Netflix’s latest Taiwanese drama Born for the Spotlight shines the limelight on the friendships we strive to maintain as we age. The series follows a group of actresses as they navigate the Taiwanese entertainment industry while juggling their interpersonal lives including some close queer friendships. Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants meets Big Little Lies meets The Idol (but without an iota of Levinson trashiness).

The group includes Chou Fan (Cheryl Yang), a carefree high-class diva and adored starlet who has not appeared on-screen for some time and currently resides in a luxurious hotel; Chou Fan’s ex-best friend Hsueh Ya-chih (Hsieh Ying-xuan), a reserved former actress who transitioned into being a manager and film producer; their longtime friend, Ko Li-fen (Cherry Hsieh), best known for her Soap Opera roles who gets cast in her daughter TB’s (Angel Lee) first feature; and Hsin-ni (Annie Chen), a model and a client of Ya-chih, going through relationship issues.During Ya-chih’s husband Lee Tzu-chi’s (Hsueh Shih-lin) new film, another actress arives: Shih Ai-ma (Chloe Li), a hungry young wannabe star that idolizes Chou Fan. As she navigates her own path to stardom, Ai-ma tends to leave plenty of burned bridges behind.

The greatest strength of Born for the Spotlight lies in its ensemble. The first half of the season is its strongest because it builds up the entertainment world and all the people who fit into it. Everyone who occupies this industry landscape is full of personality and life, as the tone reflects a bridge between network drama and sitcom.All the characters, most of whom are middle-aged, feel well-rounded and complex, having experienced lives and careers reflective of their age. The writers rack up a lot of mileage discussing the misogynistic standards an actress has to adhere to and the pressure to hide sexualities, relationships, facial surgeries, and more.

Each character is equipped with a significant storyline that is well-developed between the episodes. One of the most captivating aspects of its first half was the subplot involving TB and her mother, Ko Li-fen. TB might seem like a nepo baby, with her cool lesbian persona, flirtatious demeanor, and hipster chic style, but her background is of traumatic memories and neglect. Yet, she suppresses it. When she reluctantly casts Ko Li-fen, or Ms. Ko as she calls her, as her mom, an inviting dissection of her childhood and relationship with her is on display. With her mom playing a fictionalized version of herself in her autobiographical tale, it leads to a harrowing and touching reflection of self and a journey toward healing. Unfortunately, that subplot reaches its conclusion halfway through the season once the production is complete.

Born for the Spotlight is full of countless subplots, but the second half in particular highlights the deep friendship between Chou Fan and Ya-chih and the ramifications of their falling out.

The series starts off with the duo already apart and estranged from each other. Chou Fan was so heartbroken by their falling out that she decided to take a long hiatus from acting, resorting to alcohol, and living out in a hotel to hide from the public. Meanwhile, Ya-chih is living large as a manager but suspects strange happenings with her marriage. All of this while operating within the same friend circle.

As the series progresses, we get an intricate dissection of their friendship, via a stylish, Michel-Gondry-esque flashback episode at the midpoint. The episode illustrates their closeness and shows they’re the only ones who deeply understand each other. There is a passion between them that goes beyond sisterhood and platonic love. Despite them having very hetero storylines in the present — particularly Chou Fan who has a rather cutesy budding romance with a young male bellhop Rogue (Zhan Huai-yun) — the friendship between Chou Fan and Ya-chih is the heart of the series.

The cast overall sells it too, with Cheryl Yang and Hsieh Ying-xuan delivering some of the most potent performances I’ve seen on television all year. Their portrayals ground these characters despite their heightened entertainment industry occupations.

The queer themes and characters are not explored nearly as much as the marketing promised, but Born for the Spotlight is still a powerful drama worth a watch.

Born for the Spotlight is now streaming on Netflix.

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