The 2026 summer drama season serves as a concentrated test for new-generation actors' public appeal, as the box office draw of actors has vanished. While the season has not ended, audience confusion is finding answers regarding reliable drama-leading actors among the 85s and 90s generations. Stars including Meng Ziyi, Chen Duling, Ju Jingyi, Zhang Jingyi, Amy, Song Weilong, and Hou Minghao appear this summer, with their dramas' popularity and reputation providing answers. The lukewarm performance of the season and the rise of AI entertainers offer evidence on whether AI actors can replace human actors. The future entertainer market may see top-traffic stars drive viewership, moderately famous entertainers appear on variety shows, and mid-tier and lower-tier entertainers replaced in batches, potentially taking a "cash-strapped" route to return to traffic peaks. Dark horse dramas and potential breakout stars are emerging due to cost reduction and efficiency improvement. In the 2024 summer season, The Shadow of Moon and Fragrant Snow reached an average combined popularity of 60.02 million across cloud platforms, and The Past at the Border earned a 7.9 rating on Douban and was nominated for the Magnolia Award at the 30th Shanghai Television Festival. In 2025, The Record of Ninefold Dark Indigo, When Wild Geese Return Home, and The Record of Chaoxue became dark horse dramas, with artists including Meng Ziyi,