The VI Group of Fatal Case

On a rainy night, four armed robbers burst into a village wedding and take a child. Veteran detective Liu Hua (刘华) leads the chase and is killed by a booby-trapped mine; his police badge number is left at the scene and becomes the key clue. The story follows what happens next, as the future members of Group Six work out how to operate as one team.

Zhang Yishan (张一山) plays Zeng Keqiang (曾克强), nicknamed Da Zeng ("Big Zeng"), an undercover detective. Li Muchen (李沐宸) plays Ji Jie (季洁), a careful young investigator, and Guo Xiaodong (郭晓东) plays team leader Zheng Yimin (郑一民). Later cases include a serial bombing, a body found in a river and an insurance-fraud mine collapse.

The setting is the late 1990s, roughly ten years before the events of the original series, according to media coverage at launch. The series is a prequel rather than a remake. Li Ang (李昂) is credited as writer and director; he had earlier worked on the script of the franchise's third season.

The original Major Crimes Group Six (重案六组) began in 2001 and ran to four seasons and 130 episodes in total (Chinese Wikipedia). Its fourth part aired in 2011, and it became one of mainland China's best-known police series.

This prequel was co-produced by Beijing Radio and Television, Forbidden City Pictures, Hairun Pictures and Mars Ball. Filming began in April 2026 in Qijiang, Chongqing. It aired on Jiangsu Satellite TV's Happiness Theater, described as that slot's first mid-length series, and streamed on iQIYI.

On reception, the hashtag "Give back Ji Jie" trended on Weibo on opening night, and Douban reviews included many low scores, mainly aimed at Li Muchen's performance as a more emotional, less composed Ji Jie than the original. Some viewers defended it as fitting a 28-year-old. Li Muchen publicly apologized on September 7.