The Best TV Shows on CCTV-1

Every CCTV-1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Leading the pack on CCTV-1 are CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch and CCTV Spring Festival Gala, with their initial broadcasts in 1983 and 1983. Across the timeline from 1983 to 2025, CCTV-1 has presented audiences with over 20 captivating shows. Check out the most acclaimed shows on CCTV-1, with a catalog of over 20 series updated for August 2025.

  • Dong bei yi jia ren
    Dong bei yi jia ren (2002)9.5

  • The Water Margin
    The Water Margin (1998)9.2

    The trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws during the mid Song Dynasty.

  • Northward
    Northward (2025)9.2

    The story revolves around several boys and girls who grew up together along the canal, after leaving to make their own growth, reunite after many years. After experiencing competition and the pressures of life, they rediscover the hope for a new life.

  • The Romance Of Three Kingdoms
    The Romance Of Three Kingdoms (1994)9.1

    Adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. The focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.

  • GG Bond
    GG Bond (2006)9.1

  • CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch
    CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch (1983)9.0

  • 喜羊羊与灰太狼之衣橱大冒险
    喜羊羊与灰太狼之衣橱大冒险 (2014)9.0

  • Jing-Ju Cats
    Jing-Ju Cats (2015)9.0

    Formally a paradise for all cats, the Cat Land Purpetua has been invaded and occupied by the dark lord AN, aided by his enslaved mutant monsters. The evil chaos reigns throughout the Purpetua and leads everything down to a wrong path. Only Jing-Ju Cats can overthrow An and resist the forces of evil chaos. A cat named LIL'PAI from the Clangour Town was once rescued by a Jing- Ju Cat at a very young age. He swore to be a great Jing-Ju Cat when he grows up. Once in a fight with monsters, he met the descendants of Jing- Ju Cats WU, ZAD and JEAN, and started to learn Kung Fu from their master Tang Ming and Granny GIN. The young LIL'PAI had neither blue blood nor outstanding talents. However, because of his amazing endeavor and the will of never giving up, he had succeeded through many trials and tribulations. LIL'PAI and his fellow Jing-Ju Cats rejoin forces to defeat the evil threat, reclaim their home and restore the peace in their land.

  • A Lifelong Journey
    A Lifelong Journey (2022)8.8

    A story that details the the lives of ordinary civilians amidst the magnanimous changes in Chinese society over the years. At the end of the 1970s, the Zhou family lived in a provincial city in the north. The father, Zhu Zhi Gang, has just participated in the Third Front Movement in Xi Nan. The eldest son, Zhou Bing Yi, responds to a national call to become part of the first batch of "educated" youths sent to live and work in rural areas. The eldest daughter, Zhou Rong, follows her poet husband to the countryside of Guizhou. The youngest son, Zhou Bing Kun, is the only one left at home with their mother. In the span of 50 years, the Zhou family is swept by the tides of change in China.

  • Yongzheng Dynasty
    Yongzheng Dynasty (1999)8.7

    The series was adapted from Eryue He's historical novels, which are loosely based on historical events in the reigns of the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

  • Journey to the West
    Journey to the West (1986)8.4

    Journey to the West is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on CCTV in China on 1 October 1986. The series became an instant classic in China and is still being praised as the best and most authentic interpretation of the novel. Unadapted portions of the original story were later covered in the second season, which was released in 1999.

  • Judge of Song Dynasty
    Judge of Song Dynasty (2005)8.4

    Stories of a judge who lives in the Song Dynasty of China and familiar with forensic pathology.

  • The Qin Empire
    The Qin Empire (2009)8.3

    The rise of the Qin state in the Warring States period during the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin.

  • Like a Flowing River
    Like a Flowing River (2018)8.3

    The story of Song Yunhui, Lei Dongbao, and Yang Xun as they take part in China’s economic reform from the 1980s to the 1990s.

  • Boonie Bears
    Boonie Bears (2012)7.9

    Starring two bears, Briar and Bramble, who continuously try to stop Logger Vick from cutting down trees in their forest. Vick constantly tries to carry out his job as a woodcutter, only to be hilariously outwitted by the bears.

  • 喜羊羊与灰太狼之开心方程式
    喜羊羊与灰太狼之开心方程式 (2013)7.5

  • 喜羊羊与灰太狼之深海历险记
    喜羊羊与灰太狼之深海历险记 (2017)7.0

  • CCTV Spring Festival Gala
    CCTV Spring Festival Gala (1983)5.8

  • Love Stories in the Countryside
    Love Stories in the Countryside (2006)5.4

  • Voice
    Voice (2012)N/A