The series marked the first on-screen reunion of Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik in eleven years, following their roles together in the 2013 drama The Heirs.

Doctor Slump served as a high-profile comeback for Park Shin-hye, marking her return to the screen after a two-year hiatus following her marriage and the birth of her first child.

Park Hyung-sik and Yoon Park were reunited for the show a decade after previously acting together in the KBS2 weekend drama Family Affairs (2014).

Lee Sung-kyung made a special appearance in episode six as Han Woo-ri; she was cast due to her prior professional relationship with director Oh Hyun-jong, with whom she had worked on Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016–2017).

The series was originally slated for an October 2023 release on JTBC but was later moved to the first quarter of 2024 to anchor the network's weekend lineup.

The first script reading took place on March 4, 2023, where the creative team established the show's tone as a blend of nostalgic romantic comedy and modern-day healing drama.

Principal photography ran from March to October 2023 across locations in Seoul, Busan, and Pyeongchang, including the historic Choong Ang High School for flashback scenes and the Samyang Roundhill ranch in Pyeongchang for nature-centric healing scenes.

The cherry blossom-lined Phoenix Square and the staircase next to Hakseongsa Hall 2 dormitory at Soonchunhyang University in Asan were used for the characters' high school racing scene and drunken confession scene, respectively.

Lead actor Park Hyung-sik contributed to the soundtrack himself, performing the ballad "Lean on Me" (내게 기대) as both a vocalist and cast member.

The series debuted at number nine on Netflix's non-English TV chart before rising to first place the following week, earning 10.2 million viewing hours and remaining on the global chart for nine consecutive weeks, topping charts in countries such as Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Domestically, Doctor Slump premiered with a 4.1% nationwide rating on Nielsen Korea, dipped to a series low of 3.7% during the Korean New Year holiday, then rebounded to a peak of 8.2% (9.8% in Seoul) for its tenth episode.

On Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 6 critics' reviews were positive, with an average rating of 7.2/10, though several reviewers felt the show diluted its promised exploration of mental health stigma in favor of the central romance.