The Best TV Shows on CCTV-8

Every CCTV-8 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Showcasing over 20 shows from 2001 up until 2026, CCTV-8 stands as a beacon of television excellence. Laughing in the Wind and Kangxi Dynasty represent the pinnacle of CCTV-8’s programming, launching in 2001 and 2001. Discover the best of CCTV-8 with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for August 2026.

  • Amazing Detective Di Renjie
    Amazing Detective Di Renjie (2004)9.0

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

  • The Heir
    The Heir (2026)9.0

    A tribute ink scandal topples the Li family’s long-standing ink business, leaving their legacy in ruins. Years later, Li Zhen, the determined youngest daughter, sets out to restore her family's name. As she rises in the industry, she joins forces with Luo Wenqian, heir to another fallen clan, to take on a rising rival and face new challenges from foreign markets, fighting to bring Huizhou ink back to its former glory.

  • My Own Swordsman
    My Own Swordsman (2006)8.9

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

  • Ma Dashuai
    Ma Dashuai (2004)8.6

  • Blossoms Shanghai
    Blossoms Shanghai (2023)8.6

    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.

  • The Heart
    The Heart (2023)8.6

    Xiao Feng is the Deputy Chief Physician of the Cardiology Department at Dongli Hospital. He is introverted and strict. He becomes work partners with the impulsive doctor Lin Yi, yet friction arises due to the differences in their medical beliefs. Meanwhile, Xiao Feng's younger sister also gets a job working as a doctor at the Intensive Care Unit.

  • Will Love In Spring
    Will Love In Spring (2024)8.6

    Chen Maidong, once a rebellious youth, chooses to become a mortician after experiencing a life-changing event. Zhuang Jie, who becomes disabled due to a car accident, strives for a better life and becomes a successful professional in a big city. This drama portrays the journey of them who, despite their contrasting personalities and circumstances, learn to understand and accept one another. Their love heals their hearts, allowing them to embrace and appreciate their "imperfect" selves.

  • Kangxi Dynasty
    Kangxi Dynasty (2001)8.4

    Kangxi Dynasty is a 2001 Chinese television series based on the novel Kangxi Da Di by Eryue He. The series is a prequel to the 1997 television series Yongzheng Dynasty, and was followed by Qianlong Dynasty in 2002.

  • The Knockout
    The Knockout (2023)8.2

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

  • Laughing in the Wind
    Laughing in the Wind (2001)8.1

    Laughing in the Wind is a 2001 Chinese television series produced by Zhang Jizhong, starring Li Yapeng and Xu Qing in the leading roles. The series is an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CCTV in China in 2001.

  • Born to Be Alive
    Born to Be Alive (2026)8.1

    In 1990s Qinghai’s Maji County, rampant poaching plunged the region into poverty. Deputy County Head Dorje’s mountain patrol team shifted from mineral exploration to protecting antelopes. Bai Ju, a fearless female officer raised by a Tibetan doctor, grew into a leader fighting for a nature reserve with her comrades and journalist lover, only to face Dorje’s mysterious disappearance. Decades later, as coal mining threatens the eco-balance again, Bai Ju reunites with allies to solve the cold case and uphold the legacy of safeguarding the Tibetan Plateau’s untouched beauty.

  • Joy of Life
    Joy of Life (2019)8.0

    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.

  • Forging Justice
    Forging Justice (2026)8.0

    In the early years of China's reform and opening-up, five law school graduates—Chen Yizhong, Yu Gaoyuan, Lu Zeming, Xia Yingjie, and Zhang Lihui—embarked on diverse careers within the judicial system.

  • 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. He is 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.

  • Love Story in the 1970s
    Love Story in the 1970s (2026)7.7

    In 1970s China, Fei Ni, a hardworking factory girl, enters a fake marriage with Fang Muyang to secure housing and chase her dream of attending college. Through shared struggles and quiet moments, their bond deepens into real love as they pursue a brighter future together.

  • Romance in the Rain
    Romance in the Rain (2001)7.6

    Lu Yiping, one of many children of a retired general with nine wives, is banished from her family home due to Wang Xueqin. Driven by resentment, she plots revenge by targeting her stepsister's love interest, He Shuhuan. But as Yiping navigates life with her mother, she unexpectedly finds forgiveness and love through the people she meets, transforming her journey of vengeance into one of self-discovery and healing.

  • 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.

  • Zhan Zhao Adventures
    Zhan Zhao Adventures (2026)7.2

    Zhan Zhao, a fourth-ranked imperial guard, embarks on a solo investigation after receiving evidence of a cold case. Along the way, he encounters the strong-willed Miss Huo Linglong and the justice-driven Bai Yutang. The three like-minded companions join forces to uncover clues, uphold justice, and capture criminals. Together, they work to expose a dangerous web of power that has infiltrated both the court and the martial world, ultimately restoring peace to the people.

  • Ode to Joy
    Ode to Joy (2016)6.4

    Five independent, career-driven women living in the Ode to Joy apartment building navigate love, ambition, and personal growth as they chase fulfillment on their own terms. As they try to make it in the big city, each faces unique challenges and romantic entanglements while discovering who they truly want to be.

  • Echoes of a Thousand Moons
    Echoes of a Thousand Moons (2026)6.0

    During a brutal war, cook Meng Wanfu is mistaken for a fugitive general and steps in to protect the general’s family, while the real General Zhang Yunkui, feeling powerless, joins the guerrilla fighters; together, their courage and loyalty help carry their nation through its darkest hour.