Thankful for the Remaining Years (Qing Yu Nian Season 1) has released a trailer after wrapping up filming for the first season, and stars Zhang Ruoyun as a young lad who is groomed into a righteous politician by Chen Pingping (Wu Gang).
Brief character introductions | Extended synopsis
Chen Daoming (The First Half of My Life) plays the Emperor and main antagonist, while Li Qin (Princess Agents) plays the hero’s main love interest.
Director Sun Hao (Bad Guys Always Die) stated in an interview that Qing Yu Nian is a sci-fi drama without all the fantasy elements, and has drawn inspiration from the Middle Ages, the Qing Dynasty and the present day just to name a few. *Spoiler* (highlight to reveal) [So they’re either going to keep the ageless grand master Wuzhu as an android like in the original, or come up with another creative solution to explain his longevity].
Season 1 will focus on Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun), a young lad who thinks like a 21st-century person, and believes in equality for all (I’m not even surprised – 90% of the period dramas these days already have leads who act like time-travellers). The rest of the characters will only make short appearances, and their backstories unveiled in the second and third seasons.
This is either going to be a tedious mess in the vein of Tribes and Empires or the next classic, and it all depends on how screenwriter Wang Juan performs. He’s made a name for himself as one of the most solid writers around after the broadcast of cult hits Turbulence of the Mu Clan and Legend of Southwest Dance and Music, so I’m going to remain optimistic for the time being.
The 52 episode drama is planning for an early 2019 release.
Christ.
Tribes & Empires had so much potential but extending an already long drama into multiple seasons is tedious. What even is going to happen to the rest of it??
I really hope this doesn’t fall into the same vein since it seems to feature a rather strong cast as well and is shaping up to be a period drama with serious tone like NiF.