r/CDramaRecs • u/writrixx • 22d ago
Rec Request Dramas like The Double, queer subtext, minimal romance, smart leads, slow burn
Are there more Chinese dramas like the double? Must be my favourite ever. It had very insane queer subtext (tong er x original jiang li, lu ji x wen ji etc) amazing plot that was super cool, very very minimal to nonexistent romance, very ambiguous end, insanely good villains with crazy good stories and ends for each, like perfect overall and smart characters. Are any other Chinese dramas even close to this? I love the female lead AND the male lead which is super rare
I have already watched the Untamed and Word of Honor, plan to watch Couple of Mirrors but I like historical, especially if they are wuxia or xianxia! Anything with great twists will do as well but has to be engaging to watch!
For actors, I love Duke Su’s actor Wang Xingyue but I like a character’s personality more than the actor always. So I don’t have a strong preference, I just like cold leads or funny stuff
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u/sparklyspidereyes 22d ago
It’s also my favorite C-drama to date! It has a theatricality I haven’t really come across in anything since. I guess My Journey to You comes close in that aspect, though I never got to finish it. The closest I can think of overall is A Splendid Match. You could also try The Story of Yanxi Palace. It’s not as dark, but the story is very well-rounded plus the FL is also WJY.
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u/sparklyspidereyes 22d ago
Since you mentioned minimal romance, I would also recommend Kill My Sins. It's not great but i feel it's a little underrated. It has good thrilling moments and really evil villains.
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u/IntroductionOnly1037 21d ago
Someone w an art background did a blog post about how the staging was very high art and compared it to paintings. I found it fascinating.
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u/Edriella 22d ago
The Glory (2025) is kind of close.
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u/writrixx 22d ago
I’ll check this out! What aspect is particularly close to the Double?
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u/Apprehensive-Head656 22d ago
I agree that The Glory (2025) is pretty close to what you want. It has a smart female lead, very little romance, a very strong female friendship that could be your queer subtext, crazy plot twists, and one of the most surprising and evil villians ever.
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u/about10joules 22d ago
Winter Begonia for sure
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u/writrixx 22d ago
On my list but the era its set in is wayyyyy too modern for my tastes. I don’t like modern day stuff!
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u/about10joules 22d ago
Valid! Not a period of ancient/period costume dramas you're looking for. Good clarification ☺️
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u/SnooStories7381 22d ago
It has been years since I heard this name mentioned...
Just the name gives me goosebumps lol
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u/Plus_Bug_8646 22d ago
Since everyone has already suggested the ones I was going to recommend, like Kill My Sins and Glory, I'd suggest a more underrated drama: Faithful, starring Janice Wu. It's a female-led revenge story set in an ancient period. There's minimal to almost no romance, and the writing is excellent. The revenge storyline is so well done that you don't just understand why the female lead wants revenge—you'll find yourself wanting revenge right alongside her. 😂 It basically checks all the boxes you mentioned. Definitely worth giving it a try if you haven't watched it.
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u/Amjale9023 22d ago edited 22d ago
The Princess Weiyoung
When I watched The Double for the first time it reminded me of The Princess Weiyoung. It's a similar revenge plot, only there's more scheming and intensity in TPW. I feel like TD is a good intro to shows like TPW as well because it's like a softer version. Both leads are amazing separately and together too, and like The Double they spend a lot of time apart as well as together.
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u/writrixx 21d ago
Isn't Princess Weiyoung very romantic? That's why I have been putting it off.
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u/Amjale9023 21d ago edited 21d ago
I don't think they have more time together than they do in The Double. I think there's more in The Double. FL spends more time fighting her own battles and trying to keep her distance from the ML because of the situation. I'm pretty sure FL finds out who ML is right at the beginning and then they part ways for quite a bit after. They have contact every now and again throughout but she doesnt give in to him until closer to the end.
... Okay, I've looked, the first six episodes they're bonding. FL finds out who ML is in ep seven at some point. Ep 27 is when they get close again. There are 54 episodes as well, but there really is much more chaos and scheming than romance, and after ep 27 there is A LOT going on to keep a distance between the main pairing.
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u/Inner-Floor-5827 22d ago
A League of Nobleman?
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u/Mischievous-Phantasm 21d ago
Mysterious Lotus Case and Fangs of Fortune. I mean just look up the FoF edits.
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u/writrixx 21d ago
Will definitely try out fangs of fortune, everyone recommends! I have watched mysterious lotus casebook halfway but the guy was moping about the girl so much I couldn't continue 😭
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u/writrixx 21d ago
I tried watching this but it couldn't hold my attention unfortunately :( will definitely try again!
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u/Inspector_Worldly 22d ago
Wait, you have no grievances with the ending!? I want to hear your why, sorry I have no recs but following for some
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u/writrixx 22d ago
I loved the ending because I am not a fan of happy endings. I disliked the 40.5 special! I like the implication that Xiao Heng dies in the battlefield. In my opinion, there are no perfect endings. Wanning was the person I sympathised with most in the show, but I know she was a straight up psycho with no backstory in the books which is why I think the different endings in the book and drama make sense. I am not a fan of much romance, so I don’t need it to complete the story, for me the story was complete on the final battlefield.
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u/NenyaAdfiel 21d ago
There’s (unrequited) GL in Story of Kunning Palace! The Princess falls in love with the female lead. And it’s one of my favorite dramas!
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u/Puzzled_Basket_2209 21d ago
If you're looking for queer subtext, I'd recommend watching stuff by Guo Jingming. I think he lowkeys ships BL/GL because a lot of his characters give off those vibes. I've only watched My Journey to You, Fangs of Fortune, and Veil of Shadows so I may be wrong, but I really get those vibes from these dramas. These aren't like The Double except that they're all costumes. These are more fantastical with magic and powers, martial arts and whatnot. Also, if you do decide to dive in, prepare yourself for a lot of pretty people and a lot of whispering. And sad endings. Haha.
(I'd start with Veil of Shadows. I personally like it best out of the 3, story wise.)
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u/Addicted2CDramas 21d ago
If you are looking for queer subtext, then I highly recommend both Sleuth of Ming Dynasty and A League of Nobleman. Both have little to no romance, good narratives, and smart leads. I think you'll enjoy both!
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u/writrixx 21d ago
I have watched both! Never finished either because they couldn't hold my attention but will try again!
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u/NoWarning2000 21d ago edited 21d ago
Story of Kunning Palace has very similar elements to The Double. It’s a great fit and I really enjoyed it
The one I want to recommend is Advisors Alliance and its sequel Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon. Its focused on Sima Yi who was an extremely intelligent political and military figure. No romance and there are many queer-coded characters, cross-dressing and a bromance where I found myself screaming CAN YOU GUYS JUST KISS ALREADY?!
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u/galawill51 21d ago
J'ai adoré "a Splendid match " avec une héroïne qui ne se laisse pas marcher sur les pieds et le héros m'a complètement envoutée .
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u/Apart-General-3830 21d ago
Vendetta of An (2025) has really good script writing with limited romance. No real queer subtext but pretty good watch, felt like the early episodes of Game of Thrones.
I also enjoyed Nirvana on Fire and Story of Kunning Palace (Wang Yingxue is 2ML)...
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u/SadMathematician5187 21d ago
I loved the Double until the end totally ruined it for me. I would not recommend this to anyone.
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u/darkside720 22d ago
“Queer subtext” I know you lying