The Best TV Shows on CCTV-1

Every CCTV-1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Our curated list, current as of September 2025, showcases over 20 of CCTV-1’s highest-rated series. Notable series such as CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch and CCTV Spring Festival Gala from CCTV-1 first graced the screens in 1983 and 1983. CCTV-1 has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1983 all the way to 2018.

  • 阿U
    阿U (2012)10.0

  • Dream of the Red Chamber
    Dream of the Red Chamber (1987)9.4

    Dream of the Red Chamber, first released in 1987, was a television series produced by CCTV, adapted from the classic 18th century Chinese novel of the same name. It gained enormous popularity for its music, cast, and plot adaptation, being regarded by many within China as being a near-definitive adaptation of the story.

  • The Romance Of Three Kingdoms
    The Romance Of Three Kingdoms (1994)9.1

    Adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. The focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.

  • GG Bond
    GG Bond (2006)9.1

  • CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch
    CCTV Spring Festival Gala: Crosstalk and Sketch (1983)9.0

  • 天上掉下个猪八戒
    天上掉下个猪八戒 (2005)9.0

  • Jing-Ju Cats
    Jing-Ju Cats (2015)9.0

    Formally a paradise for all cats, the Cat Land Purpetua has been invaded and occupied by the dark lord AN, aided by his enslaved mutant monsters. The evil chaos reigns throughout the Purpetua and leads everything down to a wrong path. Only Jing-Ju Cats can overthrow An and resist the forces of evil chaos. A cat named LIL'PAI from the Clangour Town was once rescued by a Jing- Ju Cat at a very young age. He swore to be a great Jing-Ju Cat when he grows up. Once in a fight with monsters, he met the descendants of Jing- Ju Cats WU, ZAD and JEAN, and started to learn Kung Fu from their master Tang Ming and Granny GIN. The young LIL'PAI had neither blue blood nor outstanding talents. However, because of his amazing endeavor and the will of never giving up, he had succeeded through many trials and tribulations. LIL'PAI and his fellow Jing-Ju Cats rejoin forces to defeat the evil threat, reclaim their home and restore the peace in their land.

  • The Grand Mansion Gate
    The Grand Mansion Gate (2001)8.8

    This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Ching dynasty. The affairs of this family of doctors/pharmacists (which in those days were one and the same) are intimately linked with social upheavals of the time such as the encroachment of Christian missionaries and foreign imperialism as well as conflicts that inevitably emerge in a large upper class family. Comparable in scope and production value to such recent titles as "Downton Abbey", the lives and character of both masters and servants intertwine in plot lines that spans more than a generation.

  • Drawing Sword
    Drawing Sword (2005)8.7

    Li Yunlong, a bold and unconventional leader during the War of Resistance, leads his battalion to victory against Japanese forces. Amid rivalry and friendship with fellow general Chu Yunfei, he is wounded in battle and later finds love with nurse Tian Yu, facing the challenges of war and changing times alongside his comrades and family.

  • Journey to the West
    Journey to the West (1986)8.4

    Journey to the West is a Chinese television series adapted from the classical novel of the same title. The series was first broadcast on CCTV in China on 1 October 1986. The series became an instant classic in China and is still being praised as the best and most authentic interpretation of the novel. Unadapted portions of the original story were later covered in the second season, which was released in 1999.

  • Judge of Song Dynasty
    Judge of Song Dynasty (2005)8.4

    Stories of a judge who lives in the Song Dynasty of China and familiar with forensic pathology.

  • The Qin Empire
    The Qin Empire (2009)8.3

    The rise of the Qin state in the Warring States period during the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin.

  • Boonie Bears: The Adventurers
    Boonie Bears: The Adventurers (2017)8.3

  • Like a Flowing River
    Like a Flowing River (2018)8.3

    The story of Song Yunhui, Lei Dongbao, and Yang Xun as they take part in China’s economic reform from the 1980s to the 1990s.

  • 熊出没之环球大冒险
    熊出没之环球大冒险 (2012)8.0

  • Boonie Bears
    Boonie Bears (2012)7.9

    Starring two bears, Briar and Bramble, who continuously try to stop Logger Vick from cutting down trees in their forest. Vick constantly tries to carry out his job as a woodcutter, only to be hilariously outwitted by the bears.

  • CCTV Spring Festival Gala
    CCTV Spring Festival Gala (1983)5.8

  • Love Stories in the Countryside
    Love Stories in the Countryside (2006)5.5

  • Liu Lao Gen
    Liu Lao Gen (2002)N/A

  • Voice
    Voice (2012)N/A