# Under The Skin (2022)

> A young artist who once got caught in a botched police case returns to the force as a portraitist helping Captain Du Cheng solve crimes.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/115460

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 48
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Network: iQiyi, Tencent Video
- Cast: Tan Jianci, Jin Shijia, Zhang Bojia, Zhu Jiaqi, Lu Yanqi, Qin Hailu, Fang Zibin, Zhou Yanchen
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18774086/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: tense, somber, methodical

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with a stronger first season and a weaker second season.

## Synopsis

Under the Skin (2022-2024) is a Chinese crime drama series created for iQiyi and Tencent Video, a two-season serialized police procedural with forty-eight episodes. Young artist Shen Yi (Tan Jianci) is pulled back into the world of policing seven years after a commission went wrong, joining the Criminal Investigation Unit as a portraitist. He works alongside the steady Captain Du Cheng (Jin Shijia) and fellow officer He Rongyue (Zhang Bojia), using sketches of suspects and victims to move cases forward. Each investigation begins with a face and a fragment of testimony, then widens into fraud, trafficking and domestic violence as the team chases leads through the city. The engine is Shen Yi's struggle to reconcile his artistic eye with the cost of the crimes he helps expose. The tone is tense and somber, with a grounded contemporary atmosphere and an emphasis on investigative patience over spectacle. Fans of Mindhunter, The Killing and Chinese police dramas will find much to appreciate in its methodical, character-focused approach to crime.

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