Dubbed as China’s answer to America’s Friends, iPartment 爱情公寓 is returning for its 5th season. The youths who called iPartment their home return once again as much older forms of themselves and having a much better direction in life but with the same silliness. A marriage is about to happen but of course, they just wouldn’t let a joyous occasion pass by without some funny occurrence, right?
One of them appears to have matured enough to shed off his playboy side and stay loyal to his lovely girlfriend while the others are just enjoying their singlehood, the new season bringing brand new troubles and surprises in their lives.
Original cast members Lou Yixiao, Li Jiahang, Sun Yizhou and Li Jinming return for the final season. Zhang Yiduo, Cheng Guo and Wan Zilin also join the cast while another OG member Chen He takes a special starring role.
With Friends being my all-time favorite, any homage to the show is welcome but iPartment has gotten criticisms for copying Western sitcom with scenes not only from Friends but also other shows. Its take on a story about a group of young people living in Shanghai went on to be become a success nonetheless with four seasons resonating with the Chinese viewers that now look back at the franchise with fond nostalgia.
The director, Wei Zheng, said during a presscon that this season will be the last and while many fans are saddened by the news, I think it’s a good decision because sometimes, the more you prolong a show, the more the quality goes down. And since it took a few years for this last season to develop, I think fans of the show can expect a a fitting end for the characters they’ve grown to love over the years.
Release Date: January 12, 2020 iQIYI
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