Season 1
50 episodes Jun 27, 2019 10.0
In a magical world of inter-clan rivalry, two soulmates face treacherous schemes and uncover a dark mystery linked to a tragic event in the past.
The Untamed
“I can stand pain but I can't stand seeing you in pain.”
2019
Ended • 1 Season • 50 Episodes
Director: Steve Cheng Wai-Man
Overview
In a magical world of inter-clan rivalry, two soulmates face treacherous schemes and uncover a dark mystery linked to a tragic event in the past.
Seasons
1 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 50 episodes
- First aired
- Jun 27, 2019
- Last aired
- Aug 7, 2019
- Episode length
- 45m
- Network
- Tencent Video
Latest episode: S1 E50 Episode 50 (Aug 7, 2019)
Cast
7 people
Reviews
5 min readA Romance That Had to Hide in Plain Sight
The Untamed begins with a kind of double life. On the surface, it’s a fantasy mystery about clans, cultivation, rituals, and the old pleasures of a sprawling wuxia world. latestnetflix.com's view is that Underneath that, though — and this is what gave the series its unusual afterlife — it’s a story about intimacy under pressure, about what gets coded, displaced, and smuggled through genre when direct expression isn’t available.
I kept thinking, while watching, that the show understands concealment not as a plot device but as a social condition. People here rarely say what they mean outright. They bow, defer, recite rules, and only then reveal the wound underneath.
That’s part of why the series became such a phenomenon far beyond China: it arrived as an adaptation of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s novel The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, but the television version had to work within stricter broadcast limits, and the result is a fascinating kind of translation. The relationship at the center is still legible — maybe more legible because of the careful omissions and substitutions — but the show’s emotional charge now comes from what it can’t quite name. That tension gives the whole thing a nervous, slightly haunted energy, even when the plot is busy with sect politics and spectral intrigue.
What struck me first was how much the series trusts posture. Xiao Zhan’s Wei Wuxian moves like a man who’s always one step ahead of the room and half a joke away from danger. He grins too easily, leans in too close, turns irreverence into armor.
Wang Yibo’s Lan Wangji, by contrast, is all restraint: straight-backed, measured, his stillness so controlled it starts to feel like pressure. Their chemistry doesn’t depend on flirtation in any obvious sense. It’s in the asymmetry — one character always reaching, the other always withholding, until withholding itself becomes a form of speech.
That difference matters because The Untamed can look, at times, like a tale of ornate externals: robes, weapons, sect banners, ceremonial spaces, a whole world of lacquer and etiquette. But the show’s real subject is interpretation. Everyone is reading everyone else.
Every gesture gets decoded. A glance becomes evidence. A silence becomes an accusation.
The direction — by Chan Ka-Lam, Steve Cheng Wai-Man, and Zheng Weiwen — often frames characters in layered compositions, with screens, doorways, trees, or crowds interrupting easy connection. It’s a visual grammar of interference, and it fits a story in which personal feeling is forever colliding with public duty.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe Untamed (2019): Behind the Scenes of the Cult Fantasy Drama
The Untamed (2019) became a global phenomenon, blending fantasy, action, and a slow-burn romance that captivated millions. But behind its polished xianxia aesthetic lay a production fraught with tension, creative compromises, and a scandal that nearly derailed its legacy. latestnetflix.com's view is that here’s what the evidence reveals about the making of the series.
From Web Novel to Screen: Creative Struggles
Based on Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s Mo Dao Zu Shi, The Untamed faced the challenge of adapting a danmei (boys’ love) novel for mainstream Chinese television. The source material’s explicit romantic subtext was heavily censored, forcing the creative team to rely on subtext and subtle gestures to convey the relationship between leads Wei Wu Xian (Xiao Zhan) and Lan Wang Ji (Wang Yibo) 
. The series’ success hinged on its ability to balance fantasy adventure with emotional depth, a tightrope walk that paid off with a dedicated fanbase.
The adaptation process wasn’t seamless. While the novel’s dark, morally ambiguous tone was preserved, the series softened some of its grimmer elements to fit broadcast standards. The result was a story that retained its core mystery—unraveling a past tragedy while solving present-day murders—but with a more palatable edge for general audiences 
.
Cast Chemistry and On-Set Dynamics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBAx5rY9Ovc
Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo’s on-screen chemistry became the heart of The Untamed, but off-screen, their relationship was reportedly strained. Rumors of tension between the two leads circulated during filming, though neither actor publicly addressed them at the time. The evidence suggests these tensions may have stemmed from creative differences or scheduling conflicts, but details remain scarce .
Supporting cast members, including Meng Ziyi (Wen Qing) and Xuan Lu (Jiang Yanli), contributed to the series’ emotional weight. Their performances added layers to the story’s tragic undertones, particularly in flashbacks that revealed the depth of Wei Wu Xian’s past relationships . However, behind-the-scenes accounts of their dynamics with the leads are limited, leaving much of their collaboration to fan speculation.
The Scandal That Rocked the Production
The most explosive behind-the-scenes drama emerged after The Untamed aired. In 2020, Xiao Zhan became embroiled in a controversy unrelated to the series, which led to a massive online backlash. The fallout reportedly affected his professional relationships, including with Wang Yibo. While neither actor directly tied the scandal to The Untamed, a 2023 YouTube video titled "Wang Yibo FINALLY Breaks Silence on Xiao Zhan’s Darkest Era" suggests lingering tension . The video’s title implies Wang Yibo addressed the rift, but without access to the full content, the specifics remain unverified.
The scandal’s impact on the series’ legacy is undeniable. Fan communities splintered, and discussions about The Untamed often became overshadowed by the controversy. Despite this, the show’s popularity endured, with its 2019 release on Tencent Video cementing its status as a cultural touchstone .
Legacy and Unanswered Questions
The Untamed’s success spawned a thriving fandom, merchandise, and even a spin-off film (The Living Dead, 2019). Yet, its production remains shrouded in mystery. Key questions linger:
- Creative compromises: How much of the novel’s original intent was lost in translation to screen? The evidence confirms censorship played a role, but the extent of changes to character dynamics is unclear .
- Cast relationships: Were the reported tensions between Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo resolved, or did they persist? The YouTube video hints at closure, but details are lacking .
- Fan backlash: Did the post-scandal fallout affect the series’ international distribution or future adaptations? The evidence doesn’t address this directly.
What’s certain is that The Untamed transcended its behind-the-scenes drama to become a defining work of Chinese fantasy television. Its blend of action, mystery, and emotional storytelling continues to resonate, even as its production history remains a subject of intrigue.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.