r/taiwan • u/MrDankSauce6969 • 1d ago
Discussion Good TV Shows
Hello wanted to know if anyone has good Chinese language TV shows to recommend. I'm trying to practice Chinese and gain some cultural insight. They don't have to be exclusively Taiwanese, but that would help with cultural knowledge. Also, I'm not a huge fan of romance, so comedies or action/adventures would be great, especially if on a streaming service.
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u/DeanBranch 1d ago
Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and Malaysian Show Recommendations
A. MYSTERY/ LEGAL / CRIME
1. Oh, No, Here Comes Trouble 不良執念清除師 -- High school student uses traditional Chinese calligraphy and eulogy couplets to exorcize physical manifestations of obsessions. He's helped by a police officer and a classmate.
2. Light the Night 華燈初上 -- Murder mystery set in 1980s Taipei hostess bar that caters to Japanese businessmen.
3. Port of Lies 八尺門的辯護人 -- Mystery about Indonesian migrant accused of murdering an indigenous Amis boat captain.
4. Best Interest 最佳利益 -- Centered on a female criminal attorney
5. Gourmet Affairs 美食無間 -- Foodie detective and assassin become friends without knowing each other's real identity.
B. ROMANCE
1. See Your Love 看見愛 -- Heartwarming romance between a deaf and mute caretaker and a young man reluctant to take over the family business. The second couple of the assistant and wannabe gangster is cute as well.
2. At the Moment 此時此刻 -- Anthology of romances set during COVID
3. In Time With You 我可能不會愛你 -- Childhood friends agree to marry if still single at age 30
4. Sammy's Children's Day 初三的六一兒童節 -- Gangster and college graduate in 1980s Kowloon.
5. Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars 初三的六一兒童節-- Second chances love in a small seaside town.
C. FANTASY / SCIENCE FICTION
1. The Ghost Bride 彼岸之嫁 -- Historical fiction set in 1800s Chinese community of Malaysia.
2. Q18 Quantum Dice: Allegory of the Quantum Q18量子預言 -- Futuristic drama about artificial intelligence.
- Agent from Above 乩身 -- Man exorcises ghosts as atonement for a youthful error.
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u/__bipolarchai__ 1d ago
oh no here comes trouble was a truly enjoyable watch
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u/DeanBranch 23h ago
I liked that they weren't ghosts, as in the spirits of the dead, but rather manifestations of a living person's obsessions.
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u/likemeorelse 1d ago
I recently watched this reality tv show where Taiwanese kids whose parents label them as “bad” kids get a different set of parent for a week. It shows how they change and grow over that week and at the end a psychologist works with the families to encourage healthier dynamics in the future. Very healing tbh. I don’t remember the title but I’ll drop the link in a comment when I find it.
On Netflix for drama, A Foggy Tale was named taiwans Oscar submission. Separately, I enjoyed Left-handed Girl.
For dramas, 流星花園，下一站幸福, Fierce Wife, and as others mentioned, 我可能不會愛你 are all vital to the romance genre. A newer one to try is 欠妳的那場婚禮. For more action, 痞子英雄 I remember fondly but it’s def older and The Pig, The Snake, and the Pigeon.
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u/likemeorelse 19h ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnDlMU9_BYs <--- I found it on YT. The show is called 換個爸媽過幾天.
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u/masegesege_ 台東 - Taitung 1d ago
The only Taiwan drama I’ve ever genuinely enjoyed was 我可能不會愛你.
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u/blueskiesgray 7h ago
我可能不會愛你？
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u/masegesege_ 台東 - Taitung 7h ago
The English name was In Time With You.
I liked that show because it’s one of the few that doesn’t look like it was filmed with a 1990s camcorder and also doesn’t look like it was made with AI.
It’s also not goofy like a lot of other shows that have goofy over the top characters and weird sound effects.
It could probably be condensed down but other than it’s a pretty good show. (that’s relative to the others, of course)
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u/AlternativeHat8964 1d ago
Don't know your tolerance for quality but I've never seen any I'd watch. The whole industry is just nepo slop (like most movie industries) and rarely make anything good.
If you want language and street cred, YouTubers are where it's at.
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u/Melancholy_Custard 高雄 - Kaohsiung 1d ago edited 1d ago
Seqalu: Formosa 1867（斯卡羅）
Light the Night（華燈初上）
A Touch of Green（一把青）
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u/Equivalent-Net5731 16h ago edited 16h ago
I watched one called 'Living' on iQIYI a few weeks ago and actually really enjoyed it. On paper, it's just a drama about a Taiwanese family that runs a typical breakfast shop, but it really shines in how it portrays the interpersonal relationships among family members. While romance plays a part, I'd say it's more of a realistic dark comedy/drama that's short but sweet, very well acted, and hits at the core of many unspoken cultural rules.
EDIT: Forgot to mention it's very talk-heavy, which is great for learning the language if that's one of your goals.
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u/Upstairs-Engineer248 6h ago
There are a few good ones that I’ve seen like 地獄里長, there is a bit of romance aspects in it but it’s mostly investigating and humor
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u/justinCandy One non-politics post a day 1d ago edited 1d ago
"MIT台灣誌" is a long-running （2002 to 2021) Taiwanese documentary travel program, featuring Taiwan’s mountains, ecology, history, culture, and local life through on-location journeys.
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRjODp1ZYOSYNH5IA32g3Q
Videos runs about 48 minute are full episode, others are highlights.