2025 Chinese Dramas: Zhao Lusi’s 'Let Me Shine' Becomes a Dark Horse Champion, Tan Jianci’s 'Under the Skin 2' Misses the Top Spot by 40,000 to Take Second Place

Chinese drama website Yunge Data has released the 2025 performance report. 'Let Me Shine', starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Weiting, achieved an average of 65.77 million views per episode, narrowly surpassing Tan Jianci’s 'Under the Skin 2' with 65.73 million views. It won the championship by a slim margin of 40,000, making it the top Chinese drama of 2025.

When 'Let Me Shine' premiered in September, Zhao Lusi was embroiled in a contract dispute with her agency 'Galaxy Cool Entertainment'. She angrily quit Weibo, which caused great damage to her public image. With the lack of this promotional channel and unfavorable circumstances, expectations for the new drama were low. However, it defied the odds; as soon as it aired, its popularity remained high, turning the tide in adversity and became one of the biggest dark horses in the Chinese drama scene this year.

The runner-up 'Under the Skin 2', continued the good reputation of its first season. The second season presented nine major cases, all well received. It is not a traditional crime drama, but rather focuses on 'deciphering the heart through painting', emphasizing the complexity of human nature. The cases selected address issues of social concern. Together with male lead Tan Jianci's excellent acting, the series was elevated to new heights.

In third place, 'Bleaching' is a crime drama based on a real case. Zhao Jinmai plays a victim who was kidnapped by four notorious criminals and narrowly escaped being dismembered. Supported by veteran actors, the entire cast delivered outstanding performances, and the plot was tense and exciting. However, the show controversially romanticized the perpetrators, attributing their motives to unavoidable circumstances, which did not align with the original case facts and triggered significant debate. Despite this, it generated substantial buzz, averaging an impressive 64.61 million views per episode.

Source: Apple News Network