[7] Based on BBC One's drama series Doctor Foster written by Mike Bartlett, it tells a story of a married couple whose betrayal of one another leads to a whirlwind of revenge, grief, forgiveness and healing.

[8][9][10] With its final episode reaching a nationwide rating of 28.371%, the series became the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, overtaking Sky Castle.

[15] Ji Seon-u (Kim Hee-ae), a revered family medicine doctor and associate director at Family Love Hospital in Gosan, South Korea, believes she has a perfect life with her aspiring director husband Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon) and their son Lee Jun-yeong (Jeon Jin-seo).

After the divorce, Seon-u identifies Tae-oh's financial status and puts him on the verge of bankruptcy, revealing his affair to Da-kyung's parents.

Jun-yeong deals with accepting the fact that he will never meet his father again and slowly inches towards completely pushing Tae-oh out of his mind and life.

Jun-yeong is triggered by this as he doesn't want to be in contact with Tae-oh ever again and tells Seon-u to stay put and call the cops if needed and not investigate this any further.

Gaemi (Kang Dong-yoon), who previously worked on the soundtracks of popular series such as Descendants of the Sun (2016) and When the Camellia Blooms (2019), took charge of the music production.

[23] Much of the filming also took place at an American village called Humphreys Landing, which is Gosan Premium Townhouse Complex in the series, in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.

[26] Speaking to GQ Korea, he revealed that he was hesitant due to the strong extreme traits of the male lead character who cheats on his wife.

[43] According to big data analytics firm Good Data Corporation, the series ranked first place in the series category with an overwhelming score, achieving an "all-kill" record for its huge online presence in terms of news articles and comments, video views, and blog and community posts and comments.

[46] Kim's fashion and styling in the series also received attention from the public by consistently rising to be the top real-time search term after an episode was aired.

Series critic Gong Hee-jung said that it is different from other dramas about conflicts between couples in that it "closely depicted the psychology of the characters in each situation".

[43] According to The Guardian, the drama was praised for its realism with its portrayal of life after divorce and how it broke the way how men are usually portrayed in Korean dramas, as well as featuring plot lines implying issues that were not featured in the original series such as dating violence and the widening social inequality and gender inequality in the Korean society.

[53] The production team also received positive reviews for their willingness to push the boundaries not only with the story but with their unique filming approach.

[57] The drama series sparked viewer criticisms for a violent scene featured in Episode 8, which was edited from the perpetrator's view similar to what it is in virtual reality.

On the other hand, there were viewers who found the "first-person perspective" camerawork to be refreshing and experimental in the Korean drama scene as it added to the overall tension of the moment.

[13] There was also a controversial scene that was deemed to be a "commercialization of sex" in the drama when a female character asked for a luxury bag in return for sexual favours.

After the controversies, the Korea Communications Standards Commission suggested that new measures had to be take to curb inappropriate content on South Korean television, as such plot points promote violence and deliver negative messages about women.

[12] In a meeting held on May 27, 2020, the broadcasting review subcommittee of the Korea Communications Standards Commission decided on the administrative guidance "recommendation" for the drama due to its controversial scenes and the re-broadcasting of the same content during the youth viewing protection hours.