was praised by CCTV before it was broadcast, and this period drama has revealed the potential of the "drama king" in 2024

After counting CCTV's New Year's drama in previous years, period dramas are the "winning generals" in the ratings.

Going far, there is an epic drama like "Breaking through the Guandong", which was broadcast on CCTV in 2008, and the ratings once approached 11%, setting a new CCTV record.

More recently, the family drama "Parents' Love" is not only popular in China, but also overseas, and has been broadcast in more than 60 countries when it was the most popular.

Not to mention the "The World", which was broadcast the year before last, set a new high in the prime time of CCTV in the past 8 years, and became a phenomenon-level domestic drama hotly discussed by the whole people.

Judging from the new year's opening chapter in CCTV's 2024 TV drama list, the first pair of Wang Bang it played is still a period drama.

In addition to the already broadcast "Flowers", the next "The Years of the Great River" and "South to North" are also period dramas.

So, who can become a popular and popular New Year's hit?

In my opinion, "South to North" is quite "ruthless"!

The theme of high-rated dramas coupled with a strong production team, as well as a cast full of big names, is a "drama king of the year".

For this 30-episode period drama, CCTV is also highly praised, and its official account "CCTV TV Series" has issued a promotion from the start of the show to the completion of the show.

So, can CCTV create a ratings miracle by shooting out period dramas again this time?

Below, let's talk about it in combination with the relevant information of "South to North".

1. "Period Drama Master" has been polished for three years, and the quality of the script is guaranteed

A good script is the soul of a good drama, and the script of "South to North" is a lot more reassuring, and it is personally handled by Gao Mantang, a period drama who has created many high-reputation periods.

From his pen "Breaking through the Guandong", "There Are Nine Phoenixes in the Family" and "Old Farmer", they are all era dramas that focus on the lives of ordinary people.

At the end of the year, "Pearl River People" was also made by him, and as soon as it was broadcast, it ushered in high ratings on CCTV, and even surpassed "Hurricane".

The scripts of these period dramas are thick, among them, "Breaking through the Guandong" has been polished for ten years, and "Old Farmer" has been written for five years.

It is precisely by adhering to the principle of slow work and meticulous work that Gao Mantang wrote such a word-of-mouth masterpiece.

This time, he set his sights on the front-line railway public security police group and told the story of the inheritance of the new and old generations of railway police officers.

At the end of the seventies of the twentieth century, the young policeman Wang Xin (played by Bai Jingting) mistakenly took the old railway policeman Ma Kui (played by Ding Yongdai) as a fugitive during a work trip, and the two started a master-apprentice relationship that did not fight and did not know each other.

After getting along for a long time, the master and apprentice went from being dissatisfied with each other to fighting together, guarding the safety of trains from south to north on the front line of railway public security......

"South to North" is an atypical era crime drama, focusing not on the police who solved major cases in the past, but on the railway police who are rarely mentioned.

From this point of view, this drama has broadened the scope of on-screen police dramas.

Anti-pickpocketing, anti-trafficking, anti-narcotics, patrolling, cracking down on theft, robbery and fraud...... Through the large and small cases investigated by Ma Kui and Wang Xin, the master and apprentice, the audience can also see the daily work of the railway police on the screen.

The life on the train, the warmth and warmth of the neighbors, the development and changes of China's railways, and the magnificent 40 years from 1978 to 2017 have also slowly unfolded with their perspectives.

Telling stories like this about the changes of the times from the perspective of small people is exactly the subject matter that audiences like to see today.

It is not difficult to imagine that this period group drama will become more and more energetic as the plot unfolds.

Gao Mantang had never written about railway police before, in order to be more realistic and professional, he went to Jinan twice, visited old railway policemen, and accumulated a lot of down-to-earth first-line materials.

Then, it took him three years to write the work.

Originally, the name of the play was "Three Trees", and Gao Mantang took it from the "Three Trees", the terminal station of the green train to Harbin.

Later, he thought about it and felt that it would be more appropriate to change it to "South to North".

Passengers come and go, trains flow endlessly, and the title of the play has indeed been changed to the right taste.

It can be said that the script of the drama "South to North" is very solid, and having a gold medal screenwriter personally handle it is also a reassuring pill for the audience.

Second, a strong alliance, this time the "Godfather of Domestic Dramas" also took action

However, if "South to North" wants to become the king of the year, it still needs a capable director to control it.

And the director of this drama is Zheng Xiaolong, who has long been known as the "godfather of domestic dramas", and has a pivotal position in the national drama circle.

So far, only three people have reached the grand slam of the domestic director award, that is, Feitian, Magnolia, and Golden Eagle.

One of them is him, and the other two are Liu Jiang who filmed "The Beautiful Times of Daughter-in-law", "Before Dawn", "Old Tavern", etc., and Kong Sheng, who filmed "Parents' Love", "Langya Bang", "Dajiang Dahe" and so on.

Zheng Xiaolong, who witnessed the golden age of Chinese TV dramas, has many masterpieces.

A large number of golden dramas such as "Longing", "Beijinger in New York", "Year after Year", "Never Give Up", "Golden Wedding" and so on are all from his lens.

There are 9 TV series directed by Zheng Xiaolong with a score of more than 8 points.

"The Legend of Zhen Huan", which has been repeatedly mentioned by the audience and made a pulp, is as high as 9.4, with more than 700,000 evaluations.

The success of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" also has a significance, that is, it has successfully "gone to sea", not only in China, but also overseas, and even as far as Africa.

Although the score of the episode does not represent everything, it is enough to prove Zheng Xiaolong's ability to impress the audience.

Judging from the behind-the-scenes footage of "South to North", his requirements for the production level are as strict as ever.

Screenwriter Gao Mantang also revealed to everyone in the interview that Zheng Xiaolong is extremely rigorous in details.

"Ma Kui has been imprisoned for ten years because of unjust, false and wrongful convictions, and his wife and daughter are waiting hard, so it is impossible to have this mind to plant flowers. "

"There are too many pennants, and there are such high-grade wool carpets, and the whole thing needs to be lowered. ”

Whether it is the traces of the characters' lives or the details of the scene layout, Zheng Xiaolong has noticed it, and strives to be real and simple, which is in line with that era.

Many domestic dramas have been complained and suspended by the audience, but the service Huadao seems "too new", and there is no trace of real life.

And good-looking period dramas can always make the audience immersive through some costume details.

In this regard, "The World" is real and down-to-earth enough.

After watching this drama, many southern audiences want to go to the Northeast for a New Year and experience the Northeast culture.

This time, "South to North" chose Fangci Town, which has been preserved intact in the Shandong Railway Complex, as the filming location.

In addition, "South to North" is controlled by Zheng Xiaolong, it can be said that the texture of the era is guaranteed.

It is worth mentioning that this time he co-directed with the young director Liu Zhangmu.

Like Kong Sheng, Liu Zhangmu is also a photographer-turned-director, and his first work as a director was "Icebreaker" in 2020.

However, because it is co-directed with the senior director Fu Dongyu, it still lacks convincing shortcomings after all.

Subsequently, the online drama "Traces" and the Internet University "Broken Gold" independently directed by the Internet University did not have a very good reputation.

This time I co-directed "South to North" with Zheng Xiaolong, although it is a good opportunity to exercise, but the challenges are also huge, I hope this time can bring surprises to the audience.

3. 20 well-known actors are in charge, and their acting skills are full

The production team of "South to North" is the top match in the film industry, and its cast is also very strong.

Judging from a long list of finale stills, there are at least more than 20 powerful actors.

The first place, Ding Yongdai

As a frequent guest of CCTV dramas, Ding Yongdai's performance strength is beyond doubt.

Whether it is the gangster Bai Baoshan in "China Criminal Investigation Case No. 1", or his father Zhou Zhigang in "The World", they have left a deep impression on the audience.

And he played the police chief in "Punishment" and "Who is he", and this time he played the role of Ma Kui, a veteran criminal policeman who has been imprisoned for ten years because of unjust, false and wrongful cases, which is also reassuring.

I believe that this performance can also arouse many people's memories of the image of their fathers in that era.

second place, Bai Jingting

Bai Jingting, who is the same male protagonist of this play as Ding Yongdai, plays his apprentice, the young policeman Wang Xin.

Although he is a young actor, his acting skills are good, and he has many masterpieces in hand, "Ordinary Glory", "The Beginning" and so on.

He has also played similar police roles, and the male protagonist in "You Are My City Barracks" is a special police officer, and the little white man in uniform is tall and tall.

But it's an idol drama, this time playing a railway policeman in a period drama, it's not enough to rely on image and temperament, you have to perform a real police soul.

I hope to see his wonderful performance in "South to North".

third place, Jin Chen

Jin Chen, the heroine of this play, is also an "old acquaintance" of the audience.

In this year's anti-fraud movie "All or Nothing", she played the beautiful dealer Anna very well.

This time, the theme of the war era is also not low, and the role should be second only to Bai Jingting and Ding Yongdai.

She is originally from Jinan, Shandong, and it should not be easy to show the shortcomings of the period drama accent this time.

fourth place, Zuo Xiaoqing

The Mesozoic actors are also very powerful, and the actresses also have familiar faces.

Zuo Xiaoqing, who became popular on the screen with "Chinese-style Divorce", also created a role in this drama.

Judging from the stills, the character's identity is a doctor.

Wearing a white coat, she looks gentle and kind, her eyes seem to be full of tears, and this scene may move the audience again.

fifth, Liu Jun

Liu Jun is a "scumbag professional" in Chinese dramas.

From Sheng Hong, the feudal patriarch who was nicknamed "Red Wolf" by the audience in "Do You Know", to Qiao Zuwang, who is stronger than Su Daqiang in "Children of the Qiao Family".

He has played a lot of unreliable fathers, but this time he is still playing his father in the play, and Wang Yongge, the father of Bai Jingting's role, is easy for him.

In addition to the above 5 actors, there are also many powerful actors in "South to North".

Ni Dahong, an old drama bone, a golden supporting role in film and television works out of the circle;

Wang Jinsong, the most active supporting role in Chinese dramas in recent years;

Li Naiwen, there are many masterpieces this year, "Pearl River People" and "Three Teams";

Wei Qing, from "I Am Not the God of Medicine" to "River God" to "The World", this 75-year-old veteran actor who is still active on the front line, has perfected his acting skills.

On closer inspection, there are also many comedians in the play who "appear together".

Including "King Jiji" Liu Guanlin, "Liu Neng" Wang Xiaoli, and Pan Binlong with red lips and blush painted in "Hello, Li Huanying".

In addition, there are Hu Ke, Jiang Yan, Wu Yue, Feng Bing, Tu Songyan, Tian Min, Li Ming, Fan Lei and so on in "South to North......

The vivid role is inseparable from excellent acting skills, and with these powerful actors joining, I believe that this drama will not make the audience play and embarrassed.

All in all, the period drama "South to North" will obviously set off a boom in revenue.

has Gao Mantang's solid script support, Zheng Xiaolong, the godfather of domestic dramas, and more than 20 good actors participating, these highlights alone are enough to catch the audience's attention.

There is still more than a month to go before the Spring Festival, and I look forward to "South to North" once again having the effect of the whole people chasing dramas.

Bluestone Movies | Mei Liqing

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