The Untamed (TV series)

The Untamed
Genre
Based onMo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Written byYang Xia
Deng Yaoyu
Ma Jing
Guo Guangyun
Directed byZheng Weiwen
Chen Jialin
StarringXiao Zhan
Wang Yibo
Ending theme"Unrestrained" by Xiao Zhan & Wang Yibo
ComposerLin Hai
Country of originChina
Original languageMandarin
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes50 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSun Huaizhong
Wang Xin

Han Zhijie
ProducersFang Fang
Yang Xia
Zhang Meng
Wang Chu
Ren Qiang
Liu Mingtie
Wang Wanning
Production locationsHengdian World Studios
Guizhou
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45 minutes per episode
Production companiesTencent Penguin Pictures
NSMG (NewStyle Media Group)
Original release
NetworkTencent Video
ReleaseJune 27 (2019-06-27) –
August 20, 2019 (2019-08-20)
Related
Mo Dao Zu Shi
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Untamed (Chinese: 陈情令; pinyin: Chén Qíng Lìng) is a 2019 Chinese television series adapted from the danmei novel Mo Dao Zu Shi by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, starring Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo.[1] It follows the adventures of two soulmate cultivators who travel to solve a series of mysteries that link to a tragic event in the past.[2]

The series aired in China on Tencent Video from 27 June to 20 August 2019 culminating with fifty episodes.[3][4] A 20-episodes special edition of the drama aired on WeTV starting 25 December 2019.[5] The brand and IP is belonging to NSMG (NewStyle Media Group).

The Untamed was a critical and commercial success, both locally and internationally, with critics praising its strong plot, well-rounded characters, and elaborate clothing and makeup.[6] While the original web novel depicted an explicit romance between the two main male characters, the adaptation was censored with homoerotic subtexts instead due to China's ban of LGBT portrayals in films.[7][8] It became one of the highest-earning dramas of 2019.[9][10]

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.[11] Due to the series' success, two spin-off movies focusing on the supporting characters have been released: Fatal Journey (2019), and The Living Dead (2019).[12] The series passed 9.5 billion views on Tencent Video in June 2021, a few days before the second anniversary of its airing date, making it one of the highest-viewed Chinese dramas on the platform.[13] A mobile game based on the series is also set to be released by NetEase Games.[14]

  1. ^ "《陈情令》首曝剧照 肖战王一博掀仙侠风云". ifeng (in Chinese). July 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "开播当日定档！肖战王一博《陈情令》今晚播出". Beijing News (in Chinese). June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "《陈情令》定档627 肖战王一博最新海报曝光". Sina (in Chinese). June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "《陈情令》迎大结局 肖战王一博双双发文告别". ifeng (in Chinese). August 14, 2019. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "《陈情令》特别剪辑版上线". Tencent (in Chinese). December 28, 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Davis, Rebecca (2020-06-05). "China's Gay Rights Stance Can't Derail Demand for LGBT Films". Variety. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  8. ^ "'The Untamed': A Primer On The Chinese Drama The Internet Is Obsessed With". Bustle. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference high was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference yuan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "微博". m.weibo.cn. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  12. ^ The Living Dead | Rakuten Viki, retrieved 2020-12-16
  13. ^ "时隔两年，《陈情令》播放量破95亿". Netease News (in Chinese). June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Untamed - QooApp Game Store". QooApp. Retrieved 2020-12-16.