Will “April Star” Be China’s Next Sleeper Hit?

Chinese soap opera April Star <繁星四月> premiered on Jiangsu TV and Anhui TV on April 18, replacing a time slot that was originally meant for White Deer Plain <白鹿原>. Starring Stephy Qi Wei (戚薇) and Nicky Wu (吳奇隆), April Star is a story about a successful career woman who carries the burden of an unspeakable truth, for the sake of family’s happiness.

Due to the unpopular timing of the drama’s premiere—April Star was criticized for being a “canon fodder” drama. It debuted to subpar ratings, and less-than-stellar critical reviews. Netizen reviewers said the soap opera had “dog blood” story content, and that its low ratings showed that not many people were interested in the show’s cheesy and melodramatic content.

But to everyone’s surprise, April Star’s ratings picked up with each episode, and by last week, the drama pulled in over 300 million views online. Traditional television ratings continued to increase, and by April 22, it became Jiangsu TV’s second most-watched program of the week.

There’s still a long way to go before April Star reaches its finale, but with its steady rise in viewership, its becoming possible that April Star would become the industry’s next dark horse.

Source: Sohu

This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.

Responses

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  1. Nice to see Nicky Wu in non costume drama. Man still looking hot. Will watch for him. Do not now who Stephy is.

    To be fair to this drama, it was not supposed to be telecast in April. Another drama was suddenly pulled out after two eps and April Star was shown in its place.

  2. China is so biased sometimes. High ratings doesn’t mean the show is good. For example I’m currently watching fighter of Destiny but it is a crappy drama. however I’m watching it and contributing to higher ratings because the aesthetic is nice. plus I love the supporting characters

    1. @coralie

      critics in China skewered FoD; ratings were low as well.
      there’s a big backlash against idol dramas with highly paid pretty faces and poor acting.

      1. @msxie0714 the skewering is well-deserved lol. but, it’s actually still ranked third, pushing second place, so not exactly low ratings.

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