday numbers cool. Nielsen Korea figures carried by Money Today and CHOSUNBIZ put episode 9 at 15.3% nationwide on November 6 — a third straight decline after 19.5%, 16.5% and 15.6% — while still locking time-slot and all-program No. 1 for a fifth consecutive week, with a reported peak of 16.6%.

In the same Friday window, MBC's The Perfect Lie is rising: MyDramaList News reports episode 3's 2.2% nationwide average as a series high after two 1.9% opens. On the SBS side, outlets say the hour delivered Lee Jung-eun's mentor reveal opposite Kim Ji-won's high-stakes pediatric surgery plot.

Confirmed

  • Money Today reports Nielsen Korea nationwide household ratings of 15.3% for Doctor X: Mafia in White episode 9, aired November 6 on SBS, down from episode 8's 15.6% and following episode 7's 16.5% after the series high of 19.5% in episode 6.
  • Money Today and CHOSUNBIZ report the episode still ranked No. 1 in its time slot and No. 1 among all programs across channels.
  • CHOSUNBIZ reports a peak of 16.6% and a 2049 peak of 5.86% for the same broadcast.

Reported by other outlets

  • MyDramaList News, citing Nielsen Korea, reports The Perfect Lie episode 3 averaged 2.2% nationwide — a new series high after 1.9% for episodes 1 and 2 — with a peak minute of 4.2%.
  • Money Today reports episode 9 centered on Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won) attempting an extreme multi-organ surgery for pediatric cancer patient Lee Hyun-ah, with Lee Jung-eun's Jang Hee-sook revealed as Gye's former surgical mentor when she joins the operating room.
  • CHOSUNBIZ notes the drama has faced medical-community pushback and online petitions even while remaining the weekly ratings leader.

Analysis

Interpretation by 2FC NEWSROOM, not reported fact.

2FC NEWSROOM: Cross-checked Nielsen figures from Money Today and CHOSUNBIZ make the Doctor X 15.3% / No. 1 claim solid; The Perfect Lie 2.2% is attributed via MyDramaList's Nielsen summary because a matching Money Today line was not in the Doctor X package. Plot beats are outlet-reported drama coverage, not ratings data.

Sources

Conflicts of interest: None on Doctor X's 15.3% nationwide average or continued No. 1 ranking across Money Today and CHOSUNBIZ. The Perfect Lie 2.2% figure is reported via MyDramaList's Nielsen summary rather than the Money Today Doctor X package.

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