People's Daily: We oppose water injection, but we should not encourage the creation of 30 episodes across the board

Stories that could have been told clearly in more than 20 episodes have been stretched to more than 40 episodes. Plots that could have been explained clearly in a few shots have been delayed by adding a large number of empty shots or character close-ups... The "water injection" of TV dramas and online dramas has long been a phenomenon that has displeased the industry and audiences. Data shows that from 2010 to 2014, the average number of episodes of dramas that obtained the "Domestic TV Drama Distribution License" did not exceed 38 episodes. After 2015, the average number of episodes exceeded 40; in 2018, the average number of episodes increased to 42, and the "water injection" phenomenon has become more and more serious.

The reason for the "water injection" is actually not difficult to understand. At present, the sales of domestic TV series and online dramas are priced by the number of episodes. The more episodes a TV series and online drama has, the higher the economic income of the producer, and the higher the income from advertising investment of the broadcasting platform. Under such a profit model, many producers and broadcasting platforms are driven by economic interests and artificially lengthen the length of the series and "water the content".

In order to deal with this chaos, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television recently issued the "Notice on Further Strengthening the Management of TV Drama and Network Drama Creation and Production", which clearly opposes "watered-down" content and regulates the length of episodes. The "Notice" points out that we must enhance awareness of the problem, promote the transformation of TV drama and network drama creation and production from expanding scale and quantity to improving overall quality, and resolutely oppose artificial "watered-down" and lengthening episodes. Therefore, it is recommended that TV drama and network drama shooting and production should not exceed 40 episodes, and encourage the creation of short dramas within 30 episodes.

This move has received widespread support from the industry and audiences, and will create two "reverse forces". First, the reduction in the number of episodes will force producers and platforms to use the reputation of their works as a magic weapon to gain profits, driving the entire market to become more rational. Second, the "water removal" of the series can force producers to strictly control costs and reduce waste of resources. These two "reverse forces" will not only be conducive to the healthy development of the industry, but will also enhance the audience's viewing experience.

However, it should be noted that encouraging the creation of short dramas with less than 30 episodes should not be a one-size-fits-all approach. To curb the "water injection" of TV drama content is fundamentally to improve the content quality of TV dramas. However, this does not mean that a TV drama with fewer episodes is necessarily a good one. Artificial "water injection" is certainly not good, but the length of TV dramas and online episodes should ultimately be based on the laws of artistic creation and tailored to the needs of the content and plot.

Therefore, it is a good thing to control the "water injection" of TV dramas and online dramas, but in the specific implementation process, more detailed work should be done according to the laws of artistic creation, and more scientific, reasonable and practical industry standards should be studied and formulated to provide the right direction for the healthy development of the industry. By preventing "water injection" and complying with the laws of creation, the creation of Chinese TV dramas and online dramas is bound to bring more and better works to the audience.