Who's the Keyman


Who's the Keyman is a Chinese variety show produced by Hunan Television and Mango TV. The stars He Jiong, Deng Lun main casts, alongside Han Xue, Wowkie Zhang, Ma Sichun and Leo Wu as guests. The show is a remade version of Who's the Murderer.

Format

In each episode's prologue, the cast learns the crime setup and chooses roles—detective or suspect. Suspects get detailed backstories and can withhold info unless questioned; only the keyman can lie. Gold keys are given in advance—correctly identifying the keyman lets players keep their key; wrong guesses must return it.
  • Alibi: Each player introduces their suspect character, shares their connection to the victim, and explains their whereabouts before, during, and after the crime.
  • On-Site Investigation: Players are split into three teams and given ten minutes to investigate the crime scene. Each has a phone and may take up to ten photos.
  • Briefing: Players present their collected evidence and may question others about it. Afterward, each states who they currently believe is the keyman.
  • First Keyman Vote: After hearing each player’s briefing, the detective secretly casts a vote on who they suspect is the keyman.
  • Additional On-Site Investigation: Players gather at the crime scene for group discussion, held alongside the 1-on-1 Interrogation.
  • 1-on-1 Interrogation: The innocent detective summons players for further questioning.
  • Final Keyman Vote: After interrogations, players give final statements and the detective debriefs. Following 5 minutes of investigation, players secretly vote for the keyman. The most-voted player is arrested. Correct voters keep gold keys; detectives who guess right twice earn two keys, and suspects who avoid detection earn one.
In the final episode, all six players are detectives and the keyman is an NPC. Players form two teams led by the top two gold key holders. The leaders use clues to identify the keyman. If they succeed, all players earn a gold key. A hidden key box grants an extra key to its finder. The player with the most gold keys becomes "The Best Detective."

Casts

Episodes