Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Opposites attract in relatable romance; violence, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Between Steps
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
BETWEEN STEPS (a.k.a. Love Doctor) is a K-drama about two very different graduate students who eventually fall in love. Park Min-jae (Choo Young-woo) was a high school competitive swimmer until an osteosarcoma diagnosis led to his leg being amputated. Now he's a successful Ph.D. candidate in (the fictitious) Seohan University's competitive robotics engineering lab. Recently Min-jae has been dealing with PTSD from his childhood medical ordeal and struggles to make himself emotionally available. Meanwhile, fashion and textile grad student Im Yu-jin (Kim So-hyun) enjoys what she does and gets good grades, but isn't convinced that she's got what it takes to make it in the industry. When Yu-jin's professor tries to cover up a sexual assault by another graduate student, she decides to leave her department. She switches to mechanical engineering, hoping to join the robotics program and work in Min-jae's lab to focus on soft robotic design. They soon discover that they have feelings for each other, but while the outspoken Yu-jin is open and direct about her feelings, Min-jae is afraid of getting too attached to her and getting his heart broken.
Is It Any Good?
Opposites attract in this coming-of-age drama, which blends classic, soap-opera-style themes with a few realistic twists. Park Min-jae is a young man with a disability who wants to be in love, but remains quietly traumatized by his medical journey. The emotional constraints this presents creates a slow, awkward, and relatable story arc in Between Steps that doesn't rely on traditional romantic tropes. While the indecisive Min-jae tries to be cold and logical (much like the robots he works with), Im Yu-jin acts as his foil thanks to being decisive, unfiltered, and extremely sensitive and empathetic. Her creative and tactile background also lead to interesting contributions in the robotics field. The way these personal and professional narratives intersect lead to a lot of relationship challenges and entertaining social situations.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the series addresses serious topics like cancer survival and sexual assault. Are you surprised by it?
Between Steps reinforces the idea that people with opposing personalities or interests can fall in love and be happy. Is there some truth to this?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 5, 2026
- Cast : Choo Young-woo , Kim So-hyun
- Network : Hulu
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Friendship , School ( College & Graduate School ) , STEM
- Character Strengths : Compassion , Empathy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 23, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate