Poster of the network Medical Examiner Dr. Qin [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Pioneering Professional Drama 

Dr. Qin is a pioneer of its genre. In comparison with the popularity of family, youth and spy dramas, the professional drama has long been ignored by Chinese TV producers.

The forensic doctor is a mysterious job in the eyes of most people. Delving into their hardships and professional working attitudes was the initial reason for producing the drama, according to Guo Linyuan, major producer of Dr. Qi.

"We have been praised for the variety of lifelike props utilized in the drama, as we sincerely want to present the real criminal scenes and working conditions of medical examiners to the viewers," Guo added.

"Some of the scenes in the drama really get me sick. But I have to say that they really do a great job in the processing of drama details," one netizen said.

Leading actor Zhang Ruoyun said the role of forensic doctor was a big challenge.

"Compared with other roles, it is a brand new field for me. I have done full preparations with the help of the book writer and forensic doctorS. And I truly thank them for their guidance in shaping me like a real forensic doctor in the drama," he said.

Dr. Qin inspires in-house content search

After the huge success of Dr. Qin so far, Sohu TV has decided to continue the legendary story, green-lighting a second and third season.

Meanwhile, Sohu TV CEO Zhang Chaoyang holds the view that Dr. Qin is a good start for active explorations of in-house productions.

"We will focus more on TV material and content in the future. When good contents meet an innovative producing team, excellent network dramas just come," Zhang said.

"In comparison with traditional TV series, dramas produced by video websites are more market-led and audience-oriented. Much attention is paid to the input-output ratio. On the basis of controlling relative manufacturing costs, a superior screenwriter plus amazing storylines will determine the destiny of a network drama," Zhang added.