Netflix Has A New #2 Show, And It's So Good It Scored A Rare Instant Renewal

Published Sep 20, 2026, 7:30 PM EDT

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The way Netflix has been delivering one great hit after another this year, it's no wonder the streaming service has remained everyone's first choice for the better part of the last decade. And now another show has managed to turn into a surprise hit, with season 1 doing so well that it got an instant renewal almost immediately after ending. The show in question is none other than the Chinese workplace drama The Early Spring.

While Netflix only serves as the global distributor for the series, there's no question that the platform helped The Early Spring find the right audience. The show has climbed all the way to No. 2 on Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English TV list, becoming the first Chinese television series to break into the global #2. That's pretty wild for a Chinese drama on Netflix, especially one that many viewers might normally scroll past without giving a second look.

But there is actually a pretty good reason the show has been getting so much attention. The Early Spring isn't just another office romance where two attractive coworkers spend 24 episodes refusing to admit they like each other. Jing Boran plays a sharp-tongued advertising executive, while Sun Qian plays a determined rookie trying to survive Beijing's brutal work culture.

Their relationship gets messy pretty quickly, with a power dynamic that's far less predictable than the usual sweet workplace romance drama. That combination clearly clicked with viewers, because The Early Spring is already coming back with Midsummer Clear Skies in 2027.

The Early Spring Subverts Typical Office Romance Tropes With A Sharp Corporate Reality Check

The Early Spring sets up its main cast right from the first episode, and Flora's first day at Lime is pretty much a disaster. Shang Zhi Tao, who goes by the English office name Flora, leaves her hometown for Beijing hoping to finally get a big break. She lands an interview at Lime, one of China's biggest advertising companies, but that doesn't exactly go as planned.

Luan Nian, or Luke, one of Lime's executives, takes an instant dislike to Flora's lack of experience and connections. As far as he's concerned, she isn't useful to the company and should just resign. Not exactly the warmest welcome. But the show wouldn't be called a workplace drama if the main leads weren't in the same company, so Lime's HR team hires her anyway, leaving Flora working at the same company as the man who already decided she wasn't good enough.

That setup gives The Early Spring plenty of room to build Flora and Luke's relationship without rushing it. Flora has to prove herself first, while Luke slowly starts realizing that his first impression of her might have been completely wrong. The workplace tension eventually turns into something more complicated, with their relationship moving between romance, arguments, and all the problems that come with working together.

The roommates help keep things from getting too serious. Flora's friends Sun Yu and Sun Yuan Zhu become her little found family in Beijing, giving the show some much-needed lighter moments outside the office. And despite running for 24 episodes, The Early Spring doesn't spend the entire season dragging out the romance. The workplace drama actually gets room to breathe, which makes the relationship feel a lot more natural.

The Early Spring Proves Netflix Doesn't Need A K-Drama To Score An Instant Global Hit

The Early Spring is a pretty good reminder that Netflix doesn't need another K-drama to find its next international hit. The show has already spent three weeks on the Global Top 10, reached No. 2 among Netflix's non-English shows, and picked up a direct sequel for 2027. That's a lot of attention for a Chinese workplace drama that could have easily been overlooked by viewers who usually stick to Korean or English-language shows.

K-dramas have already made the jump from niche favorites to some of Netflix's most-watched shows of all time. Now C-dramas are starting to get the same kind of attention, and The Early Spring could be one of the shows that helps push that change forward. With Flora and Luke's story continuing in Midsummer Clear Skies, the first season clearly isn't the end of this little Netflix surprise. If anything, it looks like the beginning of something much bigger for C-dramas.

Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.