TvN’s new drama series “A Poem, a Day” defines itself as a “comedical drama,” explaining its subject and genre at the same time.

The new Monday-Tuesday drama is to depict the lives of physical therapists and radiology technicians, dubbing them as “comedical staff.” The series can also be called a comedical drama, as its genre is a combination of comedy and medicine.

Producer Han Sang-jae hopes to set the series apart from other medical dramas, by not featuring doctors as the main leads.

“Watching medical dramas, I always wondered why they only depicted the lives of doctors, while there are so many other staff members,” producer Han said at a press conference held Tuesday in western Seoul. He claimed that there are many stories to be told of the staff, who work hard for patients behind the doctors.

“Compared with the doctors, comedical staff are much closer to patients. While doctors meet patients for just five minutes, physical therapists spend around an hour with them,” Han said.

As it can be gleaned from the title, the 16 pisodes all feature poems. “After watching the drama, viewers will feel as if they‘ve read a book of poetry,” the producer said.

While there have been dramas that quoted poems, literature is to play a greater role in “A Poem, a Day.” According to the producer, poetry is used to deliver the story more effectively and to explain the relationship between the main characters, played by Lee Yoo-bi, Lee Joon-hyuk and Jang Dong-yoon.

Actress Lee Yoo-bi, who has shown her liking for poetry through social media, plays the role of a physical therapist who is into poetry. The character often sheds a tear after reading a poem.

“When I first heard the title of the drama, I thought that I had to take the role. The title was touching,” Lee said. The Korean title of the drama is “You Who Forgot Poetry.”

While the drama portrays the lives of comedical staff using poetry, the actress stressed that the overall story is not too serious. She was castfor having a comical aspect to her acting.

“The drama is a mix of comedy and poetry. I wondered how the two would go together when I first heard of the description,” she said. “But after reading the script, I was immediately convinced.”

“A Poem, a Day” airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on tvN.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)