Douban, one of the largest and most influential rating platforms in China, announced the “Top 20 High-Rated Chinese Dramas of All Time.” “The Untamed” starring Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo won the championship with 1.7 million ratings, and Zhang Ruoyun’s “Joy Of Life Season 1” ranked third.
The long-tail effect of these two dramas is beyond exception; it is still a hot topic among Chinese drama fans.
Surprisingly, There are 3 dramas on the list that aired this year. Among them, the “Mysterious Lotus Casebook” starring Cheng Yi and Zeng Shunxi performed exceptionally well. The show was not expected to be optimistic at first, but later it exceeded 604,000 ratings and received a high score of 8.5.
In recent years, there has been doubt or question regarding the credibility and accuracy of Douban ratings for Chinese Dramas.
However, many critics believe that numbers do not deceive; when a significant number of viewers rate a drama, we gain valuable insights into its overall performance and quality.
After all, only interested individuals will visit the platform and share their reviews. Recently, Douban released a list of the “Top 20 High-Rated Chinese Dramas,” allowing viewers to know which dramas have been the most popular over the years. Three dramas on the list have more than 1 million ratings.
The Untamed
Leading the list is the global sensational “The Untamed 陳情令,” starring Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, which has earned an impressive 1.75 million ratings on the platform.
This fantasy martial art captured the hearts of both domestic and international audiences, maintaining its reign at the top for four years and counting since its 2019 debut.
The drama follows the tale of two heroes, Lan Wang Ji (portrayed by Wang Yibo) and Wei Wuxian (portrayed by Xiao Zhan), as they navigate the intricacies of a chivalrous world filled with magic, friendship, and intrigue.
The Bad Kids
If someone is into the mystery, crime, and suspense genre, there are hardly any viewers who haven’t heard or watched this drama unless someone is new to the genre or Chinese Dramas.
‘The Bad Kids 隱秘的角落 (2020)’ holds the second place on this list according to its DB score. The series makes you ponder and question human nature, existence, cruelty, lies, deception, and the hidden face beneath the one they present to the world.
The series is exceptionally well-crafted with high-quality delivery. The two actors, Qin Hao, and Zhang Songwen are indispensable. Their acting skills were widely discussed and praised achieving 1.13 million ratings on DB and becoming the second most popular TV drama on Douban of all time.
Joy Of Life Season 1
In Third place, we have Zhang RouYun’s 2019 hit drama, Joy Of Life S1,’ a riveting historical drama filled with political intrigue and fantasy elements.
Masterfully portrayed by Zhang Ruoyun and other stellar casts, including Li Qin, Chen Dao Ming, Wu Gang, Cui Zhi Guang, and more.
The number of ratings of this series on the platform is 1.03 Million, one of the most highly rated costume Chinese TV series after ‘The Untamed’.
Fans of this drama once again rejoiced as the second season has wrapped up filming recently and is a highly anticipated drama to be aired in 2024.
also read; High Rated Best Costume Dramas of 2024
Are you wondering what TV dramas have high ratings on Douban? Here’s a list of dramas with their respective ratings (announced on 2023/10/22).
| TV Dramas | Year | DB score | No. of Ratings | |
| 1. | The Untamed 陳情令 | 2019 | 7.7 | 1.76 million |
| 2. | THE BAD KIDS 隱秘的角落 | 2020 | 8.8 | 1.13 million |
| 3. | Joy of Life 慶餘年 | 2019 | 7.9 | 1.03 million |
| 4. | The Long Night 沉默的真相 | 2020 | 9 | 917,000 |
| 5 | The Knockout 狂飆 | 2023 | 8.5 | 893,000 |
| 6. | Douluo Continent 斗罗大陆 | 2021 | 6.4 | 893,000 |
| 7. | Reset 開端 | 2022 | 7.9 | 888,000 |
| 8. | The Long Season 漫長的季節 | 2023 | 9.4 | 860,000 |
| 9. | A Dream of Splendor 夢華錄 | 2022 | 7.9 | 859,000 |
| 10. | Someday or One day 想見你 | 2019 | 9.2 | 808,000 |
| 11. | Nirvana in Fire 琅琊榜 | 2015 | 9.4 | 801,000 |
| 12. | Love Between Fairy and Devil 蒼蘭訣 | 2022 | 8.1 | 723,000 |
| 13. | Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan 後宮甄嬛傳 | 2011 | 9.4 | 706,000 |
| 14. | Day and Night 白夜追兇 | 2017 | 8.9 | 619,000 |
| 15. | Mysterious Lotus Casebook 蓮花樓 | 2023 | 8.5 | 604,000 |
| 16. | Word of Honor 山河令 | 2021 | 8.5 | 587,000 |
| 17. | Immortal Samsara 沉香如屑 | 2022 | 5.9 | 578,000 |
| 18. | My Own Swordsman 武林外傳 | 2006 | 9.6 | 564,000 |
| 19. | Love Like The Galaxy 星漢燦爛 | 2022 | 7.7 | 561,000 |
| 20. | The Story of Ming Lan 知否 | 2018 | 7.9 | 552,000 |
Top 3 High Rated Chinese Dramas in 2023
- The KnockOut
- The Long Season
- Mysterious Lotus Casebook
This year, three TV series successfully entered the list: “The KnockOut,” a gripping gangster crime drama about corruption led by Zhang Yi and Zhang Songwen.
“The Long Season,” starring Qin Hao in a suspenseful Life crime drama, offers another thrilling viewing option.
And “Mysterious Lotus Casebook,” a costume detective wuxia drama starring Cheng Yi, Zheng Shunxi, and Xiao Shunyao. All three of these dramas have different themes.
Among them, “The Long Season” received the highest rating with a score of 9.4, and “Knockout” had the most ratings with over 893,000.
In the beginning, “Mysterious Lotus Casebook” was underestimated as the show is not a typical romance genre costume drama, but an individual mystery-solving detective drama.
However, once the drama was launched, it ended up becoming one of the dark horse series of 2023 exceeding everyone’s expectations with its high ratings and robust word of mouth, making it the most popular wuxia/martial arts drama of the year.
The drama successfully entered the Top 20 list with over 604,000 ratings. Initially, Its opening DB score was 8, but now it has risen to an impressive high score of 8.5.
if the ranking is based on how many number of people that gave rating, isnt that make Drama released earlier get more advantange than the later one?