Category: The Untamed

The Untamed (Chinese: 陈情令; pinyin: Chén Qíng Lìng) is a 2019 Chinese television series starring Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo. Based on the danmei novel Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, the series follows the adventures of two soulmate cultivators who travel to solve a series of mysteries linked to a tragic event in the past.

The series aired in China on Tencent Video from June to August 2019, with a 20-episode special edition airing on WeTV on December 25, 2019. NewStyle Media Group (NSMG) owns the intellectual property of the series.

The Untamed was a critical and commercial success, praised for its strong plot, well-rounded characters, and elaborate clothing and makeup. While the original web novel depicted an explicit romance between the two main male characters, the adaptation was censored with homoerotic subtexts due to China’s ban on LGBT portrayals in films. It was one of the highest-earning dramas of 2019.

According to the Research Report on China’s Internet Audiovisual Development for 2019 and the beginning of 2020, The Untamed ranked first in terms of popularity index. Due to its success, two spin-off movies focusing on supporting characters were released in 2019: Fatal Journey and The Living Dead.

The series passed 9.5 billion views on Tencent Video in June 2021, just before its second anniversary, making it one of the highest-viewed Chinese dramas on the platform. A mobile game based on the series is also set to be released by NetEase Games.