The drama “A Business Proposal“, starring actors Kim Se Jeong and Ahn Hyo Seop, is popular. It is a drama about an ordinary office worker disguises herself and goes on a blind date with her attractive boss in place of her friend to end this unwanted marriage blind date after her request.
Dramas that started with 4.9 percent nationwide have become increasingly popular and eventually exceeded 10 percent. It is reported that there are only 4 episodes left until the end of this drama, which is receiving enthusiastic responses every episode.
This is because “A Business Proposal” was planned in 12 episodes, unlike existing dramas. So the development was very fast from the beginning, and this part received favorable responses from viewers. Likewise, Son Ye Jin‘s drama “Thirty Nine” is similarly fast paced. Why are these days’ dramas so short that they end when they end it when it’s about to get fun?
Originally, TV dramas usually consist of 16 to 24 episodes. It has been considered a practice to air 2 episodes a week for 8 to 12 weeks. Recently, however, there have been many 12-part and even 8-part dramas.
These days’ dramas such as “Navillera“, “Youth of May“, “Inspector Koo“, “Happiness,” “The Veil“, “Bad and Crazy,” and “Through the Darkness” were all 12 episodes.
Netflix is the first to fire a flare. In online video services (OTT), dramas are usually produced in 8 to 10 episodes, and for this reason, the development speed is very fast. The development of breathless efforts to catch the eyes of viewers provides a tremendous sense of immersion.
As the trend became to shorten the length of the drama and speed up the development instead, terrestrial dramas began to shorten the length. Therefore, various forms such as 12-part series, 8-part series, and once a week broadcast appeared. It is often evaluated that “consumers’ viewing patterns have changed.”
It is not common these days to sit in front of the TV on time to watch the drama. This is because VOD replay has become more common on the way to work or after work the day after the airing.
In order to capture viewers watching dramas with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets until the end, it is important to increase immersion with faster development. Simply put, it means that viewers can’t stand boredom. If the number of episodes is reduced, production time can be secured and quality can be improved.
The common feature of the Korean drama lineup to be released in 2022 is that it is all “short“. “Pachinko“, starring Lee Min Ho and Yoon Yeo Jung, consists of 8 episodes, Ha Jung Woo and Hwang Jung Min‘s “Suriname” has 6 episodes, Jung Woo and Park Hee Sun‘s “A Model Family” has 10 episodes, and Yoo Ji Tae‘s “Money Heist” has 12 episodes.
As the drama is getting shorter, the reaction of netizens is mostly in favor. Netizens commented, “It’s been too long so far. Short is good“, “I think it’s good to have a bit of a short feel”, “It’s easier to binge watch”, “It’s good that there’s no dragging“. On the other hand, there are also reactions such as “It’s a pity if the drama I watch is 12 episodes“, and “It’s too short“.
However, if the length of the drama is shortened, broadcasters will have to produce more dramas, which will inevitably lead to a burden of production costs. However, as large OTT companies produce dramas within 10 episodes, the drama is expected to be shortened in the future.
Source[1]
