OVERDO Beats 'Pursuit of Jade' as Zhang Linghe Scores His Biggest Chinese Drama Opening Yet

Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan's OVERDO Doubles Pursuit of Jade Records as Chinese Drama Takes Off. (Photo: Tencent Video)

Zhang Linghe has done it again. The actor's latest Chinese drama OVERDO (这一秒过火), starring alongside Wang Churan, has exploded out of the gate with a launch that has comfortably outperformed his own previous hit Pursuit of Jade (逐玉) with Tian Xiwei. Within hours of its premiere, the romantic drama had already climbed to the top of China's drama popularity rankings, proving that Zhang Linghe's momentum shows no sign of slowing down.

Even before its first episode arrived, OVERDO was already making headlines. The drama reportedly attracted tens of millions of reservations ahead of release, while advertisers rushed to secure partnerships. 

Industry figures suggest the production generated around RMB120 million in commercial sponsorship before viewers had even pressed play, with more than 20 brands joining the project. It is the sort of confidence broadcasters dream about and competitors probably wish they could borrow.

The excitement only grew after a wave of celebrity support flooded social media. Friends and fellow stars including Dilraba Dilmurat, Liu Yuning, Meng Ziyi, Li Yitong, Jin Jing, Zhou Keyu, Bai Yu, Joseph Zeng Shinxi, Lin Yun, Xin Yunlai and Deng Kai all helped promote the drama through online cinema bookings, giving OVERDO an extra boost before its official debut.

That campaign paid off in spectacular fashion. Online booking numbers reportedly surpassed 200,000 seats, roughly double the total achieved by Pursuit of Jade during its own promotional period. If anyone wondered whether lightning could strike twice for Zhang Linghe, the early figures delivered a fairly loud answer.

The drama then wasted little time proving the hype was more than marketing. After releasing its first five episodes, OVERDO climbed to the number one position on the Maoyan television drama popularity chart in less than half a day. 

In doing so, it overtook several high-profile competitors, including Love For You, Blossoms of Power, Key to the Phoenix Heart, and Road to Success, making one of the strongest opening-day performances of the season.

Streaming platforms also reported encouraging early numbers. On iQIYI, the drama quickly crossed a popularity score of 6,500, secured multiple brand sponsors and topped both the platform's trending and anticipation charts. 

Meanwhile, Tencent Video recorded a popularity score above 22,000 shortly after launch, with the series also climbing to the top of its fast-rising rankings. 

Characters played by Wang Churan and Zhang Linghe reportedly generated enormous discussion almost immediately, showing audiences were already connecting with the new pairing.

For Zhang Linghe, the latest success extends an impressive run following the popularity of The Best Thing and Pursuit of Jade. What once looked like a promising career has steadily become one of the most reliable names in Chinese television, with each new release seemingly arriving bigger than the last. At this point, his schedule may be the only thing busier than his fan clubs.

Not all the conversation centred on viewing figures, however. A separate discussion emerged after actress Lu Yuxiao appeared among the celebrities supporting OVERDO through the online booking campaign. 

Rumours have recently linked her with Zhang Linghe for another upcoming costume drama, but reports and fan disagreements surrounding that possible collaboration have created tension between sections of their fandoms.

Some supporters questioned why Lu Yuxiao joined the promotional campaign, while others dismissed the criticism altogether. Several fans argued that there was nothing unusual about her support, pointing out that both actors belong to the same agency and have publicly supported each other's projects before. 

Zhang Linghe previously backed one of Lu Yuxiao's dramas, while she also promoted one of his earlier releases, making the latest gesture look more like business as usual than a carefully planned headline.

Many celebrated OVERDO's explosive launch, praising the chemistry between Zhang Linghe and Wang Churan and predicting another major ratings success. They were more interested in comparing every statistic with Pursuit of Jade, turning the launch into an unofficial scoreboard. Because apparently enjoying two successful dramas at once is simply too easy for the internet.