The 5 Worst Dramas of 2025 (May – December)

As mentioned in my previous article, after a rather fragmented start to the year, my watchlist began to grow rapidly from May onward. Returning to a regular exploration of the Chinese series landscape, I immersed myself in a significant number of dramas, following the current excitement, seasonal releases, and, as often happens, recommendations and hype from the internet.

Alongside dramas that positively surprised me, however, this second half of the year also brought with it some less successful titles. In this article, I’ve collected the five dramas that, for various reasons, were the biggest disappointments of the season: not necessarily the worst in an absolute sense, but those that, despite starting with interesting premises, failed to engage me either emotionally or narratively. I’ll present them in chronological order of release, without drawing up a proper ranking, because each title exhibited different weaknesses—from character development to pacing management to unconvincing narrative choices.

These are, therefore, from my point of view, the five least successful dramas of the second half of 2025: a selection that was not born with a polemical intent (or, rather, not primarily with that intent), but from the desire to reflect on what, this season, worked less than expected.

Les Belles (2025)

Genre: Classical Historical Romance

Rating: (6.5/10)

Why did I choose it? I was curious to see Jelly Lin as the female lead and wanted to give Alen Feng another chance (although he’s not one of my favorite actors, I’ve appreciated some of his work, like A Journey to Love).

What’s it about? An orphaned girl flees an arranged marriage to try to reclaim the family fortune and gain financial independence for herself and her little sister.

What worked? The political intrigue plot, the protagonist’s little sister, and, in general, some secondary characters, the typical clichés of historical-romantic dramas.

What Didn't Work? The protagonist’s characterization and the actors’ performances, the main love story, the cutting of some parts of the story, some directorial choices.

Who might like it anyway? Those who appreciate Alen Feng and Jelly Lin, those who enjoy light-hearted dramas with plenty of comic moments and a play on misunderstandings, those who don’t mind series that give space to secondary characters and resort to romantic drama clichés.

The Immortal Ascension (2025)

Genre: Classical Xianxia

Rating: (6/10)

Why did I choose it? I had heard a lot about it and was pleasantly surprised by the spectacular CGI scenes included in the trailer.

What’s it about? To earn some money and increase his family’s prestige, an ordinary boy, son of a peasant couple, decides to join a cultivators’ sect and undertake the complex journey towards immortality.

What worked? The extraordinary CGI fight scenes, the perfect coordination of Yang Yang and the other actors during the acrobatics on the wires, the originality of the plot.

What Didn't Work? The protagonist’s characterization, the pointless love “square,” the videogame-like pace of the story, the CGI-rendered settings beyond the fight scenes.

Who might like it anyway? Those who enjoy classic xianxia and don’t mind the narrative progressing slowly and repetitively, fans of Yang Yang, and lovers of individualistic and solitary protagonists.

The Journey of Legend (2025)

Genre: Classical Wuxia / Transmigration

Rating: (6.5/10)

Why did I choose it? Because I never turn down the chance to see Cheng Yi do acrobatic combat (although after the disappointment of this series, I gave up on watching Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Sword and Beloved !).

What’s it about? A dissatisfied ghostwriter finds himself inexplicably drawn into the plot of the novel Heroes of the Divine Land, where he must fight to unravel the mysterious killer behind the death of the protagonist’s parents.

What worked? The exceptional wire-based fight scenes, Cheng Yi’s remarkable martial arts skills, the little twists that liven up the plot.

What Didn't Work? The slow narrative pace, the protagonist’s excessive emotionality, the unsubstantiated love story, the numerous inconsistencies, the open ending.

Who might like it anyway? Those who enjoy classic wuxia and transmigration stories, those who love watching Cheng Yi engage in acrobatics and aerial combat and don’t mind seeing him spit blood every now and then, those who like heroic plots with a hint of mystery.

Whispers of Fate (2025)

Genre: Fantasy Wuxia

Rating: (6/10)

Why did I choose it? I couldn’t miss a drama by Luo Yun Xi, who, besides being one of my favorite actors, is the quintessential historical fantasy series star.

What’s it about? After seemingly causing the death of his mentor, Tang Li Ci finds himself hunted by his former shixiong, hell-bent on avenging the demise of his beloved master, and is forced to seek allies in the wulin to confront him and the dark enemy behind him.

What worked? Luo Yun Xi’s brilliant acting and his acrobatics on wires, the undeniable originality of the story, the evocative atmosphere, the sumptuous costumes, and the epic soundtrack.

What Didn't Work? The story’s poor contextualization and slow narrative pace, the lack of a well-defined love story, the moralizing dialogue, the poor construction of secondary characters, the unrealistic CGI and settings.

Who might like it anyway? Those who like wuxia with epic twists, those who appreciate dramas like Till the End of the Moon and enjoy watching Luo Yun Xi suffer throughout the story, those who like stories with just a hint of romance.

Love and Crown (2025)

Genre: Classical Historical Drama

Rating: (4/10)

Why did I choose it? I’ve been wanting to see Pen Xiao Ran in a (serious) leading role for a while now, and even though I’m not a fan of Ren Jia Lun, I decided to give this drama a chance.

What’s it about? The young Emperor Xiao Huan is forced to compromise his relationship with his beloved Empress Ling Cang Cang to defeat his political enemies and gain control of the court and kingdom.

What worked? I asked myself, but unfortunately I didn’t find a satisfactory answer.

What Didn't Work? Pretty much everything. The excessive brevity of the initial episodes contrasted with the disproportionate slowness of the later episodes, the unbearable conflict in the love story between the protagonists, the annoying presence of countless cliches typical of romantic dramas, the poor construction of the characters and the senselessness of most of their choices.

Who might like it anyway? Those who love “old-fashioned” historical-romantic dramas, full of clichés, seemingly irresolvable conflicts between the protagonists, and a bittersweet ending.

Final Thoughts on the 5 Worst Dramas of 2025

This drama season has exposed some of the glaring flaws of Chinese series.

As for modern series, one aspect I found somewhat lacking is definitely the construction of pacing and suspense. Action dramas and thrillers, in fact, still seem to be a slippery slope for Chinese directors: on the one hand, there’s a tendency to look too much to Western models, ultimately copying their most hyperbolic solutions without truly evincing an “Oriental style.” On the other, there’s an often diluted management of anticipation, which dampens the suspense rather than fueling it, causing the narrative to lose its edge episode after episode. The result is often a tension that struggles to sustain and a plot that, despite starting with interesting ideas, fails to maintain a consistent pace and a truly effective anxiety-inducing atmosphere.

As for period dramas, I’ve noted an undeniable crisis in wuxia, which in 2025 experienced what I’d call an annus horribilis: self-centered protagonists, weak or neglected supporting characters, slow plots, scripts that aren’t consistent with the genre’s dynamics, and often questionable aesthetics. Even xianxia, ​​while maintaining a certain genre congruence and visual ambition, haven’t managed to give us truly memorable titles like those of past years. In short, for fantasy dramas, the past season has severely tested viewer enthusiasm, proving to be overall less inspired than expected.

Conclusion

These five titles represent, in short, the biggest disappointments of my second half of the year: viewings approached with curiosity and enthusiasm, but marked —unfortunately— by unmet expectations and stories that failed to make a mark, or did so in the wrong way. The dramas mentioned reminded me that the most anticipated series aren’t always the most successful, and that, in fact, the most hyped titles often end up with narrative limitations, unconvincing creative choices, and, in some cases, a certain tiredness in their formulas.

This selection therefore also aims to provide food for thought on how even a rich and prolific landscape like that of Chinese productions can go through less inspired phases.

I close this review by thanking those who continue to follow me, read my reviews, and share their opinions with me on social media. And this time, I’ll turn the invitation around: tell me which dramas disappointed you the most in 2025, the ones that had everything they needed to work but instead left you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Because even disappointments, after all, are part of the journey—and discussing them is often the best way to overcome them and look forward to future releases with even greater anticipation.