Wu Jin Yan and Chen Zhe Yuan's 《The Palace Conspiracy》 Criticized for Being Unpleasant! The Most Negatively Reviewed Ancient Costume Drama in the Past 3 Years is It: Netizens Complain of Boredom and Even Falling Asleep, Yang Mi and Gong Jun Can't Save It

In recent years, ancient costume dramas have continuously dominated streaming platforms. Major production companies have been scrambling to bring in popular actors, hot IP, and large casts in an attempt to replicate the next phenomenon-level hit. However, actor popularity and production scale do not necessarily translate to good reviews. Some works, which had a huge buzz before their premiere, received a large number of negative reviews after airing due to issues with the plot, acting, editing, or adaptation. This article compiles a list of 10 ancient costume dramas from 2023 to July 2026 that stood out in terms of discussion and negative reviews. The ranking is determined by comprehensively considering Douban ratings, number of reviews, broadcast volume, controversy duration, and concentration of netizen negative reviews, not just by the highest or lowest scores. Since 《The Palace Conspiracy》 is still airing as of July 30, 2026, only the initial buzz is included.

《The Palace Conspiracy》 is a drama that combines court intrigue, the growth of a strong female lead, and imperial romance. Wu Jin Yan plays Meng Ting Hui, a girl from the common folk who becomes the first female top scorer in the imperial examinations and joins the Investigation Bureau to investigate corruption cases. Chen Zhe Yuan plays Ying Gu, a young emperor manipulated by powerful officials. The two work together, internally and externally, to reform the court.

After the drama aired, some viewers felt that Wu Jin Yan once again played a revenge-type female lead, similar to her roles in 《Royal Niece Lizi》 and 《In the Name of Love》, and netizens exclaimed, 'Female lead revenge fatigue.' Others felt that the male lead had too few scenes in the early episodes, and Chen Zhe Yuan almost became a 'decorative male lead.' Since the drama is still being updated, it remains to be seen whether the power struggle plot can reverse the negative reviews.

《Huai Shui Zhu Ting》 is adapted from the comic 《Fox Spirit Matchmaker》's bamboo industry chapter, set in a world where humans and demons are at odds. Liu Shi Shi plays Dong Fang Hui Zhu, the eldest daughter of the Dong Fang spiritual clan, and Zhang Yun Long plays Wang Quan Hong Ye, a cold but warm-hearted swordsman. The two, along with a group of young masters from prestigious families, form the 'Masked Team' to explore the truth of the outside world, ultimately leading to a fate filled with sacrifice and regret.

The star-studded cast originally made 《Huai Shui Zhu Ting》 highly anticipated, but after its premiere, some viewers criticized it for being 'too slow, lacking sparks in the CP (couple),' and even describing the visuals as 'always foggy when the main characters appear.' Liu Shi Shi's relatively restrained performance in the early stages was also criticized by some netizens as 'wooden acting,' and the special effects were described as having 'quality akin to a desktop computer,' causing many viewers to drop the drama before seeing the characters' later transformations.

《Cloud Feather》 is a drama that combines assassin infiltration, family struggles, and suspense mystery elements. Yu Shu Xin plays Yun Wei Shan, an assassin who wants to break free from the control of the 'Wufeng' assassin organization, and is ordered to infiltrate the palace and get close to Zhang Ling He, who plays Gong Zi Yu. Originally carefree and inexperienced, Gong Zi Yu is forced to take over as the executor after a series of family misfortunes, and the two gradually develop feelings for each other through mutual testing.

This drama attracted viewers with its gloomy aesthetics, character portraits, and identity mysteries in the early stages, but the ending became the point of negative reviews. Some viewers exclaimed, 'Completely botched,' and fans described the entire work as 'the process was great, but the ending was no good, a dream.' The last few minutes left multiple unresolved plot points, and the main CP and sub-CP did not have clear endings, leading many viewers to feel that after watching 24 episodes, they only saw half the story.

《Pearl Curtain Jade Screen》 is centered around the pearl industry and women in business. Zhao Lu Si plays Du Ju, a slave in a pearl field who suffers oppression. After escaping the pearl field, she joins a merchant caravan and gradually makes a name for herself with her pearl identification skills and business acumen. Liu Yu Ning plays Yan Zi Jing, a mysterious merchant from the Western Regions. The two discover a close connection between their backgrounds while cooperating and suspecting each other.

The early part of the drama, featuring the escape from the pearl field and the female protagonist's growth, gained attention. However, in the middle and later stages, the business warfare plot was gradually replaced by revenge, misunderstandings, and toxic love. Netizen negative reviews focused on 'boring plot,' 'the script is no good!,' 'the CP feels a bit weak,' and some even directly stated, 'This can be the worst drama of the year, right?' The deliberate concealment of the truth and the use of misunderstandings to advance the relationship by the male and female leads also caused some viewers to lose their patience in following the drama.

《Hua Jian Ling》 is a drama that combines face-swapping, revenge, and detective elements. Liu Xue Yi plays Pan Yu, who is handsome and cold, and has always loved Yang Cai Wei, whose family was exterminated and became a corpse collector. After Yang Cai Wei is face-swapped by Shang Guan Zhi, Zheng He Hui Zi's performance is taken over by Qu Jing Jing. The female lead returns to Pan Yu's side with a new appearance to investigate the case.

The performance gap before and after the face-swap became the biggest controversy of the entire drama. Viewers felt that Yang Cai Wei, played by Zheng He Hui Zi, was calm, sharp, and had life experience, but after the swap to Qu Jing Jing, the character became lively and lively. Netizens described it as 'the painting style suddenly changed in less than three episodes,' 'no matter what role it is, it looks like it was carved out of a mold,' and some even bluntly stated, 'After Zheng He Hui Zi left, the appeal of this drama disappeared.'

《Great Dream of Returning to Separation》 is inspired by the mythology of 《Classic of Mountains and Seas》 and tells the story of a group of characters forming a demon-hunting team to investigate the truth behind the demon beasts' rampage after the imbalance between the human and demon worlds. Hou Ming Hao plays Zhaoyuan Yao, the leader of the hundred demons, who voluntarily surrenders to the court. Chen Du Ling plays Wen Xiao, who is related to the power of the Bai Ze goddess, and together with Zhaoyuan Yao, Zhuo Yi Chen, Pei Si Jing, and Bai Ju, they investigate the case.

The elaborate makeup, slow motion, and intense colors give 《Great Dream of Returning to Separation》 a distinct style, but also make the story criticized for overemphasizing the visuals. The most common description by viewers is 'pretentious' and 'incomprehensible.' Some said, 'The scenes are beautifully shot, but the slow motion makes you want to fast-forward,' and others criticized Bai Ju's early appearances as 'useless except for screaming,' believing that the characters often replace plot progression with tears and slow motion.

《Longing for You Season 2》 continues the story from the first season. Yang Zi's Xiaotiao faces a choice of affection between Tushan Jing, Xiang Liu, and Chi Shui Fenglong, while Zhang Wan Yi's Qingxin gradually climbs to the peak of power. The second season was supposed to conclude several romantic relationships and power struggles, but the characters were limited by episode cuts and plot adjustments, and many important turning points lacked sufficient buildup.

The expectations built by the first season only magnified the gap in the second season. Netizens described it as 'a grand botched ending,' criticizing 'the pace is dragging and losing its appeal,' 'the power struggle is too childish,' and the one-woman-multiple-men emotional tug-of-war was called 'a long-winded love story killer.' The deletion or transfer of some iconic scenes from the original work also sparked the debate of 'Season 2's alteration.'

《Long Month Burning Bright》 is a fantasy drama spanning three time periods. Bai Lu plays Li Su Su, a disciple of the immortal gate who travels back five hundred years to become Ye Xi Wu to prevent the destruction of the world by the demon god. The two leads play multiple identities in the drama, with the emotional line progressing from mutual suspicion and utilization to sacrifice and redemption.

The drama has a large number of followers, and the positive and negative reviews are particularly intense. Viewers criticized the characters for often making unreasonable choices due to misunderstandings, with comments appearing such as 'the main characters have flaws in their settings,' 'the overall quality of the drama is inferior.' The later part was affected by the length and editing, and some plots were pointed out as 'too much cut,' 'only those who have read the novel can understand,' and the ending was considered too rushed by a large number of fans.

《The Legend of the Sword and the Fairy 4》 is adapted from a classic role-playing game. Chen Zhe Yuan plays Yun Tian He, who has lived on Qingluo Peak since childhood and is ignorant of worldly affairs, and Qu Jing Jing plays Han Ling Sha, who robs graves in search of the method of immortality. The two, along with Liu Meng Li and Mu Rong Zi Ying, embark on a journey of cultivation and gradually discover the past of Yun Tian He's parents and the Qiong Hua Sect.

The original game has a large fan base, making the drama adaptation subject to strict scrutiny. Netizens criticized 'the script is changed to be unrecognizable,' 'the first two episodes are the most discouraging to viewers,' and the performances of the male and female leads were also criticized as 'their acting seems to have never improved, it's really embarrassing.' The growth of Yun Tian He's character was compressed, and the exquisite and complete makeup of Han Ling Sha was also considered inconsistent with the identity of someone who has been grave-robbing and traveling for a long time.

《Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Yuehong Chapter》 is adapted from the popular comic of the same name. Yang Mi plays Tu Shan Hong Hong, the leader of the Tu Shan fox tribe, and Gong Jun plays Dong Fang Yu Chao, a human boy with Eastern Spirit blood. Young Dong Fang Yu Chao escapes into Tu Shan and is protected by Tu Shan Hong Hong. As he grows up, he falls in love with Hong Hong, whom he calls 'Fairy Sister,' and the two pursue peace amidst the human-fox conflict.

The combination of Yang Mi and Gong Jun was originally seen as a guarantee of viewership, but after the official broadcast, 'the fox spirit story is boring' quickly became a hot topic. Netizens left comments saying, 'the story is so boring that I fell asleep, I didn't watch after the eighth episode,' and also criticized the characters' lines as stiff, the story lacking coherence, and the sound effects, editing, and special effects processing as rough. The large cast and luxurious costumes could not cover up the narrative problems, making this popular IP adaptation one of the most representative high-expectation, low-reputation ancient costume dramas in recent years.