Michelle Topham

I think it's Begin Again, like someone above commented? And not Speed?

Vertical drama spin-off of this is dropping tomorrow on iQIYI --

Doesn't feature any of the usual STOTD leads though but, considering how successful the main series has been, should drop internationally as well. Might be interesting.

https://baozibuns.com/strange-chronicles-of-tang-the-changan-detective-premiere-date-set-wang-zi-yi-and-zhao-jia-poster-drops/ (Updated info at the bottom of the article)

No worries. I'm obsessed with this stuff, LOL, so it's easy for me to come up with a quick list. Hope you find something you like.

And, honestly, most of the time I just watch the trailer on YouTube or X and, if it peaks my interest, at least give the first couple of episodes a go. More reliable than anything on MDL :)

There really isn't one unfortunately.

MDL used to be excellent, but there are so many trolls on here now who rate just like you said. So much so, I don't trust any rating on MDL anymore as I've been fooled, both with highly rated dramas being terrible and low-rated dramas being fabulous, too many times.

IMBD is even worse -- their administration will allow shows to be downrated to a 1 out of 10 if enough trolls are "offended" by one line a character in a drama says, and do nothing to stop it.

Rotten Tomatoes doesn't usually have ratings for many K-dramas or hardly any C-dramas, and they're not reliable either as even their critics now seem to rate high if a show pushes some 'woke' theme, ie: if it features a transgender character, it will be rated high, even if the show itself is trash. That's why you'll often see RT ratings at 95% from critics (stupidly high) and then viewers' ratings at 25%, and people asking "What the hell is this garbage?" :)

Viki's ratings are far too high, and there was a rumor they are artificially inflated by their administration just to persuade viewers to watch more dramas. But at least they don't allow their users to massively downrate a drama in an attempt to destroy it.

So, no, nowhere in the west really.

I occasionally look at Watchapedia (Korean site), but their ratings tend to be quite a bit lower than westerners may like. Their 'hot rankings' for instance, may not be higher than a 3.5 out of 5 (ie: a 7 out of 10). Still seem more accurate than anything on an English-language site though.

https://pedia.watcha.com/ko-KR/

If you watch C-dramas...

I use Douban for C-dramas (Chinese site, very strictly monitored, and has a reputation for being accurate with ratings). If a drama has a high rating on Douban, it's almost always an amazing watch.

https://www.douban.com/

I also like AvenueX on YouTube for C-dramas. She's very honest about her opinions about Chinese dramas, but never overly harsh, even if she hates something. She's also Chinese, so understands the culture. I've found her assessments more accurate than not. Even if I sometimes enjoy the dramas she doesn't.

Ah, and now you've proven yourself to be one of the ugly trolls. Well done you :)

Yep. Hahahahaha.

It's idiotic that the site allows people to rate episodes that haven't even released as well. Whether that's someone giving every episode a 1, or every episode a 10. Should have been stopped long ago.

Hahahaha, sorry for the long reply. My brain is obsessed with data, and how countries compare to each other.

BTW, I'm not "America is the best country in the world". I'm a naturalized American citizen, not born and bred. But many people have an incorrect idea of what the real America is, and it's nowhere near what the news media portrays it as.

America has been very good to me and my parents (my retired parents would be struggling in the UK now, but they're living large in the U.S. as my dad had the opportunity to work his ass off and reap the benefits), so I do appreciate what it offers, Although I do see its negatives as well.

BTW, I'm currently looking at moving to China, so fascinated by the CCP's amazing economic successes. I think their middle class will eventually surpass America's if the CCP keeps doing what they're doing.

Thrilled to see Yu Yu hit it off with the photographer. And Dr Gu's FACE... hahahaha.

Much lower than the first episode of its 2nd season though, so it will be interesting to see where it ends up.

https://baozibuns.com/taxi-driver-3-ep-1-grabs-superb-ratings-although-substantially-lower-than-season-2s-first-episode/

Far wider in China though. Even though the CCP has done an incredible job lifting hundreds of millions of people into the middle class, the poor in America are largely MUCH better off than the poor in China. (I've traveled all over Asia, although admittedly only briefly in China/Hong Kong, and the poor you see in any Asian country are horrendously poor compared to most lower income people in the U.S. - was once in a hill tribe hut in the Thai jungle where the walls were papered with newspaper just to keep the wind out)

And don't believe everything the news media tells you about America. :) About 52% of Americans are middle class and VERY well off compared to most of the rest of the world - although most of them don't think so as 50% of Americans have never left America :). (China's middle class is 40%, btw)

I'm currently living in Austria, for instance, and, while I love Vienna, and I'm classified as 'middle class', my lifestyle is FAR worse than it ever was in the U.S. I live like I lived in the U.S. back in the 1990s, with none of the luxuries I took for granted then. I feel like I'm in the lap of luxury when I go back to visit my parents ;)

And no, Austria doesn't have the extreme poverty of Asian countries, but it's middle class is not really middle class compared to the U.S. or, I would venture a guess, China, as salaries are quite low compared to the U.S. and taxes are so high, you have far less disposable income left. (You're probably the same in Germany, as salaries in the two countries are comparable).

Meanwhile, I have a Thai friend who lives in Shanghai, and she makes about what I do, but her lifestyle is crazy high compared to mine. And we're both just classified as 'middle class' :)

I've used MDL ratings a LOT in the past in articles I write , but I"ve always warned the site is a breeding ground for trolls. Recently though, I've just stopped including MDL or IMDB ratings in most things I write. Both sites are populated by a huge number of trolls and both apparently run by an administration that doesn't seem to care. Makes the entire site look disreputable, IMO. Which is a shame, as it includes some excellent information and has a huge library of content.

Because they're idiots with pathetic lives who hate themselves. Only explanation for being this ugly and stupid.

I see the trolls are out in force with the rating. Honestly, HOW do you go through life being this ignorant and stupid? And apparently be proud of it. Amazing :)

Crazy, eh? :) There's a LOT of money in China though, and apparently they sell exceptionally well.

Ah thanks. Added it. I'm up for any contemporary drama that looks good and is under 20 episodes at this point :)

It's a Yangwang U8 (technically a BYD Auto car) - an electric luxury brand in China (has U8 on the number plate in one scene -- although, IMO, they didn't do a particularly good job showing off its emblem, IMO - made it a bit difficult to see). Beautiful car, though, isn't it? And supposed to be a dream to drive.

EDIT: Just checked the cost out of curiosity :) Back in September 2023 when the first one was released, its Premium Edition was selling for $155,000-plus. Not cheap :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbAB0ICj1Mc

Speed?

Ooh, thanks for that Fake It or Make It recommendation. Just added it to my watch list. Looks like my cup of tea :)

A fair number surprisingly. It was mandatory when I went to high school in the UK (for ages 11 thru 16), as it was thought to both help develop our brains and teach logical thought. Which it actually does as it's a very logical language, and quite simple once you learn the rules. So most of us were able to hold conversations and could read a book by the time we graduated. Can't say I remember anywhere near as much as I should. Too long ago :)

Many English words (French, Spanish, Italian etc) are also based on Latin so you learn other languages much easier once you've a grounding in Latin. (Understanding Latin cases has helped me with German (currently live in Austria). That's why some linguists are fluent in Latin, as are many historians whose emphasis is on Ancient Rome or that time period.

I also know a couple of high school kids who go to a Catholic school in the UK, and they are fluent in conversational Latin. Not sure how common that is though?