Mobius (TV series)

Mobius (Chinese: 不眠日) is an upcoming Chinese Sci-fi time-travel whodunit series, starring Bai Jingting, Janice Man and Song Yang in the lead roles.^[1] It is adapted from Zhang Xiaomao's novel "Ni Shi Zhen Cha Zu” meaning "Time Reversal Detective Squad".^[2] It centers on a detective who inadvertently acquires the supernatural ability to time travel five times a day. Bound by a structured cycle that repeats only five times, he utilizes this skill to prevent crimes.^[3][4]

Mobius
Also known as	Sleepless Days Give Me Five
Simplified Chinese	不眠日
Genre	Time travel Sci-Fi Detective Mystery Thriller Supernatural
Based on	Ni Shi Zhen Cha Zu by Zhang Xiaomao
Screenplay by	Bi Qiang Jiang Wuji
Directed by	Liu Zhangmu
Starring	Bai Jingting Janice Man Song Yang Liu Yijun Zhang Bojia Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying
Country of origin	China
Original language	Mandarin
No. of episodes	16
Production
Production locations	Guangdong, China
Running time	45 minutes
Production companies	Youhug Media iQIYI
Original release
Network	iQIYI

Plot

Detective Ding Qi accidentally gains the ability to loop through time and repeat a single day up to five times. This does not involve infinite loops. At the end of each cycle, time resets to midnight, and individuals within this world lose all memory of the previous loops, except for a selected few who retain some fragments. Ding Qi leverages the first four iterations to gather clues and evidence, allowing him to prevent crimes by the final cycle. The plot intensifies when a mysterious murder warning from a suspect, named "X," surfaces. Ding Qi begins to suspect that X might also possess time-looping abilities, given the suspect’s seemingly perfect crimes. As the investigation deepens, it connects to a genetic research corporation, entangling people close to him. Thus begins an intense pursuit across time and space as Ding Qi, along with his team, gradually uncovers the truth behind the mystery. Meanwhile, Ding Qi gains deeper insight into his own powers.^[5]

• Time Cycle Perceiver: A person who retains fragment of their memory from the previous four cycles.^[6]
• Ultimate Cycle Day: The 5th and final loop, the most challenging cycle due to the presence of others like Ding Qi, who retains their memories and continuously alter the course of events.^[7]
• Mobius Strip: Where the detective's pursuit and the villain's evasion form an endless, cyclical pattern in the cracks of time and space.^[8]

Cast

Character	Cast	Notes
Ding Qi	Bai Jingting	Detective with time and space travel ability.[9]
An Lan	Janice Man	A researcher.[10]
Mo Yuan Zhi	Song Yang	[11]
Jiang Yu Wen	Liu Yijun	Supporting Role
Yu Shi Ya	Zhang Bojia
Duan Zheng	Ricky Chan
Ye Kun	Han Li
	Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying
	Song Jia Teng
	Xia Ming Hao
	Luo Yan

Reception

Mobius became a highly anticipated release on iQIYI, which is blending crime-solving with a unique sci-fi twist.^[12] It has generated positive reactions for its intense action sequences, mysterious tone and high production values.^[13][14] The trailer generated enough buzz, with 3M views across major social platform and with a reading volume of over 100M, audience were intrigued by the sci-fi premise.^[15] Main casts Bai Jingting, Janice Man and Song Yang were considered a strong trio.^[16] Bai’s intense portrayal of the detective and Janice's complex character received favourable response;^[17] in Douban, the series trailer has exceeded 100,000 viewership.^[18][19]

Production

On March 2025, the filming of the series was wrapped, which took place in Guangdong; the production utilized urban and industrial settings to reflect the story’s modern and mysterious tone.^[20][21] On 25 March 2025, the first trailer unveiled at the Hong Kong TV Festival.^[22] Bai Jingting picked up Cantonese language for the role.^[23]