Television dramas have become ever longer in recent years. Nowadays, a drama of 70 to 80 episodes is commonplace while they could be told in 20 episodes. As a result, audience satisfaction with television dramas has decreased.

As producers face higher production costs caused by higher wage demands from actors and actresses, they attempt to recuperate lost profit by extending the show's run since television channels pay for a drama according to its number of episodes. The channels themselves also want longer productions as they rely on product placement to generate their own profits. The longer the drama, the more space they have to place an advertisement.

It should be made clear what the purpose of a television drama is. Television dramas are designed to satisfy the public's aesthetic and spiritual needs, and producers need take this into consideration when creating a show. Long, crudely made productions solely aimed at profit not only undermine the art itself but can also have a negative social effect.

Supervision of the television drama sector should be strengthened to make the length of dramas more compatible with their content. Plotlines, themes and the sincerity of producers are more important. As entertainment platforms become increasingly diversified, will audiences be patient enough to watch an excessively long drama on the television? It is time for producers and television channels to carefully think about this question.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article published in Guangming Daily on June 13)