Review: The Imperial Coroner 2 (2026)
Summary: Three years after getting married, Chu Chu ft Su Xiao Tong is now busy as an Imperial Coroner while Xiao Jin Yu ft Wang Zi Qi runs the department. Diplomats arrive from the kingdom of Nan Zhao that cause tension with the Tang dynasty. Chu Chu and Xiao Jin Yu must work to solve various crimes and prevent Nan Zhao’s nefarious plot from coming to fruition.
Platform: Tencent
Episodes: 28
Airing Date: Jan 15, 2026
Initial Rating (after 13 episodes): 6.3/10 – Though the drama tries to keep the heart of season 1, the slow pace of the plot severely drags the show down. Despite kickstarting the coroner trope back in 2021, this show now pales in comparison with other historical detective shows (see: Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and The Coroner’s Diary)
xiao jin yu 萧瑾瑜 wang zi qi 王子奇
Prince of An Jun, Head of the Inspectorate
chu ch 楚楚 su xiao tong 苏晓彤
First imperial coroner in the kingdom
jing yi 景翊 yang ting dong 杨廷东
Friend to Xiao Jin Yu and his subordinate
leng yue 冷月 zhao yao ke 赵尧珂
Married to Jing Yi. Formidable fighter
Initial Thoughts
I was quite excited to see season 2 of this drama finally air. Season 1 was a surprise hit back in 2021 and it garnered rave reviews for the main cast with its strong messaging and cute chemistry. That’s when this website first started writing reviews and I was obsessed with season 1. Oddly, none of the main cast really broke out except for Wang Zi Qi. He has starred in lead roles here and there but is still not in the A-list of young actors. People know who he is, but he’s not in the male idol category. As for Su Xiao Tong, she literally has not been in anything of note in the last 5 years and definitely NOT in leading roles. I’m not sure what happened to her career but it certainly did not take off after season 1 of the Imperial Coroner .
Season 2 was filmed back in late 2024-early 2025 and promotional photos came out throughout the year. It is now airing on Tencent.
Unfortunately. this drama is not doing well at all. It has not even breached 22,000 on Tencent’s popularity index which is abysmal for how much buzz there was for the low budget season 1. Per episode views are very low as well. There are only 2 other dramas airing right now of note and this is placing well below those in rankings.
Let’s talk below about the issues.
Why It's Not Living Up to Season 1
- Slow moving plot: While the first case moved at a decent enough speed, the moment the diplomats from Nan Zhao come into play, the plot becomes overstuffed that the cases themselves fall secondary to marital issues, political challenges and international relations. That really slowed down the pace of the show such that, sadly, I’m watching at 1.5x speed and nothing important really happens from a case perspective. I’m here to watch Chu Chu work with her team to solve why people died. That is almost put on the backburner while Chu Chu becomes teacher to the 2nd prince of Nan Zhao, the Nan Zhao king is plotting something against the Tang etc. That’s not to say these threads aren’t interesting, but they’re not executed well. Compare this to the last case in Season 3 of Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty where there’s a similar diplomatic envoy intent on causing harm. That was much more contained and to the point. To me, 13 episodes in, I feel like the story is dragging its feet and not engaging at all. My primary ding on this drama is for how slow moving it is.
- Saturated characterizations: Though season 1 really helped bring the role of coroner to the forefront for detective costume dramas, in the 5 years since, that characterization has now become common place. We had The Coroner’s Diary and The Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty last year which also covered coroners. Many other dramas where the cast is solving cases and the main female lead often takes on the skill of coroner. If not her, at least someone on the team. Therefore, in order to make the plot of the Imperial Coroner stand out, you really need some extra pizzaz. Though the team of Chu Chu, Xiao Jin Yu, Jing Yi and Leng Yue work well together, there’s not enough nuance or intrigue to differentiate them from other dramas over the last few years
- Chu Chu and Jin Yu’s marital issues: The drama starts out with Chu Chu explaining that they have been married for 3 years and the drama opens with her going to her first imperial banquet. While I understand the cast needed to move time forward in order to address the long gap between season 1 and season 2, the problems that Jin Yu and Chu Chu face right now seem like they would be more appropriate if they just got married. Like how Jin Yu handles infidelity rumors, or how to step in to protect his wife against questions from the Emperor. While I understand that these are important plot points to help show Chu Chu’s challenges in a male dominated field, it does seem out of place to only just START addressing these questions, 3 years on.
What I Liked -
- Chu Chu’s abilities: These types of dramas always shine when the characters are allowed to do what they do best. Chu Chu loves her job and is always glowing when she is able to do her work. There is no plot for revenge, or needing to figure out which political camp to side on. For her? She is of no background of consequence but her only passion and job is to be the best coroner she can be. That is what makes her shine. Most of the time she works in sync with Xiao Jin Yu and they are a formidable team. This is the most attractive part of the story and should be what is highlighted.
- Jing Yi and Leng Yue’s relationship: Due to both Chu Chu and Xiao Jin Yu being a bit more reserved and career oriented, Jing Yi and Leng Yue are the comedic relief to the show. Their relationship is quite sweet as Jing Yi constantly defers to his more abrasive wife but he loves her dearly.
- Overall, this drama has heart as it tries to keep the relationships we are familiar with from season 1 grounded. It falters in trying to move us through interesting cases. If all we were treated to were cases 5-6 episodes each, this would’ve be a much better drama.
I will keep watching and update this review if my overall thoughts change.
Karen