Netflix's 'Smart Town' Criticized for Being Unattractive! Top 10 Most Polarizing Taiwanese Dramas of the Past 5 Years, No. 1 Suffered from Fan Backlash Over Changes and Even Big Stars Couldn't Save It

Some viewers may finish watching a drama and be captivated by it, while others may abandon it halfway. Over the past 5 years, Taiwanese dramas have become increasingly diverse in themes, ranging from sex, marriage, midlife anxiety, to serial murder cases and social issues. Viewer ratings often split into two camps based on the plot development, character values, adaptation scope, and ending arrangement. Below is a list of 10 Taiwanese dramas from 2021 to 2026 that have high discussion volume and clear positive and negative rating gaps. This ranking emphasizes the 'degree of rating divergence' and is not a simple comparison of production quality. Among them, 'Smart Town' was released on July 28, 2026, and the current ratings reflect the initial viewer feedback. The following content includes some plot developments and endings. Over the past 5 years, the 10th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Chan Tzu-Hsuan and Ko Chuen-Tung's 'Love Love Contains Light' Chiu Ai is an online video creator who talks extensively about sex knowledge but is not as casual about her own emotions. She maintains a 'only sex, no love' relationship with her friend Zhou Ping Ke. Other family members also face various difficulties such as marriage, childbirth, diverse gender issues, and elderly intimate relationships. The entire drama revolves around the lives of the Chiu family, placing different generations' attitudes towards sex and love into a series of absurd and awkward family conflicts. Some viewers were amused by the interactions of the Chiu family, exclaiming, 'It's been a long time since I've seen such a funny comedy in Taiwan,' and others thought it was a 'light and interesting warm family drama.' Another camp felt that the preview seemed bold, but the story ultimately returned to true love and family, criticizing that the 'content is conservative,' and even felt that the work seemed bold but 'still couldn't break out of the box.' The point of divergence among viewers is whether it opened up space for Taiwanese families to talk about sex or used trendy themes to package traditional answers. Over the past 5 years, the 9th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Wang Jing and Zhu Xuan Yang's 'This Moment' 'This Moment' is set during the pandemic and tells 10 different forms of love through 10 episodes. The stories cover reality dating shows, deaf massage therapists, extramarital affairs, gay relationships, marital roles, and sister-brother romances. The first episode starring Wang Jing and Zhu Xuan Yang starts with a screen couple, describing true feelings and scripts in reality shows. Other episodes are taken over by actors such as Wu Kang Ren, Lin Xinyu, Jia Jing Wen, and Zeng Jing Xue, with characters and plots intersecting in different episodes. Viewers who liked this drama felt that the 10 love relationships were each touching, and overall it was 'unexpectedly good.' Negative comments focused on the quality gap between episodes, with some chapters naturally touching, while others were described as 'rather indifferent.' Some also felt that some story developments had 'clichéd endings.' In the same drama, viewers' favorite and least favorite episodes were often completely different, which is the main reason for its split ratings. Over the past 5 years, the 8th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: David Chen and Hsieh Hsin Ying's 'Our Distance from Evil II' A random arson case causing multiple casualties entangles the fate of six families for 20 years. Dr. Ma Yi Sen, played by David Chen, loses his wife and children in the fire, while Gao Zheng Min, played by Hsieh Hsin Ying, struggles between her political family and personal trauma. The plot spans three eras, weaving together public health, judicial systems, political struggles, mental illness, the death penalty, and the families of perpetrators, asking through multiple character lines whether society can truly catch the injured. Supporters praised the work for daring to bring heavy issues to the stage, calling it 'very touching on social issues,' and some gave it a 'god drama' rating after watching. Another camp was turned off by the vast character relationships and frequently switching timelines, feeling that the early character relationships seemed 'fragmented,' and needed to repeatedly confirm character identities while following the drama. The expanded scope allowed some viewers to see a more complete social cross-section, while others felt that the information volume overwhelmed character emotions. Over the past 5 years, the 7th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Ke Chia-Yen and Liu Yi-Hao's 'Fairy Tale Story Part 2' Lin Yi Ling and Tseng Xue You, after a romantic encounter, found that the daily life of rice, oil, salt, and soy sauce, mother-in-law problems, childbirth pressure, house buying choices, and marital communication were far more complex than when they were in love. Although they still appear to be a stable couple on the surface, small frictions in life keep accumulating, and Yi Ling meets a pharmacist who makes her heart flutter during her marital fatigue, beginning to rethink her life. Viewers who praised the drama liked the cynical narration and marriage observations, and Ke Chia-Yen and Liu Yi-Hao were also praised for acting like real couples around them. Another camp was dissatisfied with the ending where the two continue to reconcile, criticizing that the 'ending was not satisfying.' Some felt that marriage itself doesn't have a perfect answer that solves all problems at once, while others felt that the drama presented many contradictions but didn't make the characters pay the corresponding price in the end. Over the past 5 years, the 6th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Wu Kang Ren and Ke Chia-Yen's 'Copycat' Set in the late 1990s, a woman's severed hand appears in a park, uncovering a series of abductions and murders. Prosecutor Guo Xiao Qi, played by Wu Kang Ren, discovers while investigating the truth that the killer is good at using television media to create panic and even provokes the police, victims' families, and the public through programs. The case gradually involves psychological trauma, media competition, and judicial investigation, also dragging Guo Xiao Qi step by step into the killer's trap. Some viewers appreciated the 90s atmosphere, the cast, and the oppressive feeling of the case, especially praising that 'Yao Xun Yao's last two episodes were great, he really acted well.' Negative reviews felt that the middle and later parts crammed in too many characters and clues without sufficient explanation, with some bluntly stating that this was 'gathering many big names but wasting them.' Acting and production specifications were praised, but the condensed plot and ending method became the biggest controversy. Over the past 5 years, the 5th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Hsu Kuang Han and Wang Jing's 'The Real Police Station' 'The Real Police Station' continues the characters from the movie 'About Me and Ghosts Becoming Family.' After Wu Ming Han returns to the police station, he and Wang Jing, who plays the team leader Lin Zi Qing, investigate a series of 'idiom murder cases.' Each crime scene is arranged as a bloody riddle, with the victims' deaths corresponding to specific idioms. The police must decipher the rules before the killer strikes again. The work mixes criminal investigation, Taiwanese humor, and absurd bloody scenes, with an overall style close to a bad taste comedy. Viewers who can take this tone praised it as 'plot tight, all actors' acting is on point,' feeling that six episodes explaining multiple cases is quite satisfying. Those who couldn't accept it directly criticized that 'The Real Police Station drama is also badly written,' feeling that the dialogue was 'hard to laugh at and unnatural,' and wasted actors like Hsu Kuang Han, Wang Jing, and Ma Nien Hsien. Some felt that its humor had an intentional exaggeration, and those who hit the frequency would laugh all the way through, while those who didn't might start dropping out from the first episode. Over the past 5 years, the 4th most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Lin Xinyu and Yang Jin Hua's 'Lights On' The story goes back to the 1980s Taipei Tongcheng, where Rose, played by Lin Xinyu, and Sue, played by Yang Jin Hua, jointly operate a Japanese-style hotel 'Guang.' The girls in the store each carry emotional, family, and survival problems. A female corpse appearing in the mountains gradually pulls everyone's secrets to the surface. The entire drama uses the case investigation to string together female group portraits, and three seasons continuously reveal the accumulated love and hate entanglements between Rose, Sue, and the men around them. Supporters liked the luxurious cast, the atmosphere of Tongcheng, and the complex emotions between female characters, with some viewers expressing that they felt 'satisfied, life is good and bad like this imperfect.' Opponents felt that the real culprit was guessed too early, the subplots were getting longer and longer, and even bluntly said that 'it would be better to end directly in the second season.' Some saw it as a female group portrait drama and could accept that the mystery was just a frame. Viewers who followed it as a suspense drama were more likely to be disappointed with the plot and ending. Over the past 5 years, the 3rd most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Lin Yi Chen and Hsu Wei Ning's 'Not Kind Enough of Us' Jian Qing Fen and Rebecca were born on the same day and once loved the same man, He Rui Zhi. 12 years later, Jian Qing Fen became a wife and mother but felt suffocated in her stable marriage. Rebecca seemed free and independent but actually bore the pressure of loneliness, work, and illness. Jian Qing Fen noticed her former rival through social media, and the two women re-examined their chosen lives through mutual imagination and comparison. Many viewers were hit by midlife anxiety and women's situations, leaving messages saying 'super realistic, super relatable,' and some praised Wei Ning for 'performing at a new height again.' However, the ending caused the ratings to split rapidly, with some bluntly saying 'I don't like the ending where R got cancer and died,' feeling that Rebecca's death became a tool for Jian Qing Fen's growth. Another camp was moved by the two's final understanding, feeling that 'some say it's unfinished, some say the ending is not bad,' which just proves that the work touched different regrets in everyone's heart. Over the past 5 years, the 2nd most polarizing Taiwanese drama: Gui Lin Na and Wang Bo Jie's 'Taipei Women's Guide' Lin Yi Shan from Tainan starts a new life in Taipei. She faces various challenges such as friends, lovers, family, work, and self-realization. Lin Yi Shan, played by Gui Lin Na, embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she explores the complex society and culture of Taipei. Some viewers empathized with Lin Yi Shan's growth and experiences in Taipei, saying 'very realistic and relatable,' and some praised Gui Lin Na's acting as 'very natural and touching.' Others criticized the story as 'unrealistic,' feeling that Lin Yi Shan's choices were 'unrealistic.' Some viewers felt that the drama was 'about the lives of women in Taipei' and could empathize, while others felt that it was 'about life in Taipei' and could not empathize.