Though I have watched a few new kdramas and cdramas this summer and even really loved some of them, I’d say that most of my time was spent enjoying the bountiful harvest of gay love stories airing in the summer of 2026.

BL lovers have been treated to some new gold standard dramas – which are highly recommended and listed first. I’ll probably write longer reviews of the dramas listed as Top Tier but I haven’t posted for a while and thought I’d drop some summaries and ratings first. Then there are the good BL dramas, that under normal conditions would be exceptional but due to the competition ended up being paler in comparison. I’ve listed those after the top tier dramas.

Both lists are alphabetical by title.

TOP TIER BL DRAMAS NOT TO BE MISSED

Bittersweet Love (Chinese) – Do you like Edith Wharton books? E.M. Forster? Do you like stories that explore how class structures determine nearly every aspect of people’s lives and relationships? Cause Bittersweet Love is the story about how a poor boy was swept into the lives of a rich family, basically purchased to cover up a scandal and subsequently treated like a commodity that was only kept around to prevent further scandal. From the first night it’s clear that the young master of the house would like to use our country mouse for personal reasons as well, and that the attraction between them may be mutual but it will never be equal in any other way. Their love affair is tightly wrapped in the layers of the world they both inhabit and their individual roles in it. It’s currently still airing and I am eating up every second of this historical masterpiece. Rating: 9/10 (might go up to 10/10, we shall see how it ends).

Blue Lips (Chinese) – For me personally this is a top tier drama, though I understand it’s a bit niche. I have also read the extremely horny novel this is based on… and few other books have taken a single night through multiple detailed chapters like this smutty masterpiece. Reading about how to make men squirt was not on my bingo card, but I do feel somewhat enlightened for knowing, so… there’s that.

Anyways, this show is about a brooding night club singer and the seemingly carefree owner of a sex shop who likes to obnoxiously flirt with him by requesting he sing cheesy ballads and oldies hits all the time. They are totally different in almost every way with a ten year age gap but have an inescapable attraction to each other. These two lonely people keep lingering around each others periphery until one fateful night brings them intimately together. The afore mentioned long, long night – which is censored like crazy in the drama and still manages to be shockingly explicit. Both men are hiding secrets they are hesitant to reveal as they navigate their first gay relationship, slowly falling in love. Rating: 9/10.

Deep In (Chinese) – True cinema… which I did not expect from the first few episodes and then BAM, elevated itself to this incredible nuanced viewing experience! This drama is an exploration of the personal relationships of two young actors getting comfortable enough with each other to play believable love interests in a gay noir film. Their instant chemistry got them their roles, but their feelings for each other become complicated as they rehearse together, getting into the mindsets of their characters and growing close enough to act out intimate scenes without hesitation.

As we are exploring their emotions in the reality of the set, we (as the viewing audience) are also treated to the unfolding of the movie they are filming. It’s two series in one drama.

_{gifs by @bluesandfilms}

It’s so good! Honestly, both plot lines are incredibly engaging and the overlapping aspects of their emotional and sexual journeys are fascinating to ponder as each episode takes you deeper in (pun intended but also true). Rating: 10/10.

Double Helix (Chinese) – if you read BL novels, you know that this drama is basically what half of the famous Chinese BL novels are like. Pure dog blood, aka excessively overdramatic and melodramatic insanity. This story starts in the 1990s, a strange time when the world appeared to be rapidly modernizing yet still holding on to a lot of rigid social norms of the past – such as intense homophobia. I think if you were alive in the late 20th century, you will have a different experience with this drama, as the behaviors make perfect sense if you understand what reality was like in that era for gay people. The extreme pushback from family, friends, and strangers as well as the intense internalized homophobia all that pushback was bound to instill made everything messy. Parents who cut you off entirely or parents who doggedly pushed you towards heterosexual relationships in spite of seeing your misery were pretty standard. As a result many gay people suffered just like these two boys. Mental health issues abounded. Whether blowing up and dragging everyone around you through the wreckage or shutting down and running away entirely to disassociate through a few years of life until someone or something snaps you back out of it – the behaviors of both boys, though outlandish, also seemed normal to me. Even your gay friends and family can’t always be counted on to be emotional supports – they’re going through it just like you, after all. (I mean, we still have a long way to go with LGBT rights but let’s not downplay the progress we have made)

Anyways, if you want to enjoy a truly messy and twisted love story of two young lovers who went through hell and then created their own hell to be together… this show is not to be missed. Special shout out to Ayden Sng who deserves the Best Actor award for his performance as the unstable but unshakeable Lu Feng. Rating: 9/10.

The Edge of Horizon (Thai) – This drama has a great plot taking place at a pivotal time in Thailand’s history. It starts with a young royal and his servant falling hopelessly in love and follows their relationship through the turning of an era and the political changes of the 1930s. Though the plot is interesting, the success of this show is 99 percent owed to the undeniable chemistry between the two leads. Few actors can make you truly believe they have fallen insanely in love – but these guys stare at each other as if they are the only two people on earth. Our prince in particular… there are literal stars in his eyes when he looks at his man. Honestly, they are so believably in love in this show that it gives you butterflies. Rating: 8/10

Journey with You (Chinese) – I will probably watch every Chinese historical gay drama they make. This story follows a prince who is betrayed by his best friend and dies only to wake up 3 years in the past of his own life. Our handsome prince is determined to reverse his fate and discover the truths behind the events that claimed his life. His second chance at life also gives him a second chance to make his feelings known to his best friend. It’s all very intense and dramatic and I ate it up. There were some deliciously wicked antagonists as well. If you like danmei or pretty boys in long wigs and robes, then you are sure to love this too. Rating: 8/10.

Knot (Thai) – Listen. You just have to. It’s possibly the most cringe show I have ever watched, and I am eating it up. This is an omegaverse story – with mating bites and boys going into heat and all kinds of supernatural sexy shenanigans. They’ve got everyone in heavy makeup and fluffed hair and questionable outfits and it just works. The success of a cringe show is determined by how seriously the actors take their roles – and all these characters are fully committed to the bit. In particular the two leads, whose shamelessness leaves me speechless. They have no problem at all growling and writhing and eating each other up as their alpha and omega pheromones’ take control. Hats off the casting director, cause I can’t think of any other pair of actors who would happily go this hog wild in all their sexy scenes. It’s embarrassing and ridiculous and totally fun. Rating: 8/10.

Payback (Thai) – Where to even start with this one? Though it’s a modern story, it feels almost surreal, like an anime or something. It’s based on a manhwa so maybe that shouldn’t be surprising. It’s about a young guy who worked as a debt collector for the mafia whose entire life fell apart due to a series of events that happened in rapid succession: his boyfriend left him, his brother got stabbed, and his mother got diagnosed with a terminal illness. He’s been a ghost for the past five years, living only to work off the debts he accrued because he knows all too well what happens to those who don’t pay. When he discovers he was betrayed by his ex-boyfriend, who is now a rising actor, he becomes focused solely on revenge… but discovers reasons to come back to life along the way. Ya’ll. There were so many unexpected and crazy things mixed in, I had a blast watching this drama. The leads were sexy as hell, too, which goes a long way with these types of shows let’s be real. Rating: 10/10.

The Prosecutor’s Proposal (Korean) – The hype is justified. This is a low budget crime BL that was elevated to greatness due to the intense character dynamics and sizzling chemistry between the two leads. The son of a murderer and the son of the person who was murdered are teamed up, both trying to navigate their own lives under the tremendous shadow of their dark family legacies. They are both barely contained boiling pots on the verge of erupting and every time they are near each other the lids on those pots start trembling from the pressure… and when they are alone… Let’s just say it’s something you won’t forget any time soon. These dudes are intense. INTENSE. Enemies to lovers is a whole other brand of romance, and when they’re still enemies while crossing the line together… wow. It’s good stuff. Trust me, you don’t to miss this one. Sexy Antagonism is my brand! Rating: 10/10.

P.S. This is another adaptation where the source material is even hotter than the very, very hot drama we were treated to. The book is filthy, my friends. I enjoyed it as well.

A Winter Sun (Chinese) – I’ve just started this one but can already tell it belongs in the top tier list. I’ll update this with a summary once I’ve watched a few more eps… but holy moly it is gorgeous. The pacing, the cinematography, the plot… top notch.

Continue to read about other great summer BL’s worth watching but maybe not quite as good as those above…

GOOD STUFF TO ALSO CONSIDER

Contrast (Japanese) – An enjoyable love story about opposites attracting, basic introvert and extrovert set up. It’s nothing particularly special, but I did have a good time watching it in between all the more intense shows this summer. Rating: 8/10.

Don’t Be Emotional (Thai) – This is a fun drama about a stupidly rich, stupidly handsome young man who gets off on having power over other people (as if his money and face aren’t already doing all the heavy lifting there). He makes Faustian bargains with desperate people, enjoying using his power and influence to help them out while watching them dig themselves a deeper hole to fall in. This hottie falls for a rather dull boy in his dance class who has the audacity to dump him for being a shady character – whom he then manipulates back into his life. Everyone is watching this for Big Jane and Big Jane only, but sure you can try to tell me the “plot” is really working in this hole filled mess of a show if you want. Listen, sometimes a show is worth watching solely because it features an exceptionally attractive man walking around half naked in most scenes. Rating: 8/10.

Fake Fact Lips (Japanese) – About two work rivals who have been competing since school that discover their feelings for each other with their latest challenge. The gents had great chemistry, the scope of the story was intimate and nicely paced. Passionate yet tender love scenes and kisses. I love Japanese work place dramas, and this one was no exception. Rating: 8/10.

Lie We Lived In (Korean) – A sexy little low budget show about a hunky contract killer and the sweet cop he falls for while covering up the fact he has the dude’s best friend locked in a cage in the basement. Ain’t no one watching this show for the plot, that’s just the contrivance to make the sexiness feel more exciting (and it works). This drama’s popularity hinges entirely on the soft lighting and flawless skin of the handsome men flirting in an isolated house. Rating: 8/10.T

Life in Smokey Blue (Japanese) – A beautiful story of two adult men finding room for love as their professional and personal lives are going through major changes. No one does mature love stories better than the Japanese at the moment. An isolated man who has been living in the shadow of his recently deceased father tries to figures out who he is without that imposing influence. Meanwhile a cheerful but slightly aimless old flame saunters back into his life who is having struggles of his own trying to determine his professional direction after set backs at work. It was refreshing, thoughtful, and filled with the small moments of connection that make our lives worth living. Rating: 8/10.

Sammy’s Children’s Day (Chinese) – This was an unusual tale of two men who grew up in a walled off slum city. Set in the 1980s, it had a unique story and two engaging protagonists. One has risen up in the ranks of his criminal organization (one of many operating within the city) and the other has secured a college scholarship and is on the verge of escaping the slums. This was a slow burn romance (very slow) but I will not deny the two men had great magnetism. I also liked that the muscled mafia guy was the bottom, so to speak, in this relationship while the nerdy one was the top – a nice change from the norm standards in BL. This highly anticipated drama did not quite live up to my expectations, which are admittedly abstract and smutty, but I still enjoyed it. In particular I liked the mafia guy’s best friend, a beautiful spunky lesbian, and I hope she is a main focus of the sequel I hear is in the works. Rating: 7.5/10.

The Servant Prince (Japanese) – Ah, Japan. They never shy away from these strange and soft master/servant dom/sub stories. This one is about a rich boy who has been enjoying the devotion and erotic services of a nerdy boy since high school. Now they are both grown up and the nerd boy has become a successful CEO turning into a confident and popular businessman. Meanwhile, the rich boy has lost everything and been ostracized from his family and life of abundance: Only his devoted lover remains, but their relationship is changing as well. A small budget but solid intimate love story that is currently still airing. Rating: 8/10.

Unfold (Chinese) – This one had potential. The subject matter was dark and complicated, with black market organ harvesting and bdsm hit men and such. Unfortunately it just did not communicate the plot and ended up being too disjointed and abstract to truly enjoy. But I ended up liking it anyways, as I grew up watching art house movies from the 1990s and this felt like some Hal Hartley film or something to me. My bias rating: 8/10. Realistic rating: 6/10.