# The Knockout (2023)

> A group of investigators in a mainland Chinese city untangle a web of bribery and organized crime while their personal lives fray around them.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/132269

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 39
- Episode runtime: 46 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Network: CCTV-8, iQiyi
- Cast: Zhang Yi, Zhang Songwen, Li Yitong, Zhang Zhijian, Ni Dahong, Han Tongsheng, Li Jianyi, Shi Zhaoqi
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26235088/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, tense, grounded

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the series positively, praising its gritty portrayal of corruption and the performances of its ensemble cast.

## Synopsis

Ordinary Days follows a close-knit group of investigators and street-level officers in a mid-sized mainland Chinese city as they chase a web of bribery, extortion and organized crime that reaches into local government. Told through a rotating ensemble, the series balances procedural detail with the personal costs of honest work: strained marriages, compromised loyalties, and the slow erosion of idealism. Its tone is serious and melancholic, with moments of dry humor and quiet tenderness among colleagues who rely on one another. Scenes are grounded and unhurried, favoring handheld intimacy and muted color over spectacle. Violence is present but sporadic and never gratuitous, and the narrative leans on interrogations, stakeouts, and tense confrontations rather than action set pieces. The story arrives at a bittersweet resolution: justice is partial, some losses stick, and the characters endure. Viewers drawn to morally complicated police dramas, ensemble character studies, and socially observant crime stories will find a patient, humane portrait of institutional rot and personal decency.

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