Best and Worst of 2025

The year is drawing to a close, so I thought I would do a wrap-up of the five best and four worst BL/GL shows (I have watched) of the year. The ones that left an impression whether good or bad. I write this on the 17th of December, so I might not include a few of those which finish airing late December or next year. Let’s get into it. 

The Five Best: 

It was far easier to find shows for the ‘best’ category, as we had so many great shows this year, narrowing it down to just five was difficult.

Number One: ‘Us’

‘Us’ premiered January 18th, and ran for 12 episodes, and what a way to start the year. The show centers around Dokrak who during a gap-year develops a crush on a student named Pam. Unfortunately Dokrak’s brother also falls for Pam, and Dokrak gets roped in to play matchmaker. 

There are only really two reactions people have to this show; either they love it, or they are incredibly bored. As you can probably guess, I am in the camp of people who loved this show. I love how it is not brimming with melodrama and it instead goes a calmer route. As a viewer I was pleasantly surprised on multiple occasions where characters solved their problems without drama and with forgiveness. I was also impressed with how it handled mental illness and abuse. A 9/10 from me.

(gif found on tumblr by phiwilliam)

Number Two: ‘Revenged Love’

Talk about a show that had the collective BL fandom enraptured. Premiering June 16th and airing for 24 episodes, it had us all in a chokehold. One of the first full scale Chinese BL productions, I remember being stunned week to week that it wasn’t cancelled. It is an adaptation of ‘Counter Attack’/’Falling in Love with a Rival’ from 2015, telling the story of Wu Suo Wei who wants revenge on his ex-girlfriend so he devises a plan to seduce her new boyfriend; Chi Cheng. Things start becoming complicated when Chi Cheng actually starts developing feelings for Wei, and Wei has to figure out how to handle the situation. 

This show had me on the edge of my seat every Monday and Tuesday, I could not get enough. Whilst it is by no means a perfect show, goddamn was it entertaining. One thing I could not get over, was how in this adaptation someone decided that everyone needed to be a snake dealer, leading me to one Tuesday night google: Snake breeding legal China? So it did make me learn something. 8/10 

(gif found on tumblr by loveisactivated)

Number Three: ‘Khemjira’

If anyone has watched ‘Khemjira’ it is by no means a surprise that this show ended up on this list. It began airing on August 9th and lasted 12 episodes. Focusing on plot development and the core mystery, the show is by no means a traditional BL. The genre leans more horror/mystery but with definite elements of romance. The story is of Khem who was born into a cursed family, where sons die by the time they reach age twenty-one. He ends up seeking help from a shaman in order to break the curse and keep him alive beyond his birthday. This show was so unbelievably good, I give all my flowers to the people who brought this story to life, especially a shoutout to Green Ausadaporn Siriwattanakul who played Ramphueng. Please, please go watch this, 9/10.

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Number Four: ‘Queendom’

I can not be the only one that felt that this show came out of nowhere. It aired from August 4th and lasted 12 episodes. Not being one for the body-swapping trope I went in with no expectations, and ended up being blown away. Rey and Print have been enemies since entering the entertainment industry, and are reunited when they are casted in an upcoming series together. A week before filming starts they swap bodies, and chaos immediately ensues. This show was so fun and entertaining, and I looked forward to tuning in every week. I was thoroughly impressed with the production, the acting, and the outfits! I am so tired of minimalism and huge blazers, give me more of this! Overall a 8.5/10 from me.

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Number Five: ‘That Summer’

Finally we end with a show I did not plan on watching and I could certainly not foresee myself ending up loving it. ‘That Summer’ was 10 episodes and began airing September 19th. The premise is perhaps a bit out there, but stay with me. Lava is sent to live with his uncle on the beach, in the hopes of him developing a work ethic and leaving bad habits behind. One day he stumbles on a young man with amnesia, laying on the beach. The young man, who they end up calling Wave, moves in with them as he has nowhere to go. Wave is not used to hard labour and seems to have a pampered past. What they don’t know is that Wave’s real identity is Davin Everett Delroy, a prince!

I told you that the premise was perhaps a bit out there, which is why I didn’t expect the show to be so grounded and the characters to feel so real. Winny and Satang knocked it out of the park as the main characters, and they were backed by a stellar supporting cast. This show is a perfect summer show, with beaches, late nights and new loves. Please give it a shot, you won’t regret it! 8.5/10

(gif found on tumblr by phiwilliam)

The Four Worst:

I think overall that we had a great year in terms of shows. I also don’t watch shows if I can tell from episode one that they are not my cup of tea/not worth the watch, so it was a bit more difficult to think of the worst four shows (I wanted to do five but I could only think of four). Remember these are just my opinions and if you love them then that’s fantastic.

Number One: ‘ToGetHer’

I wanted to love this so bad. An all women dating show? Fuck yeah, sign me up! It started on April 25th and lasted 14 episodes. I was kicking my feet and cheering through the first two episodes, and then- then all the fucking behind the scenes drama started coming out. We could not get through one episode without something new coming out, to the point where they fully cut one of the contestants (Riwon) out. It seemed to have been a complete mess from the production team. If you have such strict opinions as to who you feature on the show, then vet them properly before starting production. Other reality tv shows make it so that contestants can’t comment on the show until it finishes airing, why in the world did they not put that in the contracts? Everything became about the behind the scenes drama which was handled so poorly that it was almost laughable. 

I hope we get more queer/lesbian dating shows in the future, and hopefully they will be made by more competent people. 5/10

Number Two: The Next Prince

Oh boy. Starting May 3rd and lasting 14 episodes, this was the highly anticipated Prince/bodyguard romance starring NuNew Chawarin Perdpiriyawong and Zee Pruk Panich. The story follows Khanin (NuNew) who has grown up not knowing he was an heir to the throne of the fictional country of Emmaly, and Charan (Zee) the bodyguard who has to bring him back. The show focuses not only on the romance, but also on who will be Emmaly’s new ruler, and all the drama that entails. 

Let me start off by saying that this is a beautiful show, the budget was certainly there, and I appreciate them going all out. But my praise stops soon after that. The plot is fully nonsensical, the show seems to be having an identity crisis not knowing what it wants to be. The characters were paperthin, Charan especially, he was just so bland. NuNew and Zee have plenty of chemistry but nothing to do with it. The side couple has such an interesting dynamic but they have too little screen time to explore it. It is hard to explain how a show that has so much happening is still so boring. 5/10

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Number Three: ‘Only You’

‘Only You’ aired July 18th to October 17th, lasting 14 episodes. We follow the story of Ayla and Tawan who met in school and eight years later are reunited when Tawan is hired to be Ayla, who is now a pop star's bodyguard. Yet another bodyguard romance which fell flat. I was very much looking forward to Lingling and Orm’s new show, as I did enjoy ‘Secret of Us’ (2024), but what the hell was this? The plot is boring, the show looks terrible, and there is seemingly only one song on the soundtrack that is just repeated in every episode. The pet peeve which I just could not let go of, was how Tawan (Lingling) was styled. She is a bodyguard yet she is in strapless tops, the biggest blazers you have ever seen and heels. It seemed like no one behind the scenes cared about this show, and just expected Lingling and Orm’s popularity to carry it. I was so dissapointed. 4/10

(gif found on tumblr by guzufuren)

Number Four: ‘Unlimited Love’

‘Unlimited Love’ aired October 11th to December 13th lasting 10 episodes. There were truly so many side characters and none of them made an impression, and I struggled to differentiate them as they were never properly introduced other than a five minute slot in episode two. I get wanting to create an ensemble cast to be a springboard for newer actresses, but then give them a good story or at least something to work with. That is to say nothing of the bad messaging in the story. A girl is getting bullied so let's give her a makeover! As long as we brush your hair and take off your glasses you’ll be pretty! I wanted so much more but was served very little. 5/10 

That was my list of best and worst of 2025, already looking forward to the shows we will get in 2026!