C-Ent looks like it’ll only get busier from here to the end of the year! Let’s check in on all those new shows from the last couple of weeks…
- ❤️🔥 Kill Me Love Me is chugging along in its first week since airing. The Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan show is getting close to that 9k mark on Youku… not bad but hasn’t exploded to hit 10k (yet????).
- 🔼 Meanwhile, Zhang Wanyi’s The Rise of Ning (also starring Ren Min) is looking a bit like his previous show, Are You The One, heat-index wise. Which is to say that it’s surpassed 27k on the Tencent heat index, but hasn’t hit that 28k mark (although it is tantalizingly close).
- ❄️ Snowy Night: Timeless Love, starring Li Qin and Joseph Zeng, has stalled a little bit after reaching the halfway point. It’s started dipping below the 8k mark on iQIYI’s heat index, not quite the best direction to go.
Some updates on past and new melons 🍉 …
- 🤞 Remember the rumor a few weeks ago for a xianxia starring Liu Yifei and Dylan Wang? Melons continue to come out for the pair in 我不成仙 (Wo Bu Cheng Xian, trans: I’m Not An Immortal), with rumored English title The Adventure of Jian Chou. Fingers crossed that this becomes a reality, although we expect it might take until 2025 to get confirmation if it does happen.
- ⚠️ A new melon coming out for Ren Jialun’s next drama. Right now, looks like it’ll be Once Upon A Time In Macao, set in the World War II era – a bit different from his usual historical costume dramas.
- 🔂 Every few months, a melon goes around for historical drama Spring Banquet that pairs Wang Anyu and Zhang Ruonan together. It’s happening again (but has also happened regularly since… 2021?), so tbd on how much to trust the melon this time.
- 🌳 A few months ago, there was a strong rumor that Yang Zi would take on Born To Be Alive (生命树; trans: Tree of Life). Recently, the melon has switched from Yang Zi to Liu Shishi as female lead. An interesting switch, especially as this is Daylight Entertainment production (company behind hits like Nirvana in Fire and Reset) and probably hotly contested.
- ♟️ Cheng Yi just wrapped filming for Go to the Mountains and Sea (赴山海), but he’s already getting ready for his next drama, 长安二十四计 (Chang An Er Shi Si Ji; trans: Twenty Four Strategies of Chang’An). Right now, it seems like his leading lady will be Ren Min.
Fashion is everywhere, including at some fun events in C-Ent…
- 📔 Zhao Lusi has unlocked her first major magazine cover! She’s on the November cover of Cosmopolitan China in a slinky Versace dress, just in time for her birthday next month. Xin Zhilei is also on the Elle China cover, just in time for the release of her new film with Zhao Liying, The Unseen Sister.
- 🕴️ Speaking of fashion, the Vogue Forces of Fashion event was a few days ago. And the stars showed up, including Zhao Lusi in custom Versace, Wang Yibo in the latest Chanel collection, Zhang Linghe slaying in butterflies, and Wang Xingyue with blue highlights (!!). Tons more beautiful people to scroll through on Weibo here.
- 🧥 As for sponsorships from the last week: Tan Jianci is winter-ready with his new Merrycheng Global Brand Ambassadorship, featuring a lot of warm parkas. Neo Hou joins him in down jackets as MEDM’s first brand spokesperson, while Yang Chaoyue also looks cozy in autumn colors after snagging spokesperson for Mianzhuwu.
So about that C-Drama Airing Schedule… you might notice that there are quite a few dramas about to air on the list. Let’s take a quick look at some changes…
- 🫶 Multiple shows dropping in the next week, including realism drama Romance in the Alley, another Daylight Entertainment production. This family drama is set in the ‘70s and has an extensive cast that includes Yan Ni, Fan Chengcheng, Guan Xiaotong, Wang Anyu, and Lu Yuxiao.
- 🏙️ Also dropping is Our Days, an urban drama about three sisters played by Bai Baihe, Li Chun, and Wang Yuwen. This means that Wang Yuwen will be back on our screens only a couple weeks after You Are My Lover Friend finished airing.
- ☁️ Last week, we mentioned a melon for Li Yitong’s new xianxia drama, 古乐风华录 (Gu Yue Feng Hua Lu), where Wang Ziqi was the rumored male lead. Well, in news that no one really saw coming, Chen Xinhai is now the confirmed male lead.
- 👩❤️👨 We might be inching closer to airing for Wang Xingyue and Lu Yuxiao’s Perfect Match, which recently got a distribution license. The historical drama features a huge ensemble cast of five couples, including Liu Xuening, Liang Yongqi, and Winwin.