# My Roommate is a Detective (民国奇探)
**My Roommate is a Detective** (民国奇探, *Min Guo Qi Tan*) is a 36-episode Chinese suspense-comedy detective drama set in Republican-era Shanghai, in which a brilliant but idle Cambridge graduate, a police detective, and a newspaper reporter solve murder cases together. Produced by iQIYI and directed by Zhang Weike, it premiered on March 24, 2020 and concluded on April 23, 2020.[1](https://www.cpophome.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-hu-yitian-zhang-yunlong/) • [2](https://ent.cri.cn/20200424/23c16176-ec1d-c3a5-d426-bd0a27c1ffed.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 民国奇探 (*Min Guo Qi Tan*)[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Roommate_is_a_Detective) |
| Broadcast | iQIYI, March 24 to April 23, 2020, 36 episodes of about 45 minutes each[1](https://www.cpophome.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-hu-yitian-zhang-yunlong/) • [4](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/my-roommate-is-a-detective/cthiy94v8tzsd5FxeXBjc3/where-to-watch/) |
| Main cast | Hu Yitian as Lu Yao, Zhang Yunlong as Qiao Chusheng, Xiao Yan as Bai Youning[1](https://www.cpophome.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-hu-yitian-zhang-yunlong/) |
| Case structure | 23 cases across 36 episodes, about 1.57 episodes per case[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/388541610_698063) |
| Reception | iQIYI heat above 7800; Douban 7.1 from over 30,000 raters; IMDb 7.5/10 (175 votes); Viki 9.4 (10,421 ratings)[2](https://ent.cri.cn/20200424/23c16176-ec1d-c3a5-d426-bd0a27c1ffed.html) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12193120/) • [7](https://www.viki.com/tv/36771c?locale=zh) |
| Follow-up | *Checkmate* (民国大侦探, 2022) reteamed Hu Yitian, Zhang Yunlong, and director Zhang Weike[8](https://suihuaxw.org.cn/paper/shwb/pc/att/202208/09/f18424ab-20cc-4898-abe1-db94ce80e734.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and characters
The story is set after the fourteenth year of the Republic of China, in a Shanghai of gang rivalries and strange murders. [Lu Yao](https://www.edgepedia.org/lu-yao) ([Hu Yitian](https://www.edgepedia.org/hu-yitian)), a playboy recently returned from studying in England, is recruited as a detective consultant by Qiao Chusheng (Zhang Yunlong), a skilled police detective, on the strength of his exceptional intelligence and reasoning ability. The two are joined by Bai Youning (Xiao Yan), a reporter for the *Xinyue Daily*, and the three form a detective squad that solves a series of seemingly bizarre murder cases while upholding justice in a chaotic era.[9](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rri0ccp1.html)
The character profiles give the trio complementary backgrounds. Lu Yao is a [University of Cambridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-cambridge) graduate with double degrees; DramaWiki lists medicine and mathematics, while TVmao lists chemistry and biology, and describes him as a former financial analyst who becomes the police station's crime consultant.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Roommate_is_a_Detective) • [10](https://www.tvmao.com/drama/X2JfZGsk/actors) Qiao Chusheng, known as "Fourth Master," is the chief police detective of the [Central Station](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-station) of the [Shanghai International Settlement](https://www.edgepedia.org/shanghai-international-settlement); TVmao describes him as the fourth blade of the Green Dragon Gang, a gangster-turned-detective skilled at dealing with all kinds of people.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Roommate_is_a_Detective) • [10](https://www.tvmao.com/drama/X2JfZGsk/actors) Bai Youning is the only daughter of Bai Qili, head of Shanghai's Green Dragon Gang, a Western-educated reporter with progressive views who aims to be a free and independent modern woman.[10](https://www.tvmao.com/drama/X2JfZGsk/actors) Supporting roles include Lu Miao (Zeng Yongti) and the landlady Meng Xiaoyun (Gan Lu); the cast list totals 42 named characters.[9](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rri0ccp1.html) • [10](https://www.tvmao.com/drama/X2JfZGsk/actors)
## Production
Filming began with an opening ceremony in Shanghai on March 31, 2019. The drama was produced by iQIYI with HiJoy Film & TV as co-producer, with Dai Ying and Jia Zhiqi as chief producers and Zhang Weike directing.[11](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0401/c1012-31007183.html) At the ceremony, Jia Zhiqi described a script that compressed nearly 30 stories into 36 episodes, with more than 180 named characters and over 400 sets, which she called rare for a detective drama.[11](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0401/c1012-31007183.html)
**Director's approach.** Zhang Weike said that when he first encountered the project it consisted only of the cases; his contribution was to add Republican-era texture, including the concession setting, blended Chinese and Western fashion, and comedy.[12](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7119756) Chief producer Dai Ying, general manager of iQIYI's self-produced drama development center, admitted initial doubts, saying some felt detective dramas had reached a bottleneck, but the script's character chemistry and brisk pacing with comedy mixed into the mystery won her over.[12](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7119756)
## Structure and style
The 36 episodes contain 23 cases, averaging about 1.57 episodes per case, a fast rhythm that reviewers singled out as the show's distinguishing feature.[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/388541610_698063) Chinese media noted the light-comedy tone: instead of the tense, dark, and violent style common in suspense dramas, the investigation scenes are relaxed and playful, and the show was nicknamed a Republican-era *Detective Conan*.[5](https://www.sohu.com/a/388541610_698063) • [13](https://www.cmmrmedia.com/UpLoadFile/Files/2020/4/30/19336921edf3f891-5.pdf) Although the cases are period pieces, the motives behind them reflect modern concerns. iQIYI's episode summaries cite a killer who exploits a film's fictional death method to boost box office, and cases touching on medical ethics, journalistic responsibility, and family indifference.[9](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rri0ccp1.html) • [2](https://ent.cri.cn/20200424/23c16176-ec1d-c3a5-d426-bd0a27c1ffed.html)
The broadcast ran on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday schedule with two new episodes per evening, VIP members could watch six episodes a week ahead, the final ten episodes were available early to VIP members from April 14, and the series became free to watch on April 30.[14](https://scdnews.com/images/paper/200328/200328C.pdf)
## Reception
The finale aired on April 23, 2020, and the drama finished first on iQIYI's television heat chart; on Aiman data's in-air drama actor heat ranking, it helped lead actor Hu Yitian take the top spot.[15](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2020-04-27/doc-iircuyvi0045150.shtml) iQIYI's internal heat score exceeded 7800, Douban rated it 7.1 from more than 30,000 users, and Maoyan placed it first among March web dramas by heat.[2](https://ent.cri.cn/20200424/23c16176-ec1d-c3a5-d426-bd0a27c1ffed.html) On international platforms it holds 7.5/10 on IMDb (175 votes) and 9.4 on Viki (10,421 ratings).[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12193120/) • [7](https://www.viki.com/tv/36771c?locale=zh) It remains available on iQIYI and Viki with subtitles in English and more than a dozen other languages.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-roommate-is-a-detective-2020) • [7](https://www.viki.com/tv/36771c?locale=zh)
## Legacy
In August 2022, iQIYI released *[Checkmate](https://www.edgepedia.org/checkmate-eptgstgpqz)* (民国大侦探), a Republican-era detective drama adapted from [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie)'s Hercule Poirot stories, again directed by Zhang Weike and starring Hu Yitian and Zhang Yunlong; Chinese coverage billed it as the original cast and crew of *My Roommate is a Detective* reuniting.[8](https://suihuaxw.org.cn/paper/shwb/pc/att/202208/09/f18424ab-20cc-4898-abe1-db94ce80e734.pdf) The two dramas tell separate stories with different characters: *Checkmate* follows the lawyer Situ Yan, who becomes a detective in Harbin, and the police detective Luo Shaochuan.[8](https://suihuaxw.org.cn/paper/shwb/pc/att/202208/09/f18424ab-20cc-4898-abe1-db94ce80e734.pdf)
## References
1. [My Roommate Is a Detective – Chinese Drama 2020, CPOP HOME](https://www.cpophome.com/my-roommate-is-a-detective-hu-yitian-zhang-yunlong/)
2. [胡一天张云龙主演《民国奇探》收官 引发热度口碑双丰收, 国际在线](https://ent.cri.cn/20200424/23c16176-ec1d-c3a5-d426-bd0a27c1ffed.html)
3. [My Roommate is a Detective, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Roommate_is_a_Detective)
4. [My Roommate is a Detective – Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/my-roommate-is-a-detective/cthiy94v8tzsd5FxeXBjc3/where-to-watch/)
5. [网剧｜《民国奇探》：一场发生在民国的现代人性探讨, 搜狐/影视观察家](https://www.sohu.com/a/388541610_698063)
6. [My Roommate Is a Detective (TV Series 2020), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12193120/)
7. [民国奇探, Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/36771c?locale=zh)
8. [《民国大侦探》明日开播 胡一天张云龙二度联手, 随华新闻](https://suihuaxw.org.cn/paper/shwb/pc/att/202208/09/f18424ab-20cc-4898-abe1-db94ce80e734.pdf)
9. [民国奇探-电视剧-全集高清正版视频在线观看, 爱奇艺](https://www.iqiyi.com/a_19rri0ccp1.html)
10. [民国奇探演员表, 电视猫](https://www.tvmao.com/drama/X2JfZGsk/actors)
11. [《民国奇探》开机 胡一天张云龙肖燕高颜高智侦探小队引期待, 人民网](https://ent.people.com.cn/n1/2019/0401/c1012-31007183.html)
12. [《民国奇探》云圆桌会：打开悬疑剧创作新思路, 澎湃新闻](https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7119756)
13. [古装玄幻、民国、刑侦悬疑剧集观察, 中国广视索福瑞媒介研究](https://www.cmmrmedia.com/UpLoadFile/Files/2020/4/30/19336921edf3f891-5.pdf)
14. [中國影壇 Daily News, 美南日報 (2020年3月28日)](https://scdnews.com/images/paper/200328/200328C.pdf)
15. [悬疑剧已成红海 这部新剧如何突围？, 新浪娱乐/界面](https://ent.sina.com.cn/v/m/2020-04-27/doc-iircuyvi0045150.shtml)
16. [My Roommate is a Detective – streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/my-roommate-is-a-detective-2020)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › East Asian web and streaming serials › Titles Iv to My*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license