Dr. Brain
Reception

Dr. Brain (2021)

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External reception

6.8
5 platform(s) · 7 ratings 5,918 votes
6.8/10 2,314 votes Synced 2026-07-23
6.7/10 3,420 votes Synced 2026-08-20
Audience 7.2/10 19 votes Synced 2026-07-23
Critics 7.1/10 Synced 2026-07-23
Audience 7.7/10 Synced 2026-07-23
Critics 8.5/10 Synced 2026-07-23
7.2/10 165 votes Synced 2026-07-24

External reviews

Brian Tallerico · RogerEbert.com 80.00/100.00

“Dr. Brain” is incredibly weird in all the best ways. ... "Dr. Brain" is a tonal rollercoaster that doesn’t quite land in the final two episodes of the season like it promises, but there’s still more than enough to admire in this crazy genre hybrid that’s designed to mess with your head.

synced 2026-07-23
Michael Phillips · Chicago Tribune 75.00/100.00

The final two episodes of “Dr. Brain” may frustrate the give-it-to-me-straight-no-more-dream-sequences-please crowd, i.e., my fellow Americans. But as a genre mashup, and craftsmanship, the series is super-sleek, very violent and pretty sharp.

synced 2026-07-23
Kathryn VanArendonk · New York Magazine (Vulture) 60.00/100.00

It’s a curious combination of glorious, terrifying genre storytelling with the plodding dramatic rhythms familiar from many other Apple TV+ hour-long series.

synced 2026-07-23
Matthew Monagle · The Playlist 67.00/100.00

For a series predicated on the fantastical, there’s a sense that too much in “Dr. Brain” is meant to play it safe.

synced 2026-07-23
Joel Keller · Decider 70.00/100.00

Dr. Brain is a well-written exploration of science that perhaps goes too far, especially in the hands of someone so curious. We just hope it keeps that interesting premise and doesn’t become another run-of-the-mill thriller.

synced 2026-07-23
Nguyen Le · Paste Magazine 88.00/100.00

Kim’s signature propulsive visual storytelling and other choice spices bring big-screen sensibilities to small-screen material. ... Set an appointment, if you haven’t already.

synced 2026-07-23
Steve Greene · IndieWire 58.00/100.00

“Dr. Brain” is left with a mildly twisty detective mystery, marked by fits and spurts of blunted dream logic, a sprinkling of technobabble, and an attempt at retrofitting a family survival story. All three are decently competent in their final form, but this is a show that can’t escape the hints it makes at something far more imaginative.

synced 2026-07-23
Mike Hale · The New York Times 80.00/100.00

The one [Apple TV+] have is, in its relatively quiet and only slightly sensational way, better [than Netflix's "Squid Game"]. ... Kim pours on less syrup than the norm, and for most of its run, “Dr. Brain” is a classy and absorbing entertainment.

synced 2026-07-23
Saloni Gajjar · The A.V. Club 83.00/100.00

The writing seamlessly weaves the threads and characters together. Dr. Brain is so compelling, it doesn’t necessarily matter that the final answers to all the twists aren’t very surprising or complicated.

synced 2026-07-23
Nick Schager · The Daily Beast 80.00/100.00

Dr. Brain is a jumble of influences, from Frankenstein and Re-Animator to Inception (to name just a few). Director Kim, however, amalgamates with aplomb, creating something that feels fresh even though the traces of its predecessors are easy to identify.

synced 2026-07-23

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