Chinese costume detective dramas have finally gained momentum. In September of last year, when “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty” just premiered, the industry exclaimed, “It has been a long time since we've seen a costume detective drama.” Little did all know that in just ten short months, over a dozen historical Chinese costume detective dramas would be ready for release.
In the history of Chinese dramas, costume detective dramas have achieved remarkable success. From the “Justice Bao” series in the 1990s to the drama series “Witness to a Prosecution” in the new millennium, and then to “Young Justice Bao,” “Amazing Detective Di Renjie,” and “Judge of Song Dynasty,” this genre has paved its way with equal brilliance as historical dramas.
Unfortunately, in recent years, costume detective dramas haven't been very popular. However, with the emergence of shows like “Young Blood” and “Ancient Detective,” this genre is once again at the forefront of the industry. The success and popularity of “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty” showcase how these types of dramas have accumulated strength over time and are now poised for further development.
Currently, Chinese costume detective drama have presented four subgenres: strange, romance, female-oriented, and patriotism. Among these subgenres, the inclusion of comedic elements is indispensable.
Why are costume detective drama deeply intertwined with other elements? Because the traditional model of reasoning and solving crimes has reached a end. Audiences desire more. Just like the story of Tang Sanzang's journey to the west in “Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” series, which focuses on bizarre incidents along the way.
This also aligns with the current popular trend on video platforms. In today's increasingly segmented and niche market, adding one more element may attract another group of viewers. The series industry always welcomes multiple blockbusters. There are 12 upcoming Chinese costume detective dramas that may influence the fate of this entire genre in the coming years.
A traditional detective drama with new variations
Traditional detective dramas represented by “Amazing Detective Di Renjie” share some similarities with Western road movies. The biggest difference lies in that while the former involves going somewhere to solve certain matters, the latter solves matters while en route to a specific destination. Currently, costume detective dramas are gradually shifting towards road films as well.
The most typical representative work in this category is “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty – to The West“. As can be inferred from its name, this drama's story takes place during a journey to the west. Its predecessor “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty” was set from Dongzhe, departing from Chang'an City all through Nanzhou, Ninghu, before reaching Luoyang City. This time they head westwards; leaving Chang'an City three thousand miles behind leads them into Hexi Corridor.
“Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty – to The West” is also written by screenwriter Wei Fenghua. The protagonists are still Lu Lingfeng (played by Yang Xuwen) and Su Wuming (played by Yang Zhigang) from the previous work.
They fearlessly embark on a perilous journey ahead. The concept poster depicts rolling yellow sands with people and horses racing across them. “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty” is not a traditional detective drama in the strictest sense. Screenwriter once shared that the original script didn't even have any detective elements initially. It was originally intended to be adapted into four web films, focusing on supernatural aesthetics. However, supernatural themes naturally align with suspense and detective genres, making their fusion doubly effective.
The protagonist Su Wuming in “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty – to The West” is a disciple of Di Renjie, while the main character in “Judge Di's Mystery” series is Di Renjie himself. There have been numerous film and television works featuring Di Renjie as the protagonist in the past. Can they bring forth something new? That's where breaking new ground lies.
Wu Gang, the producer of “Judge Di's Mystery”, has mentioned in interviews that this drama consists of 15 cases, each case's main characters will be played by well-known actors. The overall cast lineup for this drama is very strong. They hope to create an effect akin to the “Chinese version Sherlock Holmes” through storytelling pace and visual quality.
In addition to grassroots-style investigations, established office-based operations has become a new feature of Chinese detective dramas. To some extent, this resembles Ma Boyong-style mystery dramas. “Luoyang”, “The Wind Blows From Longxi”, and “Under the Microscope”, which aired earlier this year all adopt this format. A typical example is “Ripe Town“.
“Ripe Town” is about a murder case in Du County that occurred thirty-seventh year during Wanli reign period. Its protagonist is a constable named Qu Sangeng (played by Bai Yufan), he decides to challenge authority in order to uncover the truth behind a murder case that happened twenty years ago. This drama still follows the path of ordinary people confronting powerful systems. The investigation of murder cases serves as a main task, which subsequently leads to various characters from all walks of life.
Also following the route of youth growth is “Young Blood Season 2“, with Wang Jian remaining as the screenwriter. The story continues where it left off, and the protagonists are still the six youths. However, this time their place of operation changes from the former academy to an even more arduous and cruel enemy state.
New Detectives drama style: a fusion of fantasy and love
Among the 12 Chinese costume detective dramas, there are many extraordinary style. “Tiger and Crane” is one that is clear from its name alone. However, compared to martial artists, demon masters have the genuine ability to capture ghosts and subdue demons. “Tiger and Crane” is adapted from the comic book, showcasing a group of young individuals who fight against a demonic army that seeks to destroy humanity for their dreams, love, and responsibilities in a touching story of self-sacrifice.
This does not mean that after the breakthrough success of “Young Blood,” there has been an abundance of imitators. Rather, animated shows with teenagers as their main target audience naturally focus on their growth journey. Therefore, when adapting these works into film or television productions, they will not easily change course. This year's martial arts drama about youth growth called “The Blood of Youth” has also gained popularity.
“The Demon Hunter's Romance” is adapted from the novel called “Ban Xia”, telling the story of demon hunter Xuan Ye (played by Ren Jialun) and a girl named Ban Xia (played by Song Zuer), as they navigate through a world where humans and demons coexist while experiencing thrilling mysteries together. From its description alone, it becomes evident that this drama revolves around love as its main theme while detective serves only as one element.
Similarly themed detective dramas based on love include “Mysterious Lotus Casebook” and “Follow Your Heart”.
The former is adapted from the novel “Auspicious Lotus Tower” by Feng Ping, telling the story of Li Xiangyi (played by Cheng Yi), the head of a martial arts sect who retreats and becomes a physician named Li Lianhua. After encountering new acquaintances and old enemies, he gets entangled in another adventure within the martial world.
The trend of forming small teams consisting of three individuals joking, scolding, and solving cases together. Previously, Gu Long had also written works in this genre with the most representative being the “The Legend of Lu Xiao Feng” series. The setting involves skilled martial artists hiding their true identities before resurfacing to confront challenges once again, much like what we see in dramas such as “Nirvana in Fire” or “The Untamed”.
“Follow Your Heart“, it tells the story of Jiang Xinbai (played by Luo Yunxi), an imperial prince who doubles as a chief inspector for criminal investigations at court. He accidentally meets Yan Nanxing (played by Song Yi), a wandering physician from Jianghu (martial world). Together they experience an amazing destiny full of unions and separations.
In “The Mutations,” there are no ghosts or demons but instead something even more terrifying – an epidemic. The story revolves around strange diseases that occurred during the Tianqi period at the end of Ming Dynasty. Chu Sijing (played by Huang Xuan) travels alone to investigate its truth. From watching its trailer, it has quite a taste similar to that found in zombie-surrounded cities; no wonder some people refer to it as China's version of “Kingdom”.
This drama is based on Ma Boyong's novel with same name and directed by Lu Yang who previously worked on films such as “A Writer's Odyssey” and “The Wind Blows From Longxi”.
Among the upcoming Chinese costume detective dramas, those that focus on female growth are worth mentioning. Although the female perspective has long become the main focus in urban and period dramas, placing it within the context of detective still feels relatively fresh. In 2021, there will be an ancient costume detective drama called “The Imperial Coroner” where the protagonist Chu Chu (played by Su Xiaotong) is a female detective.
“Under the Moonlight,” tells the story of Luo Shu (played by Hu Bingqing), a woman constable who has experienced many ups and downs in life. She joins forces with Qi Menglin (played by Zhai Zilu), a young man who aspires to travel Jianghu.
Together, they solve numerous strange cases while growing together in love and understanding. Interestingly, most cases they encounter involve women in distress; whenever Luo Shu sees these unfortunate women, she does her utmost to seek justice for them. This reflects contemporary aesthetic values projecting onto modern-day values.
“Faithful” is adapted from Li Bojian's novel. It tells a story that embroidery worker Lin Rulan accuses her boss at an embroidery workshop without success but ends up taking her own life to prove her innocence. Her loyal friend endures seven years of suffering before gathering nine righteous individuals as part of their revenge squad, vowing to clear their best friend's name.
The prosperity within this genre drama does not necessarily guarantee success, but the quantity is key to nurturing quality. We look forward to the revival of ancient costume detective dramas, which were once at the pinnacle of popularity.