Rom-Coms, Revenge and Period Dramas Get a Fresh Take With Netflix's 2025 Chinese-Language Entertainment

Maya Huang

Head of Chinese-Language Content

Local stories resonate deeply, and people want to see their stories and culture reflected on screen. This insight shapes our 2025 slate of Chinese-language series and films, as we continue the strong audience connection to our titles in Taiwan in 2024.

Last year, our local viewers embraced Let's Talk About CHU for its novel, comedic twist on family drama; GG Precinct for its gritty yet humorous crime storytelling; and the second season of The Victims' Game for its gripping detective narrative. Meanwhile, Born for the Spotlight drove unprecedented conversation among local audience with its emotional exploration of female friendship and the struggles of showbiz.

The common thread in the reception of these diverse stories was unmistakable - Taiwanese audiences feel a profound connection to local entertainment. There's a strong appetite for relatable stories brought to life by talents from the region, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. And we know there are audiences all around the world who love our Chinese-language stories.

We're excited to build on this with five new series in our 2025 slate, which spans comedy, drama, thriller and period romance.

An unconventional look at marriage

I am Married...But! stars Alice Ko (Copycat Killer) and Jasper Liu (Twogether), as a young couple navigating married life with parents in tow. This refreshing take on a rom-com is the brainchild of writer-director Li Nien-hsiu, who won a Taipei Film Award in 2016 for her documentary about her father's life, Hebei Taipei and received a Golden Horse Award in 2022 for her short film Can You Hear Me?

With I am Married...But!, audiences will witness Li's creative talent in full bloom as she continues to explore family dynamics through a modern, female-centered lens in her debut series, which will launch, befittingly, on Valentine's Day.

Actress-director Rene Liu's first series

Another Taiwanese talent gets the spotlight in Forget You Not, the first series from award-winning singer-songwriter, actress, director, and writer Rene Liu (Us and Them). The story follows Le-le, an aspiring stand-up comedian played by Hsieh Ying-xuan (Born for the Spotlight, Wave Makers), as she juggles the challenges of divorce with her husband, played by Wallace Kuo (Light the Night), and the dementia diagnosis of her father, portrayed by screen legend Chin Han. Liu brings her distinctive creative voice to the series, which is partly inspired by her own life experiences.

With its life-affirming tone, Forget You Not blends humor and poignancy in its storytelling - a hallmark of Taiwanese creators. Watch out for it in the second quarter of 2025.

Screen icons Shu Qi and Sinje Lee team up for revenge

Look out for more icons in The Resurrected, which features award-winning actresses Shu Qi and Sinje Lee. The duo play two desperate mothers who resurrect a deceased leader of a scam ring in a bid to avenge their kidnapped daughters.

Marking the first series for both actresses, The Resurrected is a passion project for writer-director Leste Chen (Upcoming Summer, Delicious Romance), who worked on the story for a decade. Co-directed by Hsu Chao-jen (Delicious Romance, Living), a mix of high-stakes action and character-driven drama, the series captures the mothers' ceaseless pursuit for justice and truth. The revenge thriller series is set to debut in the third quarter of this year.

The creators of Someday or One Day make their streaming debut

Here's another return with a dark twist. Time-travel drama Someday or One Day took Taiwan by storm when it launched in 2019, and even inspired a Korean remake. Now, its writers Chien Chi-feng and Lin Hsin-huei are reuniting for Had I Not Seen The Sun, a two-part drama that blends romance, mystery and thrills.

This new series marks two milestones: Chien's directorial debut and the pair's first collaboration on a streaming platform. With more creative freedom, they're tackling dark and heavy themes that are rare, even non-existent, on traditional platforms, delivering a compelling story that showcases their talent in the final quarter of 2025.

A period drama with modern appeal

For more light-hearted fare, there's the Chinese period family drama Perfect Match. Audiences who enjoyed this series during the recent Lunar New Year break know its heartwarming charm. Starring Lu Yu-xiao (Blossoms in Adversity), Wang Xing-yue (The Double), Ni Hong-jie and more, the series is set in the Northern Song dynasty and follows a matriarch as she tries to find the best life partners for her five daughters.

Netflix brings this series exclusively to a global audience. While rich in period details, Perfect Match appeals to modern viewers through its very contemporary ideas about gender dynamics and empowerment.

Nurturing Taiwan's creative community

As we embark on a new year of storytelling, we're continuing our support for the broader creative community in Taiwan. In 2024, we launched the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity in Taiwan, hosting workshops for writers and producers, as well as a VFX workshop for Taiwanese filmmakers in Seoul as part of an initiative led by the Golden Horse Film Festival. These efforts will continue this year to nurture local voices that are telling local stories.

By spotlighting bold creators, from rising voices to industry icons, our 2025 slate continues to push the envelope with fresh perspectives, providing a space where culturally specific stories can connect with members both locally and worldwide.