“Overdo” Premiere Backfires: AI Intro and “Short Drama” Look Spark Fan Backlash

Big expectations, bigger backlash. Overdo (这一秒过火), the much-hyped drama starring Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan, has landed with a thud among viewers — and the criticism is coming from every…

By Reetam Bodhak

July 27, 2026

3 min read

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Big expectations, bigger backlash. Overdo (这一秒过火), the much-hyped drama starring Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan, has landed with a thud among viewers — and the criticism is coming from every direction, from its opening credits to its overall look and feel.

Pressure was already high going in, since this marks Zhang Linghe’s first drama to air after the global success of his hit series Pursuit of Jade. Fans had been buzzing for months over leaked filming photos, especially one scene of Zhang Linghe carrying Wang Churan in his arms, which had generated real excitement during production. But the finished product? Not quite living up to the hype.

What Went Wrong With Overdo’s Premiere

Issue	Fan Reaction
Opening credits	AI-generated, widely mocked
Cinematography & lighting	Compared to a low-budget “short drama”
Direction	Criticized under director Yi Jun
Dialogue	A key line was ridiculed online
Day-1 Heat Index	7,500 (iQIYI), 24,000 (Tencent)

Viewers felt the lighting, background music, and scene editing made the show resemble a low-budget vertical drama rather than a big-budget release, and even a single dramatic line of dialogue became an instant meme. Adding fuel to the fire, the drama’s AI-generated opening sequence proved especially divisive, a technique that’s becoming more common in dramas but still draws heavy criticism from purists.

Not everyone’s written it off, though. Some argue much of the backlash comes from viewers judging the show before actually watching it. The source material has plenty going for it too: Overdo is based on a novel by popular author Fei Wo Si Cun and packs in a fake death, revenge, and a forbidden romance — complete with a tragic-backstory male lead reunited with his lost love right as she’s engaged to his own older brother. Dramatic? Absolutely. But the general consensus remains that Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan’s star power is still the show’s biggest draw, even if the execution needs work. dramapanda + 2

Fei Wo Si Cun’s novels have long been a goldmine for C-drama adaptations, with the author building a reputation as one of China’s most-adapted romance writers, per Wikipedia.

For more C-drama premiere reactions, ratings updates, and first impressions, keep following TechnoSports Entertainment.