Netflix’s Million Follower Detective Cast And Characters Guide

Netflix’s Taiwanese crime thriller series, “Million Follower Detective,” acts as a reminder against our growing concerns about influencer culture. Every single day we come across a case or two where a social media influencer is accused of manipulating common perceptions to suit their needs or adopting dangerous tendencies solely to make their content famous. Netflix’s drama follows a veteran detective, Chen Chia-jen, joining hands with a rookie cop, Hsing-ping Li, and an influencer, Ting-Yu Lin, to get to the bottom of a serial murder mystery, and it is duly supported by a strong ensemble of talented actors who did their best with the roles they were given. Even though the characterization often borders on clichéd treatment, with ludicrous portrayals of Gen Z characters, the leads were accorded a certain depth to make the series feel quite enjoyable.

Chen Chia-jen, Played by Ekin Cheng

Hong Kong based renowned actor/ singer, Ekin Cheng started his acting journey with tv series, “Always Ready”, before getting wider recognition with his diversified silver screen roles in movies like “Girls Without Tomorrow”, Triad centered “Young and Dangerous” movie series, “The Storm Riders”, wuxia film “A Man Called Hero”, “Rule No. 1” etc. In “Million Follower Detective,” Cheng plays the lead role of veteran detective Chen Chia-Jen, an experienced investigator who appears to be a fish out of water in his adherence to old-school ways in a dynamic, ever-evolving digital age. One of the prime follies in Chen appears to be his unwillingness to accept change and adapt himself according to it, which is why when he fails to cope with the grief of losing his wife, he ends up ruining his relationship with his stepdaughter, Yu-chieh. Chen’s prejudice against influencers and struggle with technology, radiating peak boomer energy, are also reflections of this trait of his. Despite being quite a sentimental father figure, Chen’s stubborn nature hampers his efforts of reconciliation with Yu-chieh. 

However, when it comes to investigation, Chen is second to none and is shown to have excellent deductive and observational skills. A straight-arrow cop, Chen doesn’t take shortcuts or use extrajudicial methods to get the job done. Despite being under immense pressure in both his professional and personal life, Chen neither breaks during the prolonged investigation and nor lets his emotions get the best of him either. Ekin Cheng channelled 90s Hong Kong noir movie lead vibes in his portrayal of Chen Chia-jen, not merely in character aesthetics but also through growth as well. By the end of the first season, Detective Chen is able to appreciate the ingenuity of the younger generation and tries to mold himself according to the demands of his reality. 

Hsing-ping Li, played by Patty Pei-Yu Lee

Taiwanese actor/activist Patty Pei-Yu Lee has found recognition thanks to her performance in TV series like “You Are My Sister,” “Taiwan Crime Stories,” “Shards of Her,” and silver screen roles in “My Missing Valentine,” “One Minute More,” etc. In the series, Lee plays the role of timid, tech-expert amateur detective Hsing-Ping Li, whose determination to prove her worth more than makes up for her inexperience. Despite facing pushback from chauvinist superiors like Chen-wei, Hsing-ping perseveres and remains resolute in her goal of attaining true justice. Hsing-ping carries the guilt of not being able to help a woman who was a victim of a toxic relationship, as her superiors didn’t pay heed to her repeated pleas to take cautionary actions. This guilt drives Hsing-ping to do the right thing, even putting her own career on the line if need be. The mentor/student partnership between Hsing-ping and Chen Chia-jen is one of the key highlights of the series, and what makes their bond unique is that both of them learn from each other. Patty Lee embodied Hsing-ping’s courageous, honest nature pretty well and reflected her emotional burdens with her compelling performance. 

Ting-Yu Lin, Played by Jun Shuo Lou

Taiwanese actor/singer Jun Shuo Lou has previously acted in movies like “Organ Child,” “I Am the Secret in Your Heart,” and “My Best Friend’s Breakfast.” In the series, he plays the role of Ting-Yu Lin, a teenage influencer who becomes the target of a vengeful Dr. Kuo Ta-fu. For quite a long time, Ting-yu remains in denial about the past mistake of abandoning Ta-fu and his family until the mysterious killer starts targeting him and his friends. Having been abandoned by his father at a young age and carrying the burden of debt he left on him, Ting-yu didn’t hold much regard for the elder generation—and in that regard, he isn’t that different from Detective Chen, as both of them are somewhat prejudiced. However, as Ting-yu gets to know more about Detective Chen and his estranged relationship with his daughter, he feels inclined to help him learn to the ways of the new generation. At the same time, Ting-Yu forms a strong bond of friendship with Hsing-Ping, whose strong morale eventually inspires Ting-Yu to come clean about his own and his influencer friends’ past mistakes and confess in public. The makers could have explored Ting-yu’s connection with his late father a bit more, as many of his scenes were wasted in generic, nonsensical portrayals of the Gen Z demography. 

Miscellaneous Characters 

Aside from the leads, the supporting cast of “Million Follower Detective” delivered good performances with the roles they were given. Bo Chieh-wang’s portrayal of vengeful Dr. Kuo Ta-fu carried a sense of pathos, which allowed the viewers to somewhat sympathize with the killer. Lee Lee-zen’s performance as crooked tech division chief, Chen-wei He, was great. Buffy Yen was excellent as Chen’s stepdaughter, and the original mind behind the Witch Baba, Yu-chieh Chen, and Lyan Cheng added a tragic undertone to the series with her performance as Pin-Hsuan Yeh. 

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