The Lead (2026)

The Lead is the EXHIBITION of the year!

The Lead follows the jouney of Yi Qin E as she navigates her life as a QinQiang Opera singer. I personally enjoyed the highlight on one of China's Cultural arts; everything felt perfect to me including the flaws - it just felt real to a certain extent.

This drama is full of relatable topics, poignant and bittersweet moments. I think the main character, Qin E (Liu Hao Cun) can be misunderstood a lot due to the way she acts towards opera. She did not originally want to practice the art, she was forced into this field by her family to support them. She felt lonely and prejudiced by her peers. It just heartbreaking to watch little Qin E navigate a new life in the troupe and having to fight through it all alone. The people who supported her or had supported her kept leaving temporarily or permanently one by one. I was not surprised she would develop PTSD. Being selectively mute has a lot to do with trauma, and or rejection, regardless I can definitely understand her character and why she acted the way she did. At the end of the day, she just sings, because she promised the people she loved and respected to continue. She was basically just carrying on the legacy they had entrusted in her. By the time Qin E fulfilled these promises, she was lost and honestly I don't blame her. Liu Hao Cun apparently did all her stunts, which she portrayed beautifully! As for facial acting wise, her emotional scenes were done perfectly - girl made me cry a few times. Overall, I enjoyed her work in the The Lead and will continue to look out for more of her dramas. I think this is my first completed Hao Cun drama so it's difficult for me to judge her acting on one alone. Her hard work and performance definitely deserves an award though!! The actress, Wang Shao Xi, playing young Qin E did amazing job especially the one scene when she chased the bus *cough* girl made me cry..TTTTTTTTTT

In terms of romantic interest, one ran away without letting Qin E explain anything, and another came in like a wrecking ball. Dude wouldn't stop following Qin E around, he was basically glued to her whether she likes it or not, she definitely didn't like it. The Uncle literally expressed everything I felt towards the 2nd love interest - HE WAS ANNOYING! LOL I don't want to say much on this since the romance wasn't the main focus of the drama.

The Uncle, Hu San Yuan aka Zhang Jia Yi, was one of the major pillars in Qin E's life. The thing i like about the Uncle is he's quite funny. LOL I think he's the comedy relief in this drama, he acts like a teen in a sense that he just does things impulsively sometimes or... most of the time. However, he definitely supports Qin E in a way a father would have and I'm glad he was one of the few Qin E had in her life that supported her through every hardship she went through, or at least the ones he was in.
Hua Cai Xiang aka Qin Hai Lu was also the other major pillar in QIn E's life, in fact, she was the one the uncle asked to teach Qin E how to sing. Honestly, I love her personality cause she was very straightforward, will not let anyone step over her. And the way she just commands the Uncle sometimes were quite funny.
One of the side characters, Chu Jia He (Han Pei Ying), was extremely jealous of Qin E's luck in getting lead roles to the point that she might've spread something about her until she was reprimanded by Mi Lan (Wang Xiao Chen). The reason why I want to highlight her here is cause her character developement needs some praise. She was so selfish, and vain in the beginning but towards the end of her arc, she has finally learned to let go when it's needed. I really appreciated that in her.

There were so many topics this drama had showcased in Qin E and other characters. But mostly Qin E was experiencing them all: Depression, passion, abandonment, PTSD, existential crisis, heartbreak, loss and grief, and many more. The one major thing is to keep fighting for what you love and the only way to do it is through hardwork. I personally love dramas like these where we navigate life through the main character's eyes.

Would I recommend this drama? Definitely! It's not an idol drama, but the script, acting, costumes, and setting were incredible to watch.
If you're looking for romance, look elsewhere, The Lead is not about romance, it just follows the life of an opera singer.No kiss scenes and not much fluff. Every romantic scene is where your imagination comes into play.
I would say this drama is my no.1 of 2026 thus far! :]

Read More