Industry · drama
Korea's 'Doctor X' Remake Is No. 1 in Indonesia and Vietnam. The Japanese Original Charted There Too, a First.
Netflix's per-country file shows the 2012 Japanese series 'Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon' entering the Top 10 in Indonesia and Vietnam in the same week its Korean remake topped both. In 277 weeks of data it had never charted in either.
“Doctor X: Mafia in White,” SBS’s remake of the long-running Japanese medical drama, has been Netflix’s No. 1 non-English series worldwide for two weeks. In seven places it is No. 1 outright, among them Indonesia and Vietnam.
Netflix’s per-country file for the week of 12–18 October shows something else in those two countries. At No. 10, below the remake, sits the Japanese original, “Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon,” first broadcast by TV Asahi in 2012.
A first in both countries
Netflix’s per-country file runs back to July 2021, 277 weeks across 94 countries. In all of that, the Japanese series had reached a national Top 10 only a handful of times before this month.
| Week | Country | Original’s rank |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 2022 | Japan | 9 |
| 6 Sep 2026 | Hong Kong | 10 |
| 13 Sep 2026 | Hong Kong | 8 |
| 18 Oct 2026 | Indonesia | 10 |
| 18 Oct 2026 | Vietnam | 10 |
The two October entries are its first ever in Indonesia and Vietnam. They come in the second week of the Korean version, and in the two countries where that version is No. 1.
The Hong Kong entries in September came before the remake premiered on 9 October, so the original was already finding an audience there on its own. Indonesia and Vietnam are different: nothing in the file puts it in either Top 10 until the week the remake led both.
The remake’s own reach
The Korean series entered national Top 10s in 36 countries in its premiere week and 48 the week after. It was No. 1 in the same seven both weeks, all in Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. It airs on Fridays and Saturdays, so each week adds episodes.
The Japanese original has never appeared in Netflix’s global Top 10.
What this does and does not say
The file records ranks, not people. It cannot say whether the viewers who pushed the original into Indonesia’s and Vietnam’s Top 10 had just watched the remake, though the timing matches. A No. 10 place also needs far fewer viewers than a No. 1, and the per-country file gives no hours or views to measure the gap.
What it does show is narrow and checkable. In the week a Korean remake led two national charts, the 14-year-old Japanese series it is based on charted in both for the first time.
Netflix Tudum Top 10 official per-country file, all weeks from 4 July 2021 to the week of 12–18 October 2026, downloaded 23 October 2026.
Where these numbers come from
Sources
- Netflix Tudum Top 10 — Official per-country weekly Top 10 file, all weeks 2021-07-04 to 2026-10-18 (277 weeks, 94 countries): week, country, category, rank, title. Downloaded 23 October 2026. · https://www.netflix.com/tudum/top10
- Wikipedia — Article on the SBS series, describing it as an adaptation of TV Asahi's 'Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon', produced by Studio S, Studio Dragon and HighZium Studio, airing Fridays and Saturdays from 9 October 2026. · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_X:_Age_of_the_White_Mafia
- Señal News — Report, 15 December 2025, that TV Asahi's 'Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon' would be remade in Korea — the franchise's first overseas remake. · https://senalnews.com/en/content/tv-asahis-doctor-x-surgeon-michiko-daimon-to-be-remade-in-korea
What we checked
- Week of 12–18 October 2026, TV: 'Doctor X: Mafia in White' is No. 1 in Indonesia and Vietnam. 'Doctor X Surgeon Michiko Daimon' is No. 10 in both.
- Every week the Japanese original appears in any country's Netflix Top 10 in the file: Japan No. 9 (week of 23 Oct 2022); Hong Kong No. 10 and No. 8 (weeks of 6 and 13 Sep 2026); Indonesia No. 10 and Vietnam No. 10 (week of 18 Oct 2026). Never in the global Top 10.
- The Korean remake's per-country reach: Top 10 in 36 countries in its premiere week (5–11 Oct), 48 countries the following week, No. 1 in seven both weeks (Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam).
- Netflix lists the Japanese original under the title 'Doctor X Surgeon Michiko Daimon'; the season or volume shown is the one Netflix carries in each country, which we did not compare across countries.
What we left out, and why
- How many hours the Japanese original was watched. Netflix's per-country file gives ranks only, not hours or views.
- Why viewers turned to the original. The file shows the two titles ranked in the same week; it does not say the same people watched both.
- The September appearance in Hong Kong came before the Korean remake premiered on 9 October, so not every recent chart entry for the original lines up with the remake.
Written from the same data
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