Popular Chinese TV drama “Against the Current” has sparked debate about power dynamics between divorced male characters and their female counterparts after featuring a romantic plot between a low-ranking young woman and a high-status divorced man.
The discussion began after the 48-episode drama premiered Sept. 11 on Tencent Video, its international platform WeTV, and Disney+, and was bolstered by this month’s release of a similar drama also featuring a divorcé, “Irreplaceable.”
Set in the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), “Against the Current” follows Shen Jialan, whose privileged life is upended when her grandfather, a renowned academician, is falsely accused of treason, endangering the lives of her entire family.
In exchange for a previous act of kindness, a couple allows Shen to take on the name of their late daughter, Xu Lanxiang, to escape execution. Under her new identity, Shen goes to work as a maid for her former fiancé, Lin Jinqi, who has since married another woman. Lin eventually divorces his wife to marry Shen.
After its release, the series became the most popular series on Disney+ in markets including North America and Spain, and topped WeTV charts in the U.S. and at least seven Asian countries outside China. Domestically, it currently tops analytics platform Yunhe Data’s long drama most-viewed list, with over a third of market viewership on Oct. 12.
Though the drama has been applauded for its storytelling and nuanced character development, some viewers have criticized Lin’s characterization, arguing that the show romanticizes unequal relationship dynamics, fueled by his status as a male divorcee. Lin, who divorces his wife after she cheats on him, curries favor with the King, asking him to force Shen to marry him against her will.
The debate has spread to other Chinese romance dramas that increasingly feature divorced and remarried male leads, from past hits such as “The Story of Minglan” (2018) and “The Glory” (2025), to dramas like “A Splendid Match” and “Irreplaceable” released this year.
Viewers have critiqued the imbalanced power dynamics in these series, which feature powerful, wealthy divorcés who offer protection, stability, and emotional guidance, often to younger, naive heroines from lower social statuses.
The recent popularity of remarried male leads marks a departure from the decadeslong shuangjie, or “purity on both sides,” trope in Chinese romance dramas, which favors depicting couples with no prior romantic or sexual experience before they fall in love.
In these stories, male leads are usually portrayed as successful, devoted figures whose affection belongs exclusively to the heroine, while female leads are frequently portrayed as innocent and kind.
Social media users have linked the shift to changing social realities, including rising divorce rates and the growing visibility of divorce and second marriages. Others have criticized it as a cheap way to create attention-grabbing plot twists, adding that the trend risks turning divorced males into a symbol of maturity and status while reinforcing unequal relationship dynamics.
Viewers point to the gender gap commonly found in romance narratives between divorcés and their female counterparts. When dramas instead feature divorced female protagonists, the corresponding male leads are often single or younger, and the story follows them as they “catch up” to their female counterparts professionally.
In the modern drama “Sniper Butterfly,” for instance, divorced protagonist Cen Jin reunites with a younger man who later becomes a successful professional in his own right as well as her business partner.
Editor: Marianne Gunnarsson.
(Header image: A still from “Against The Current.” From Douban)