8 Disappointing Chinese Dramas Aired in the First Half of 2020

While some of the Mainland Chinese dramas aired this year found success and propelled many of their leads into stardom, other dramas have failed to live up to expectations. Slow and boring storylines, lack of character development, weak and anticlimactic endings, and poor chemistry between actors have all contributed to poor ratings. Below are eight Mainland Chinese dramas broadcasted in the first half of 2020 that have greatly disappointed viewers.

Serenade of Peaceful Joy <清平樂>

Produced by Daylight Entertainment, which is well-known for its quality productions, Serenade of Peaceful Joy was naturally one of the most-anticipated historical dramas of 2020. Despite the series’ close and conscientious recount of the life of Emperor Renzong, who reigned from 1022 to 1063, it received criticism for its slow pace and lack of narrative drive. As a result, it dropped from an initial rating of 8.2 to 6.6 points.

Well-Intended Love 2 <奈何BOSS要娶我2>

Producers agreed to a second season of Well-Intended Love after the first season proved to be a huge hit in 2019. However, like many sequels out there, Well-Intended Love 2 failed to reach the same dizzying heights of its predecessor. Fans lamented the drama honed in too much on the sweet and romantic scenes and lacked a refreshing plot. The drama’s low ratings of 5.6 points on Douban reflected the negative feedback.

Find Yourself <下一站是幸福>

Find Yourself, starring popular actor and actress, Song Weilong (宋威龙) and Victoria Song (宋茜), started with 8.1 points in ratings because of the older woman-younger man romance, and fans of the actors tuned in to support their idols. However, the drama ended on a sour note – with 6.0 points – when Victoria’s character, He Fan Xing, fell apart. This unexplained development greatly confused viewers.

Detective Chinatown <唐人街探案>

The highly-anticipated suspense crime web drama garnered 8.1 points in ratings with its interesting cases, fast-paced investigations, and skillful camera techniques. The first two cases received a great response thanks to the performances of leads Janine Chang (張鈞甯) and Roy Chiu (邱澤), but the sudden change in detectives in the third case dramatically led to its downfall as the audience was disappointed with the acting and plot.

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty <成化十四年>

Fans originally expressed interest in the period crime drama after knowing that it was helmed by The Untamed <陳情令> writer. Viewers were also curious to see if the male leads have chemistry. It turns out the actors lacked chemistry, and the confusing storyline did not help. These factors contributed to the series’ low rating of 5.7 points.

Love of Thousand Years <三千鴉殺>

With the drama based on a highly popular wuxia novel, fans of the novel looked forward to watching the adaptation. Yet, the drama’s plot and costumes failed to win over the audience. Love of Thousand Years did not achieve the same success as the novel due to the adjustments made on the romance storyline. Viewers said the plot was as plain and dull as water. The show barely managed to achieve 5.7 points on Douban.

Wu Xin: The Monster Killer 3 <無心法師3>

Following the success of its previous two seasons, the historical fantasy drama was deemed to be a big hit as well. However, it only earned a finale rating of 6.5 points. Viewers complained the third installment lacked substance, as the storyline was similar to that of any crime drama. Moreover, the comedic scenes were out of place, and the weak romance storyline did not do the show justice.

Ever Night 2 <將夜2>

Ever Night 2 is yet again another sequel that failed to earn the love of viewers. Dylan Wang (王鹤棣) replacing Arthur Chen (陈飞宇) as the male lead already raised some queries in the beginning, and it was further questioned throughout the drama’s run. Fans heavily criticized Dylan – they said he looked too old compared to Arthur, and that he did not portray the character Ning Que as well as Arthur.

Source: Beauty321