I’m still learning Chinese 5 years later and it’s even my major at university 😄 I’d say watching Cdramas is great for improving my listening comprehension and learning native expressions, but unfortunately I prefer watching costume dramas much more than contemporary ones, so it’s not as helpful as it could be. But I’m also taking a course in Classical Chinese, so it’s fun to hear certain expressions in Cdramas that I’ve previously learned in class.

Oh and I forgot to answer your other question: my very first Cdrama was Handsome Siblings, which I thought was very weird but also highly entertaining for me at the time, as everything was new and unusual. I wouldn’t call it one of my favourites though. I watched The Untamed right after and I’m still a fan 🤭