That's A Wrap: September 2026 C-Drama Releases

Sep 28

6 min read

A look back at the C-Dramas released in the month of September, and a look ahead at confirmed dramas in October...

September was a great month for period dramas! I am currently in the midst of Against the Current, As Promised, and Spring of the Blade and I'm enjoying them all so far. In September, I tackled only two C-Dramas: Remnants of Gold and The Road to Splendor. I am very behind on all the dramas I want to watch! Alas, the Pirates Code feels very relevant to my drama watching.

Explore:

Currently Airing September Dramas
Finished Airing September Dramas
October Releases
C-Drama News in September
Trailers (or click on the drama title to take you straight to the trailer)

Currently Airing C-Dramas:

Poster	Title	Details	Current MDL Rating	Platform
	Thunder Chaser	Genre: Contemporary Crime Synopsis: To tackle the ever growing drug trade, a selection process was held to recruit the best members to join the drug enforcement agency.@MDL This is a Crystal Yuan (Love and Redemption) drama, but she was AI faceswapped out due to her tax evasion scandal. End Date: Late October	TBA	iQIYI
	The Old Story of Yu Hong	Genre: 1990's Mystery Synopsis: Set in a declining industrial city in Northeast China during the 1990s, the story begins with a series of bizarre and tragic murders — a drunkard frozen into an ice sculpture, a strong man brutally dismembered, and a local thug who vanishes without a trace.@MDL End Date: 10/17 (Estimated)	TBA	iQIYI
	Irreplaceable	Genre: Contemporary Business/Romance Synopsis: The drama follows Xu Chi, an ordinary college graduate who, after witnessing her mother commit suicide following a divorce, adopts the principle of "never being replaced" as she enters the consulting industry. There, she meets Ye Xinzhi, an elite partner who was once framed and has since devised a revenge plan. The two form a competitive yet cooperative working relationship. @COPHOME End Date: 10/16 (Estimated)	TBA	Netflix, Youku
	A Prophet	Genre: Period (Republican) Thriller Synopsis: A mysterious sect manipulates fate to scam the innocent. When revenge-driven Shangguan Cheng Ming crosses paths with his enemy Jiang Fei Yan again, he sets a trap, using deception against deceivers. @MDL End Date: 10/17 (Estimated)	7.9	iQIYI, TencentVideo (WeTV)
	Spring of the Blade	Genre: Period (Song) Romance Synopsis: Xie Qing Yuan, orphaned at a young age, lived on the streets until she met Shen Run, who had been sent to the army after a family tragedy. They parted ways with a promise to survive, and Shen Run gave her a penny as a token. Years later, Xie Qing Yuan returns to Xie Mansion, determined to uncover the truth about her mother's death. @MDL End Date: 10/07 (Estimated)	8.3	iQIYI, Youku
	Once Upon a Time in Longfan	Genre: Contemporary Mystery Synopsis: The victim beneath a nodding oil pump, a man torn apart by vicious dogs, swarms of ferocious rats feeding on human flesh... A group photograph of oilfield workers taken twenty years earlier becomes a chilling omen of death. The children of the men in the photograph, who all grew up together in the oilfield community, find their fates inextricably bound to the image. @MDL End Date: 9/30 (Estimated)	TBA	MangoTV (MGTV)
	Gladiator in Theater	Genre: Period (Qing) Slice of Life Synopsis: Set against the turbulent backdrop of the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era, this biographical drama is loosely based on the life of legendary Peking opera pioneer Tan Xin Pei. The story follows Meng Jin Fu, a boy born into poverty with seemingly mediocre talent. @MDL End Date: 10/03 (Estimated)	TBA	MangoTV (MGTV)
	Against the Current	Genre: Period (Ming) Domestic Synopsis: Shen Jialan, once a nobleman's granddaughter, falls from grace after her family is falsely accused of treason. Abandoned by her fiancé Lin Jinqi, she is forced to assume a servant's identity in his household. Despite hardships, she refuses to bow to fate. With resilience and wit, she rises above class barriers, wins Lin Jinqi's heart, earns the family's respect, and ultimately clears her family's name. @IMBD End Date: 10/06 (Estimated)	8.8	TencentVideo (WeTV), Viki

*End dates do not take into account Express Options.

C-Dramas that finished airing in September:

Poster	Title	Details	MDL Rating	Platform
	In My Prime	Genre: 1990's Romance/ Family Synopsis: Set in a northern town in the early 1990s, this story centers on two different families whose paths cross when their children are born on the same day. It tracks the children's growth through trials of love and friendship, and the adults' challenges with life and family, illustrating their pursuit of happiness in the face of adversity. @CPOPHOME	7.6	iQIYI
	The Long Watch	Genre: 1990's Crime Synopsis: A spy leak case in the 1990s triggers covert battles. A master and apprentice at Minzhong National Security Bureau unite against foreign conspiracies, clashing with enemies over 20 years. As times change, their three fates evolve through difficult choices. @CPOPHOME	7.5	TencentVideo (WeTV)
	Abyss	Genre: 2010's Thriller/Crime Synopsis: Rookie officer Li Cheng faces off against multiple suspects in a high-stakes battle of intelligence, ultimately uncovering a painful truth buried beneath years of family and friendship ties. @CPOPHOME	7.7	iQIYI
	Cold Hunt	Genre: Contemporary Crime Synopsis: When detective Li Yu Jing is brought in to help officer Yue Qing Chuan investigate a series of child trafficking cases, the case takes an unexpected turn. He stumbles upon fresh clues linking the kidnappings to an armed bank robbery from 13 years prior. @MDL	7.4	Youku
	Black Island Prison	Genre: Contemporary Crime Synopsis: Lian Ming, a criminal police officer from Lingdong, goes undercover at Heidao Prison to solve a case involving missing people along the border. Meanwhile, Wen Bang, a retired special forces soldier from Nanling, is forced to serve time in the same prison in order to rescue Yachun and her daughter—the only family he has left. @MDL	TBA	iQIYI, TencentVideo (WeTV)

Confirmed October 2026 Releases:

TBA (Rumor has it that Where the Mask Ends will release on Youku on October 16th, and Small Town Remedy will release around October 26th. I will update this post as solid release dates are announced. As of 9/28, no October release dates are available.)

News:

IQIYI, Mango, and Youku all conspired to let loose a flood of drama news, along with their 2027 lineups with over 200 dramas collectively displayed during their investment conferences. Investment conferences are biannual events that major streaming platforms in China use to unveil new content, pitch new shows to advertisers, and secure funding for new series. I shant summarize the totality here, but check out my posts on each conference for more details:

Love 020 Image showing the original actress (top) and AI (bottom) face swap

In other news... To Defy the Stars and The Last Princess completed filming.

Love 020 was relaunched on Youku after it left streaming services due to the cancellation of the female lead actress, Zheng Shuang, for her surrogacy scandal. Like in Thunder Chaser, the Female Lead now has an AI facelift. We live in uncanny times. I'm glad these dramas can return to streaming, but I live in fear that the dramas I love will get the post-scandal makeover. I get that streaming services need revenue and it's not fair to the other actors, but something about it doesn't sit right with me. Setting aside the MAJOR ethical and legal concerns, it ruins a drama's entertainment value as the whole time, I'm just trying to catch the AI of it all. Technology has come leaps and bounds, but viewers can tell when something is off. My fingers are crossed for the preservation of Love and Redemption. Leave my baby alone.

I'm curious how iQIYI's first AI full length costume drama (Not Envying Mandarin Ducks, Only Immortals) will fair with audiences, but I already get the ick from Chen Heyi as it is. Bless his heart, but I don't need more of him, artificial or not. Nor do I need or want AI dramas. I recently read that "More than 120,000 micro dramas were released in the first three months of this year — with 95% of those generated by AI" (Source: CNN), and it looks like the overhead is just too tempting for platforms, so they're throwing their full length dramas hats into the artificial ring.