“Being a Hero” Which Stars Chen Xiao and Wang Yibo Makes Its Surprise Premiere

Chen Xiao and Wang Yibo’s Being a Hero 冰雨火 caught many unawares as it quietly hit the small screens on August 11 to no fanfare. For a much anticipated collaboration between Chen Xiao and Wang Yibo in a genre that reminds you of the Hong Kong classic Infernal Affairs, I’m surprised there wasn’t much publicity done (if any at all) to hype up the show’s upcoming release. The lack of publicity and promotion meant that many viewers didn’t tune in, thus putting the show solidly on #6 behind Growing Pains 2 少年派2 for its debut episodes.

There’s even a funny hashtag online saying how the show must have “forgotten” to notify their two male leads about its premiere last night and couldn’t get in touch with them in time. I mean, Yibo promoted the show and his character on social media three hours AFTER the first episode aired at 18:00. Netizens also pointed out how the idol’s official page has not yet updated from his Legend of Fei poster to the new show when it first aired. Meanwhile, Chen Xiao only started sharing the drama’s poster the next day and his top comment was from a fan who said, “Bro, you’re finally online”.

Debuting to Good Reviews

I haven’t watched the show yet, but initial reviews from viewers who managed to catch last night’s episodes appear to be good. For one thing, the show did away with the “pretty” filters typically used by dramas to emphasise the gritty nature of the drug underworld and the flawed nature of some of its characters. The script has also received some praise particularly for all the research done in order to present a realistic and believable story to viewers.

Whereas the theme of the story is a bit heavier than the usual light fare served up by the recent shows on the air, the mystery surrounding Wu Zhenfeng’s (Chen Xiao) father’s death and the hard road ahead for those going under deep cover to bust up the drug trafficking ring and bring justice will surely hook you in. If you wanna switch things up with your “to watch” list or if police procedurals are your jam, maybe give this a watch.

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