The Best TV Shows on CCTV-8

Every CCTV-8 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

CCTV-8 has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1995 all the way to 2025. Icons of CCTV-8, Bugs and Amazing Detective Di Renjie made their debut in 1995 and 2004, setting industry standards. As of November 2025, we’ve curated over 20 of CCTV-8’s premier shows for your viewing pleasure.

  • Amazing Detective Di Renjie
    Amazing Detective Di Renjie (2004)9.1

    Di Renjie is Tang dynasty magistrate and statesman, who investigates mysterious murders.

  • Ma Dashuai
    Ma Dashuai (2004)9.0

  • My Own Swordsman
    My Own Swordsman (2006)8.8

    A comedy about some friends and their stories in Qixia Town.

  • As Husband As Wife
    As Husband As Wife (2024)8.7

    Unexpected changes bring Zhou Quan and Che Li’s happy ten-year marriage to a standstill, as one is suddenly laid off despite their talent while the other rushes to start a business. Can the two in their thirties get back on track towards a happy life?

  • Blossoms Shanghai
    Blossoms Shanghai (2023)8.5

    Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in the 1990s, the story follows A Bao, a self-made millionaire and his journey from being a young opportunist with a troubled past to accumulating dazzling wealth in the city of Shanghai. It also follows his entanglement with four women who represent the pursuits of his life: adventure, honour, love and innocence.

  • Love Again
    Love Again (2025)8.2

    After his wife’s death, retired professor Shen Zhuoran reluctantly returns to dating. He meets four very different women: a compassionate nurse, a brilliant but ill scientist, a strong-willed union leader, and a woman who reminds him of his late wife. Through these encounters, he faces love, loss, and personal growth, ultimately transforming his perspective on life and deeply affecting his family.

  • Joy of Life
    Joy of Life (2019)8.1

    Zhang Qing, a present-day college student in culture and history major wants to study in professor Ye's postgraduate class, so he decides to write a historical fiction to elaborate his perspective of analyzing ancient literature history with modern concept. In the fiction, Zhang himself acts as a young man Fan Xian with mysterious life who lives in a remote seaside town of Kingdom Qing in his childhood, under the help of a mysterious mentor and a blindfolded watchman. Fan goes to the capital when he grows up, where he experiences plenty of ordeal and temper. Fan persists in adhering the rule of justice and goodness and lives his own glorious life.

  • The Knockout
    The Knockout (2023)8.1

    20 years of perseverance, hot-blooded teenagers finally become the people's hero.

  • Qin Dynasty Epic
    Qin Dynasty Epic (2020)7.8

    During the late stages of the Warring States era of the Qin state, Ying Zheng, Lu Bu Wei, Li Si, Wang Jian and many formidable politicians work together to unite the six states under one rule.

  • Three-Body
    Three-Body (2023)7.8

    Nanotechnology researcher Wang Miao is taken to the Joint Operations Center by police officer Shi Qiang, who's investigating the mysterious suicide wave among scientists worldwide, and recruited to sneak into an organization called the Frontiers of Science to help the investigation. When Wang Miao is contacted by the leader of the organization, Shen Yufei, she introduces him to a sophisticated VR video game called Three-Body, but soon he discovers that it's more than just a game.

  • Mysterious Lotus Casebook
    Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023)7.8

    Li Lian Hua is a countryside doctor who travels dragging around a lotus tower. He accidentally becomes "famous" and gets pulled into the pugilistic world that he no longer wants to have any connections with.

  • Magic Mobile Phone
    Magic Mobile Phone (2008)7.5

    What happens when a time blip brings an all-purpose, ultra-tech mobile phone from 2060 and Journey to the West characters from ancient China to 2006? Loopy adventures abound in the new Mainland drama Magic Mobile Phone starring swordsman regular Vincent Jiao Enjun (The Tearful Sword) in his first modern drama. Trading in his sword for a superhero cape, Jiao has to save earth from being destroyed by the Bull Demon in this CGI-laden roly-poly mix of fantasy, adventure, sci-fi, and comedy. Joining in the good-natured silliness is Shu Chang (Lotus Lantern) and Li Bin (Shanghai Dream)

  • Legend of Zang Hai
    Legend of Zang Hai (2025)7.5

    "Legend of Zang Hai" follows the son of Imperial Astronomer Kuai Duo. Consumed by vengeance, he spends a decade honing his skills. Assuming the name Zang Hai, he ventures into the capital to uncover the truth, avenge his family, and restore justice.

  • The Tale of Rose
    The Tale of Rose (2024)7.4

    Born into a scholarly family, Huang Yimei grows up surrounded by care and affection, displaying artistic talent from a young age. Early in her career, she quickly gains recognition and meets her partner, Zhuang Guodong. They fall in love but eventually drift apart. This period of professional growth gives her a clearer vision for her future, leading her to return to school for further education. After graduation, she marries her senior, Fang Xiewen. However, their divergent career paths lead to a divorce. Huang Yimei then starts her own business and makes a name for herself in the planning for art exhibitions. During this time, she meets her soulmate, Fu Jiaming, but their love story ends tragically with his passing just a few months later. Despite this, Huang Yimei remains resilient, continuing to strive for a more fulfilling life.

  • Guardians of the Dafeng
    Guardians of the Dafeng (2024)7.4

    Xu Qi’an, a recent police academy graduate, awakens in a strange world filled with Confucians, Taoists, Buddhists, demons, and warlocks. Facing imminent exile to a remote frontier town, he seizes the chance to change his fate by joining a powerful organization of guardians.

  • The Litchi Road
    The Litchi Road (2025)7.4

    The story follows Li Shande, a man deceived by his colleagues and demoted from his supervisory role. Now forced to become the “Lychee Envoy,” he faces a near-impossible mission to deliver fresh lychees from Lingnan to Chang’an as a birthday gift for the Noble Consort. The saying goes that lychees change color in one day, lose their fragrance in two, and their flavor in three days. With more than 5,000 li between Lingnan and Chang’an, and under tight deadlines with limited resources, how can he possibly pull it off?

  • Best Choice Ever
    Best Choice Ever (2024)7.2

    Mai Chenghuan, a post-95 girl born into an ordinary family in Shanghai, agrees to marry her boyfriend, Xin Jialiang, under her mother’s urging. However, the economic gap between them creates an imbalance in their relationship, ultimately leading to its end. Mai Chenghuan then gains her grandmother's approval and is entrusted with the heavy responsibility of managing a hotel. Through cooperation, Mai Chenghuan and the professional hotel manager Yao Zhiming become working partners and go hand in hand. Mai Chenghuan transitions from being under her family's control to achieving self-fulfillment, forging her own path.

  • Bugs
    Bugs (1995)6.8

    Bugs was a British television drama series which ran for four series from April 1995 to August 1999. The programme, a mixture of action/adventure and science-fiction, involved a team of specialist independent crime-fighting technology experts, who faced a variety of threats based around computers and other modern technology. It was originally broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One, and was produced for the BBC by the independent production company Carnival Films.

  • Riverside Code at Qingming Festival
    Riverside Code at Qingming Festival (2024)6.8

    During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Zhao family—comprising Zhao Buyou, his wife Wen Yue, and their three children—lives in Bianliang's Que'er Alley. Zhao Buyou, a lowly clerk, seeks a simple life, while Wen Yue is focused on improving their living conditions. Despite frequent disagreements, the family remains close. An unexpected event thrusts them into a significant case, leading them on a journey of personal growth and discovery, while uncovering deeper truths and protecting their community.

  • Ode to Joy
    Ode to Joy (2016)6.3

    Five independent career women living in the Ode to Joy apartment building navigate love, ambition, and personal growth as they chase fulfillment on their own terms. From a successful businesswoman returning from New York to a small-town girl trying to make it in the big city, each faces unique challenges and romantic entanglements while discovering who they truly want to be.