New C-drama The Miracles has one of best casts I’ve seen in a long time
Well, this one snuck up on me but, after watching the first two episodes of new WeTV drama The Miracles, I am incredibly glad I didn’t miss it.
The Miracles, by the way, is CCTV’s first original high-quality short drama series – at least that’s how they’re describing it – and, as stellar casts go, you would be hard-pressed to find a better one.
That’s because the 24-episode mini series comprises 15 different stories, all starring different actors.
And that means, rather than hiring actors who could commit to a 36 or 40-episode full-length series, CCTV has been able to get some of Chinese’s A-list actors to find time to perform in a 15-minute episode or two.
That’s why The Miracles stars such luminaries as Bai Yu, Esther Wang, Zhang Song Wen, Wang Yu Wen, Lawrence Wang, Hu Ge, Yan Ni, Wang An Yu, Lin Xiao Jie, Guo Jing Fei, Zhang Yun Long, Owen Cheung, Jin Shia Jia, Liu Si Wei, Zhu Mei Ji, Ou Hao, Mao Xiao Tong, Song Jia, Landy Li, Zhai Zi Lu, Yu Shi, Chen Xiao and Tong Yao.
Like I said, bet you haven’t seen a Chinese drama starring that many A-list actors in quite a while, eh?
The Miracles comprises 24 episodes and 15 stories
All of The Miracles episodes either take place in or are about people from Shenzhen and, according to Tencent, “weave entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability, showcasing Shenzhen’s 45-year transformation and future promise”.
A very cool idea and, now just three episodes in (and a fourth, if you’re willing to pay for Tencent’s ‘Express’), the series has definitely grabbed my attention.
After all, the first two stories are incredibly fun as we have had A Mother’s Venture (Episodes 1 and 2) which tells the story of a mother who has just retired taking a new job delivering food in a huge office tower after she finds out her son’s new business is in major debt, and NiuNiu the Yak (Episode 3), which follows an insurance salesman as he heads to a remote area of Tibet (known as Xizang in China) to try to persuade yak farmers to buy cattle insurance.
Both are beautifully written, wonderfully acted and very funny.
The 15 stories, by the way, are A Mother’s Venture, NiuNiu the Yak, Red Dust Odyssey, The Missing Head, The Spark, Wing Chun Rhythm, Life in a Lift, Echoes of Tomorrow, Tides of the Mangrove, The First Bell, The Summer We Met, Family 2.0, The Impossible Order, The Keyboard of Dreams, and The Road Back to Love.
The directors and screenwriters of The Miracles
Unlike most dramas that have one or maybe two directors The Miracles has been directed by 10 different directors. And directors who already have a huge body of stellar dramas under their belts.
They are Shen Yan (Born to Run), Liu Hai Bo (Brocade Odyssey), Van Han (My Love), Li Zhi (Be Yourself), Shen Yang (Those Days), Liu Yi Zhi (Hello Beautiful Life), Ben Fang (My Calorie Boy), Song Tian Shuo (The Future Handbook), Jiang Wei (Across the Yalu River), and Wang Jian Hua (Da Hua Da Hua Xi You).
The Miracles is not written by one screenwriter either, but has been written by seven — Wang Xiao Qiang (In the Name of the Brother), Weng Liang Ping (Fragrance of the Pomegranates), Yan Xi (The Ingenious One), Sun Xiao (When We Were Young), Hu Ya Ting (Eternal Love of Dream), Guo Shuang (Remembrance of Things Past) and Xu Lei (The Rookies).
That means, if you’re looking for different styles of directing, writing and subject matter, you are bound to find something here you will love.
The first four episodes of The Miracles are now streaming on WeTV, with more episodes premiering tomorrow.
And yes, after watching Episodes 1 through 3, I recommend this one. A lot.
You can watch Episode 1 via WeTV’s YouTube channel below and then, of course, enjoy all 15 very nicely designed The Miracles posters as well.
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