‘The Early Spring’ (2026) Netflix Series Review - A Familiar Romance That Takes Its Time

Cutting the chase and coming straight to the point, The Early Spring begins with a less-than-promising first meeting. Luan Nian is an experienced executive at a big advertising company. He immediately judges Zhitao to be an inexperienced person who is unlikely to survive in a competitive environment. Therefore, keeping his assumptions in mind, he hardly gives her a chance during the interview and continues to assure that she will be leaving anytime soon. Zhitao makes mistakes and does not make an effort to understand the unspoken rules of office politics. She naively takes on a lot of office work, tries to help her colleagues, and continues to learn even after Luan Nian suggests that she should take up another job. And even if you think that Zhitao becomes a professional overnight, then no, that doesn’t happen either. During a business trip, her initiative helps the team reach an important director, while later workplace conflicts teach her the importance of documenting instructions. Soon enough, we see that she learns to protect herself from all the politics happening around her.

This change leads Luan Nian to bring out his soft side eventually towards Zhitao, though he continues to remain arrogant in his own ways. However, now he has started to realize that his judgment towards Zhitao was wrong. So I will be brutally honest here: the plot of The Early Spring has nothing new to offer. It is the same typical cliché romance that we have been seeing for ages in different languages. What happens next isn’t something that I need to tell you. If you have guessed, it means you are right. Most of your guesswork is correct regarding the plot. As a result, a lot of you might not really enjoy watching what you are shown. But having said that, if you are someone who loves watching romance, The Early Spring is what you should be watching. Yes, it works on a similar thread, but deep down every romance lover loves watching slow romance, and this show offers you exactly that.

The pacing is a bit of a problem. The plot moves at a slow speed. I don’t know if that was a deliberate attempt or something that the makers did unintentionally. But a little bit of speed doesn’t hurt anyone, and I wish the makers had thought about this too. Some of the scenes move so slowly that you're forced to skip, and even after that, the plot doesn’t make any significant progress.

Having said that, though the plot is familiar, the execution isn’t that bad. Some sweet moments will linger in your mind long after the credits have started to roll. Those are what make The Early Spring worth a watch. The cast, too, has done great with performances by giving us a mix of softness and arrogance, as was the requirement of their roles. They have managed to pull out the perfect expressions as per the plot. They are the real pillar of The Early Spring. So all in all, if you wish to watch something light, this show is what you should be watching. However, be ready to watch similar stuff.

Final Score- [5/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times