The Long Season

Synopsis

In the industrial town of Hualin in Northeast China during the 1990s, a dismembered body cold case shatters the peaceful life of Wang Xiang, a steel mill worker. In an effort to earn merit and secure his job, he volunteers to assist the police in their investigation, but overlooks the increasingly unusual behavior of his son, Wang Yang. The story unfolds across three timelines—1997, 1998, and 2016—gradually uncovering the truth buried for nearly two decades through the perspectives of Wang Xiang, his brother-in-law Gong Biao, and retired detective Ma Desheng. Directed by Xin Shuang, who spent three years crafting this work following The Bad Kids, the series builds suspense through the texture of everyday life. It has earned a Douban rating of 9.4, the highest score for a domestic drama in recent years.

Overview

The Long Season is a 2023 life suspense drama directed by Xin Shuang, starring Fan Wei, Qin Hao, and Chen Minghao in leading roles. It premiered exclusively on Tencent Video on April 22, 2023. Set against the backdrop of the fictional northeastern industrial town of Hualin, the series revolves around a dismembered body case. Through an interwoven narrative across three timelines—1997, 1998, and 2016—it depicts the vicissitudes of the characters' fates and the changes of the times over nearly two decades.

The series debuted with a 9.0 rating on Douban, which subsequently climbed to 9.4, with over 300,000 viewers participating in the rating. It became the highest-rated domestic Chinese drama of 2023 and a pinnacle of Chinese television in the past eight years. Following his 2020 phenomenally popular series The Bad Kids, director Xin Shuang spent three years refining the script and production. With his unique narrative style and profound humanistic concern, he once again captivated both audiences and the industry.

Plot

The story takes place in the small northeastern industrial town of Hualin. In the late 1990s, steel mill worker Wang Xiang (played by Fan Wei), a principled and diligent man his entire life, faces the harsh reality of being among the first batch of layoffs due to state-owned enterprise reforms. At this very moment, dismembered body parts are unexpectedly discovered in the town, causing a city-wide sensation. Hoping to earn merit and keep his job at the factory, Wang Xiang actively assists the police in their investigation, but in doing so, he neglects the increasingly abnormal behavior of his son, Wang Yang (played by Liu Yitie).

Wang Xiang's brother-in-law, Gong Biao (played by Qin Hao), is an optimistic but perpetually unlucky taxi driver. Retired police detective Ma Desheng (played by Chen Minghao) has been haunted by guilt for failing to solve the case years ago. These three middle-aged men with vastly different personalities become increasingly entangled in this cold case due to their respective obsessions.

As the three timelines interweave and progress, the audience gradually pieces together the full picture of the case. The fates of characters like Shen Mo (played by Li Gengxi) and Fu Weijun (played by Jiang Qiming) are tightly interwoven with the dismemberment case, each harboring hidden secrets. The story is not merely about solving a mystery; it is a profound portrayal of the decline of northeastern industry and the fate of ordinary people amidst the changing times.

Cast

Awards

Cultural Impact

Following its broadcast, The Long Season quickly became one of the most talked-about Chinese TV dramas of 2023. The line "Look forward, don't look back" spoken by Fan Wei's character Wang Xiang became a catchphrase of the year, resonating widely across society. Set against the backdrop of a northeastern industrial city, the series profoundly reflects social issues such as state-owned enterprise reforms and worker layoffs, allowing countless viewers to see a generation's collective memory beyond the suspenseful plot.

Director Xin Shuang deeply integrated the suspense genre with realism through his unique audiovisual language and narrative structure, creating a new paradigm for domestic suspense dramas. The series extensively employs cross-cutting and multi-temporal narrative techniques, skillfully interweaving the three timelines. It maintains the tension of a suspenseful mystery while offering nuanced portrayals of life and dark humor.

Qin Hao's portrayal of Gong Biao, with its unique comedic flair and tragic undertones, became one of the audience's favorite characters. Chen Minghao's Ma Desheng, with his superb performance, showcased the complex emotions of obsession and release. Fan Wei won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor for his role as Wang Xiang, considered one of the peak performances of his acting career.

References

1. Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/35588177/
2. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/漫长的季节/58414704
3. Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/漫长的季节