When the Lights Rise Complete Release Schedule: All 26 Episodes, Platforms, and Global Timings

Tencent Video’s Republican-era suspense drama When the Lights Rise arrived without a long marketing push on October 26, 2026, and within three days it had pulled a 9.3 rating on the platform. The show runs for 26 episodes, each lasting 15 to 19 minutes. For viewers outside China, the release pattern is split between Tencent Video, WeTV, and iflix, with different drop times depending on the region. Here is the full schedule, the cast list, and where each episode lands for global audiences.

What the Story Is About

The series is set in 1936 Shanghai, inside the foreign concessions where wealthy families lived behind neon lights and closed doors. Mei Yuhe works as a seamstress for rich clients. Her younger sister Mei Xiaozhu dies under strange circumstances, and Mei Yuhe refuses to accept the official explanation.

She performs her own examination of her sister’s body and finds evidence that points toward powerful people. A loan shark named Ding Zhao becomes her partner in the investigation. Together they move through the social circles of Shanghai’s elite, pulling at secrets that connect money, sex, and control. The show mixes a revenge plot with a case file that keeps widening as the episodes move forward.

Who Is in the Cast

Xu Jiao plays Mei Yuhe, the seamstress who turns investigator. Ye Zuxin plays Ding Zhao, the loan shark who helps her. Lu Xiaolin appears as Kuang Yinyue, Liu Chang plays Lv Mengde, Wang Zhuocheng plays Jing Fanshu, and Cao Danni plays Ding Yiyi. The series is directed by Zhou Yaping and Fu Xiaoyi, and produced by Lanbaihong Pictures.

Full Episode Schedule on Tencent Video

The release plan on Tencent Video runs on a two-track system for VIP and non-VIP users. All times are China Standard Time (CST).

VIP members

• October 26, 2026 — Episodes 1 through 6 arrive at 12:00 PM CST on launch day.
• October 27 to October 30, 2026 — 2 episodes per day at 12:00 PM CST. By the end of October 30, VIP members can watch up to Episode 14.
• October 31, 2026 onward — 1 episode per day at 12:00 PM CST.
• The final episode (Episode 26) lands on November 11, 2026 for VIP members.

Non-VIP members

• October 26, 2026 — Episodes 1 and 2 become available at 12:00 PM CST.
• October 27 to November 11, 2026 — 1 episode per day at 12:00 PM CST.
• November 12, 2026 onward — 2 episodes per day at 12:00 PM CST until the finale.

This means a viewer without a VIP subscription will finish the season later than a VIP member, but the full 26 episodes remain accessible on the same platform.

Global Streaming Platforms and Timings

Viewers outside mainland China can follow the show through WeTV, Tencent’s international streaming service, and iflix, which carries the series in several Southeast Asian markets. Both platforms release episodes close to the Tencent Video schedule, though exact clock times shift by region.

United States (ET/PT)

• New episodes appear on WeTV around 12:00 AM ET / 9:00 PM PT on the same calendar day as the China release. The launch day drop of six episodes is available from October 26 evening US time.
• iflix carries the series for US viewers who have access to the platform through its regional catalogue.

United Kingdom (GMT/BST)

• WeTV releases episodes at 5:00 AM BST on the same day as the China drop. The first six episodes land on the morning of October 27 for UK viewers following the China launch on October 26.

Canada (ET/PT)

• The schedule matches the US pattern. Episodes arrive on WeTV at 12:00 AM ET on the same day as the China release.

Australia (AEST/AEDT)

• WeTV publishes episodes at 2:00 PM AEST on the same day as the China release. The launch day batch of six episodes is available from the afternoon of October 26 for Australian viewers.

India (IST)

• WeTV releases episodes at 9:30 AM IST on the same day as the China release. The first six episodes arrive on the morning of October 26 for Indian viewers.

Global note: iflix lists all 26 episodes under its catalogue for regions where the platform operates, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Subtitle options include English, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic, according to the iflix episode page. Viewers in regions without WeTV or iflix access can check Rakuten Viki, which has carried Chinese short-form dramas in the past, though Viki had not listed the series at the time of this writing.

How the Show Performed in Its First Week

When the Lights Rise opened to a 9.3 rating on Tencent Video after its first six episodes. The platform’s heat index for the show crossed 14,000 within 24 hours of launch, according to entertainment outlets tracking the numbers. The rating held at 9.3 through the first weekend, placing it above several bigger-budget long dramas that premiered in the same month.

The show’s short episode length has been a talking point. Each instalment runs 15 to 19 minutes, which means the full season is roughly the length of a standard 10-episode drama. Tencent Video placed the series under its “premium short drama” label, a category the platform has been building since 2024.

What Viewers Are Saying

Discussion around the show has centred on its visual style and its pace. A review from TrueID Entertainment described the series as a revenge story that uses a woman’s loss as the starting point for exposing upper-class secrets, with a lead character who relies on wits rather than force. The same review noted that the show’s success depends on how well it resolves its mysteries and manages its pacing across 26 episodes.

Chinese entertainment commentators have pointed to the show’s “cyber-Republican” aesthetic, a look that mixes neon lighting, rain-soaked streets, and industrial sound design rather than the warm yellow tones usually used in period dramas set in old Shanghai. A review from Toutiao called the visual approach a break from the standard Republican-era formula, and credited the short episode length with keeping the story tight.

Criticism has focused on plot logic. One widely shared review pointed out that the lead character performs a dissection on her sister’s body without any medical background, and that some of the early investigative steps stretch credibility. The same review still gave the show credit for its momentum and its look. The 9.3 rating suggests that the majority of viewers on Tencent Video were willing to accept the show’s faster, looser approach to procedure in exchange for its pacing.

Production Details and Episode Count

When the Lights Rise is produced by Lanbaihong Pictures, the company behind the award-winning short drama Rolling Gears. The series was filed for approval in April 2025, started filming on October 18, 2025, and wrapped on November 16, 2025. The full season runs 26 episodes. The show is classified as a Republican suspense drama with a focus on female resistance, class conflict, and crime investigation.

Tencent Video has not announced a second season. The finale for VIP members arrives on November 11, 2026, and the non-VIP run closes later in November. Subtitle options on iflix include English, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Bahasa Melayu.

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