The Lead: Story, Cast and Series Facts
The Lead (2026): Drama. Series details, synopsis and season dates from TVmaze.
Story and premise
The TV drama, The Lead, tells the story of Qinqiang opera actress Yi Qin'e, who is brought into the troupe by her uncle, Hu Sanyuan, by accident. Over nearly half a century of rises and falls, glories and declines, she grows from a shepherdess into a renowned Qinqiang opera star. At the same time, through the winding journey of Qinqiang opera, the drama mirrors the emotional lives and destinies of ordinary people amid four decades of transformation in Chinese society.
Series details
- Title: The Lead
- Format: Scripted
- Language: Chinese
- Genres: Drama
- Premiere date: 2026-05-10
- Final broadcast date listed: 2026-06-03
- Status in TVmaze: Ended
- Network listed by TVmaze: CCTV-1
- Web channel listed by TVmaze: Tencent QQ
- Network country: China
- Typical episode runtime: 47 minutes
- TVMaze ID: 82994
Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue
- Season 1: premiered 2026-05-10; final listed air date 2026-06-03; episode order: 48.
Source and licence
Adapted from The Lead on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.
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