any good TV series recently?

I just watched 沉默的真相 (2020, 12 episodes). I enjoyed it much more than 隐秘的角落 (the bad kids, or rather 'the dumb kids' amirite?) which I believe is also based on a book from the same author. It's a bit dragged out as usual but it's fun to figure out the mystery along the policemen.
 

I just finished watching 不夠善良的我們 Imperfect Us on Netflix.

Was very popular when it was released last year but I only now got the chance to watch it. Pretty good.

I just finished 父母愛情 (2014, #episodes: 44). It was recommended here and I am very glad I watched it. It's a typical family drama, but the cast is great and you get a glimpse of what life was like during the second half of the 20th century.

If you haven't already, you need to watch 潜伏 (2008, 30 episodes), a plot-driven spy story about the later years of the Chinese civil war. Superb characters and pace, hands down my favorite Chinese tv show so far. You can read more about it in this post (beware of spoilers in the later comments).

If you are into documentaries I recommend 玄奘之路 (2011, 12 episodes). It was probably made by the same team as 河西走廊 (it's the same format), and it tells a related story: the travels of 玄奘 (the real-life monk who inspired Journey to the West's 唐僧) to India to get Buddhist scripts.

I finally finished 走向共和 (2003, 68 episodes). It narrates the collapse of the qing dynasty leading to the republic of china. What a fascination transition it was, it must have been surreal for the people at the time. The only negative aspect of the show is that it's brutally long, otherwise it is fantastic, very well made. One thing I appreciated is that whenever I looked up a historical character online, he looked exactly the same as in the show, the casting was great.

We are currently watching a new Taiwanese TV show called 凶宅專賣店 Haunted House Secrets on Disney+.

You'll know whether it's for you or not by the end of the first episode, so definitely worth a try.

I've recently been watching Chinese remakes of a couple of classic Korean dramas by the acclaimed director Kim Won-seok. While neither is as good as the originals, I think they're still both better than the average cdrama and so are well worth checking out!

The first is 2018's My Mister, which got a Chinese version just this year called 秋雪漫过的冬天 .The Korean original got a rating of 9.4 on 豆瓣, whereas the remake currently stands at just 6.8. This is a very close adaptation, with most scenes being one-for-one. However, the acting just lacks the subtlety of the original, plus the soundtrack isn't nearly as good. The story deals with a young woman who is heavily in debt and who has to look after her bed-ridden grandmother. She goes to work at an office where her manager is a middle aged man with a bunch of his own problems. It's not really a traditional romance between the two, it's more the two of them bonding as they deal with life.

The second is called 平凡的荣耀 and is based on 2014's Misaeng (Incomplete Life). The Chinese version gets a higher 7.4 豆瓣 rating this time, although it's still way below the Korean version's score of 9.2. This one concerns an under-qualified intern at an ultra competitive international company in Shanghai and his struggles to forge a career. 

I can definitely recommend the Korean originals, which you can find on Netflix. They are both great dramas, even for those not interested in learning Korean. The Chinese versions are both available on YouTube. Although they pale in comparison to the originals, they are both very down-to-earth and serious dramas still worth watching.

Finished 壮志高飞 a couple of days ago. Nothing amazing, but I wanted something that was related to aviation, which I find interesting. It's a drama based around pilots, student pilots, flight attendants and an airline. Set in Shenzhen, decent acting, likable characters.

Just started 深夜食堂 “Midnight Diner”. Adaptation of a Japanese program. Set in a diner with different mini-stories and characters. First 2 episodes have been enjoyable. This was a recommendation from AI, asked for a drama set in a restaurant and was given this, it also recommended: "《我在北京等你》 (2020) – partial café/creative industry vibe", which I might try after finishing  深夜食堂.

I quite liked the Japanese version of “Midnight Diner” so I'm interested in watching the Chinese version too, but Chinese viewers seem to hate it - the Japanese version has a 豆瓣 rating of 9.2 compared to the Chinese version's 2.9! From scanning the written reviews, it seems people hated how closely they stuck to Japanese culture (in the hairstyles, type of restaurant etc), instead of trying to localise it in a more authentic Chinese way.

Since it's free on youtube I think I'll give it a try anyway.

On 3/8/2026 at 2:39 PM, StChris said:

but Chinese viewers seem to hate it

Yeah, my wife saw me watching and said she didn't like it. Lots of positive  Chinese comments on Youtube where I'm watching it, though. I think it's ok, I'm on episode 5 story 3 and I like it enough. The first story, I honestly thought couldn't be improved upon, it was great, I doubt any of the others will live up to it. My biggest complaint is this insidious Pepsi product placement they have going on. And from a Chinese listening practice perspective, its definitely fine. The 老板 makes 煎饼果子 in episode 3, but yeah it doesn't seem quite localized enough.

On 3/8/2026 at 2:39 PM, StChris said:

it seems people hated how closely they stuck to Japanese culture (in the hairstyles, type of restaurant etc), instead of trying to localise it in a more authentic Chinese way.

So, as it turns out, my wife doesn't dislike it for that reason, but rather she said the Japanese version is much better. I don't doubt that it is better, but I'm enjoying the Chinese version a lot. I don't have any intention of watching JP/KN versions, as I'm not studying those language. I highly recommend this one though, every story has been engaging and the acting is great. It's also been some of the easiest language to follow of any Chinese program I've watched.