The Legend of the Condor Heroes (射鵰英雄傳 1983)

Adapted from Louis Cha's novel, this is the version my parents still bring up first. Guo Jing (郭靖) is honest to a fault, and Huang Rong (黃蓉) is quick enough for both of them. Barbara Yung's Huang Rong set a bar that later actresses are still measured against.

The martial arts are modest by today's standard, with plenty of wires and few effects. What carries it is the friendship, the banter and a sense that virtue might actually be rewarded. The long middle stretch drags a little, but the pay-off lands.

At fifty-nine episodes it asks for real commitment. I spread it over several weeks and never felt I had wasted a night. If you want to understand why this genre mattered, start here.