Police Cadet '84 (新紮師兄)

A group of young recruits go through police training, and the show follows what the job does to each of them. Tony Leung Chiu-wai (梁朝偉) and Maggie Cheung (張曼玉) appear before they were famous. It felt like finding an old photo album.

The drama is modest and grounded, closer to a school story than a thriller. I liked how it let friendships and small mistakes matter. A few episodes run on sentiment, but they never feel false.

Twenty episodes is easy to finish in a weekend. Treat it as a time capsule of the mid-eighties. It is warm and a little melancholy.