Netflix has acquired the Taiwanese comedy-drama Controversial artist From KC Global Media Entertainment, founded by former Sony Pictures Television executives Andy Kaplan and George Shin.
The 10-episode series in Mandarin with English subtitles will premiere on Netflix, iQIYI and Now TV on May 15, followed by Singtel on June 8. Additional regions will be announced in the near future.
Controversial artist The film tells the story of Ban Hao, “a small-time gangster whose insatiable desire for diamonds leads him to a psychiatric hospital. In the madness of the pursuit, he and a group of people, each with their own hidden stories, take refuge in a male escort club. In a twist of absurd and magical fate, they turn into five wanted escorts,” according to a synopsis from the producers.
The series stars Xie Chieh Tian, Weiss Lu, Alex Chu, Bin Wu, Marcus Chang, and Chen Ai, and is presented by KC Global Media Distribution at the Asian Television Forum and Market. “We are pleased with the strong momentum Controversial artist “KC Global Media has gained ground following KC Global Media’s distribution presentation at ATF 2025,” Bonnie Weriani, vice president of revenue and head of content sales at KC Global Media, said in a statement.
“The level of interest not only reinforces our commitment to supporting Asian content, but also opens up opportunities for remakes and local adaptations around the world, with many partners already showing great interest in this title. We look forward to bringing the content to audiences around the world,” added Wariani.
With offices in Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, the Philippines and South Korea, US-based KC Global Media has developed its own distribution arm and focuses on Asian storytelling. KC Global Media also relied on Korean, Japanese and US content to drive a portfolio of linear channels, including AXN Asia, Animax, GEM, ONE and AXN Sports.
