April approaches, the spring atmosphere gradually thickens. Although the fervor of the Spring Festival dramas has not yet dissipated, it is already time to review the performance of the dramas in the first quarter of 2024. Looking back at the outstanding television dramas of the first quarter of this year, the period drama twin stars composed of “Blossoms Shanghai” and “Always on the Move” have left a refreshing impression; the popularity of “Detective Chinatown 2” and “The Hunter” once again proves that the innovative advancement of intense plot-driven dramas is far from reaching its peak.
The comedy trio of “A Soldier's Story,” “Our Parallel Universes,” and “The Great Nobody” have demonstrated the effectiveness of activating business innovation through theater operations; while recent hits like “War of Faith” and “The Legend of Shen Li” have achieved outstanding broadcasting results, thanks to their innovative approach to traditional themes with a fresh perspective. Although it may sound cliché, it must be acknowledged that in the first quarter of this year, the dramas that have stood out are still inseparable from the crucial catalyst of innovation.
However, the innovation required by the long video industry today is no longer just imported genre formulas, but rather a re-development of mainstream commercial genres, leading and exploring thematic trends, and innovating in a matrix-like format at the industry level. In the first quarter of 2024, video platforms have been continuously sparking innovation, but platforms that have achieved breakthrough innovations in the three mentioned aspects are few, with iQIYI being the most prominent in exploring and yielding significant results.
Establish a new benchmark for Chinese television dramas
March is a month of grand competition for costume dramas, with each production presenting their best works for the audience to choose from. From the fantasy drama “The Legend of Shen Li,” the sweet and charming ancient puppet drama “In Blossom,” to the hot-blooded fantasy drama “Burning Flames” adapted from Hong Kong comics. In the current market landscape where female-oriented ancient puppet dramas are saturating the market with formulaic productions, audiences are gradually losing interest in costume dramas produced according to popular tropes, leading to a trend of homogenization in the female perspective, protagonist settings, and emotional patterns of costume dramas. Finding a breakthrough in order to capture the audience's curiosity and attention while maintaining the audience base has become an urgent issue for costume dramas.
In this regard, iQIYI has taken a different path and ventured into a completely new territory, embodying a sense of being the first-mover advantage. “Burning Flames” chose a thrilling and cool male-oriented perspective, successfully breaking new ground with its narrative scope, high-quality visual effects, and faithful adaptation of the original anime. After the release of “Burning Flames,” it went from being underestimated to a word-of-mouth success, setting a new benchmark for anime adaptations in the eyes of the audience.
Audience reviews during the peak broadcast period of “Burning Flames” praised its “faithful adaptation of domestic anime,” “non-tampering with the original,” “exciting fight scenes,” and “spectacular special effects.” As a result, it became a dark horse in Chinese television dramas in March. Through vivid and realistic visual textures, highly authentic anime-inspired settings, intense fight scenes, and stunningly realistic visual effects, the series presented a passionate and dynamic story of a great male lead leveling up. The abundance of imaginative and impactful scenes provided ample motivation for viewers to binge-watch.
Furthermore, the extensive underground scenes shot at the Beishan Mining Site in “Burning Flames,” when viewed on a high dynamic range (HDR) display, appeared remarkably clear, capturing labor, action-packed fight scenes, and acrobatic feats vividly. The step forward in innovation by “Burning Flames” in the realm of anime adaptations not only represents an exploration of genre but also a reevaluation of the capacity of the long video market. The success of “Burning Flames” not only demonstrates the significant potential for developing anime works but also indirectly indicates that there is still considerable room for growth in terms of potential users and memberships for long video platforms.
Recently aired, “War of Faith” has similarly brought new vitality to the more traditional espionage dramas through a change in perspective. Audiences follow the footsteps of Wei Ruolai, experiencing the mixed emotions of entering the workplace. On one hand, the excitement of being unusually recruited by the Central Bank and being recruited by idol Shen Tunan, and on the other hand, the shock brought by the unexpected sacrifice of the elder brother amidst the complex web of forces. The protagonist Wei Ruolai's strategy of pretending to be weak to catch the strong initiates a stormy growth and breakthrough at high speed, featuring tear-jerking moments, intense scenes, and satisfying moments. The series' rollercoaster storyline, with the male lead overcoming obstacles, and the creative interpretations by fans off-screen provide excitement for both male and female audiences.
“War of Faith” premiered quietly on March 21st, achieving remarkable results, ranking first in online viewership for 8 consecutive days since its debut, breaking the record for iQIYI's highest first-day viewership in 2024. Unlike costume dramas, espionage dramas face greater challenges due to their intricate and stimulating plots, complex historical contexts, and higher viewing thresholds, making them a relatively niche category within mainstream commercial dramas. iQIYI's success with an espionage drama in achieving explosive popularity is inseparable from its comprehensive innovations in themes, perspectives, and cast.
The male lead's rise to power, the mentorship legacy, nuanced emotional scenes, and the dimensionalization of villains in this new formula have met the audience's high expectations, refreshing the creative approach to espionage dramas. By changing perspectives, a new breeze is blowing into the main track of commercial genre dramas. iQIYI's innovation in this dimension this year has yielded rich results with half the effort, achieving abundant success.
Spring Festival major drama
Once upon a time, the concept of Spring Festival major drama only existed on the big screen in people's minds. During the Spring Festival period, the small screen was once dominated by endless reruns of classic old dramas, crosstalk, skits, and Stephen Chow movies. New dramas that fit the Spring Festival atmosphere were consistently lacking. In recent years, IQIYI has taken the lead in opening up a “Spring Festival major drama” dedicated to web series, allowing audiences to experience fresh stories on the screen and feel the full festive atmosphere without leaving their homes. From “IPartment Season 5” and “My Heroic Husband” to “A Lifelong Journey” and “The Knockout,” and now this year's “Always on the Move,” all are annual blockbuster works that resonate with the New Year atmosphere and lead the way during the Spring Festival period.
From sitcoms, ancient comedic dramas, to period dramas and crime dramas, what changes is the genre, while what remains unchanged is the innovative and appealing content that aligns with the aesthetic and values of the audience. It can be said that during the fiercely competitive Spring Festival period, the festive atmosphere is perfectly captured by IQIYI. Evaluating content, selecting programs, and scheduling broadcast times, each step is a crucial element in the creation of major Spring Festival dramas.
Last year, IQIYI's drama king “The Knockout” was a huge success at the beginning of the year. This year, the period drama “Always on the Move,” jointly created by Gao Mantang and Zheng Xiaolong, has become the most widely covered and outstanding performing Spring Festival drama series. This drama cleverly follows the path of the era, focusing on the ups and downs of two generations of railway policemen and the inheritance of responsibilities.
It not only depicts the development history of China's railways over the past forty years but also portrays the mundane lives and changing ideologies of ordinary people during the transition from a planned economy to reform and opening up. The reason why “Always on the Move” can arouse the enthusiasm of audiences of all ages during the Spring Festival lies not only in its outstanding nostalgic atmosphere but also in its lively comedic style and rhythmic portrayal of life.
With a light touch and hidden tears behind laughter, “Always on the Move” is a breakthrough in the conventional creation of period dramas. From “The Knockout” to “Always on the Move,” IQIYI has always focused on the fate changes of ordinary people in the torrent of the times, recording down-to-earth stories of the common people and narrating the extraordinary experiences of legendary figures. These two dramas integrate mainstream values into contemporary themes, retaining the depth of tackling social issues while also eliciting a wide range of audience resonance. The airing of “Detective Chinatown 2” at the end of February this year successfully continued the momentum of the Spring Festival drama series.
This spin-off series continues the essence of the “Chinatown Detective” work, with characters that were not explored in the movie having their own exclusive cases and highlight moments. The series, with its unique protagonists, thought-provoking social themes, intriguing investigative style, and high-quality cinematography, further enriches the “Chinatown Detective universe,” pioneering the integration of film and drama and innovation.
The suspense genre in the era of online streaming has become popular due to the foggy theater, continuously unlocking new perspectives and upgrading new gameplay on IQIYI. The deep cultivation of suspenseful detective dramas also demonstrates IQIYI's pursuit of innovation and change in its mature fields.
The comedy label has found a breakthrough path
Comedy has always been a staple in the cultural entertainment market. Over the years, major video streaming platforms have never ceased their exploration of new comedy that is innovative in form, solid in content, and appealing to a wider audience. However, comedy labels with strong staying power and comedy works with the ability to break boundaries have always been scarce. With the advancement of genre-based theater operations accompanying the evolution of episodic drama, the landscape has undergone several changes. Comedy labels have gradually gained recognition from video streaming platforms in the past two years.
Since its inception, iQiyi's comedy label “Xiaodou Theater” has been constantly seeking new breakthroughs. The sharp humor, updated episodic formats, thought-provoking content resonating with Generation Z, and breakthrough comedy performances are the specialties of Xiaodou Theater. In Q1 of this year, Xiaodou Theater released a trilogy of comedies, “A Soldier's Story,” “Our Parallel Universes,” and “The Great Nobody” which continued to energize the label and delight comedy audiences.
Comedy newcomers emerging from the “Super Sketch Show” have played significant roles in these productions. Seeing them, many viewers immediately recall some classic lines. This time, the actors and writers of “Super Sketch Show Season 1” have accumulated rich comedy creation experience through variety shows, which has been further unleashed and validated in these series. The light comedy combined with wartime elements in “A Soldier's Story,” the sharp satire in “Our Parallel Universes,” and the workplace allegory in “The Great Nobody” are all refreshingly novel, offering continuous surprises. The seamless connection of these three series has successfully accumulated fans for the emerging comedy label.
Since its launch in 2022, Xiaodou Theater has ventured from situational comedies combined with crosstalk performances in “The Theatre Stories” to urban comedies like the “The Lord of Losers” series that resonate with the working class, and now to the new cdrama in Q1 of this year. These productions have, to varying degrees, broken away from conventional thematic paradigms, explored new story structures and comedic languages, garnered praise from fans, and connected with the high points of drama and variety show audiences. In 2024, the flourishing Xiaodou Theater continues to exude warmth, creativity, and ambition, providing a strong sense of belonging and stability for emerging comedy talents.
Xiaodou Theater leverages stage comedy works to drive series creation and uses a flexible approach where series feedback enhances the popularity of variety shows, activating the entire chain of comedy works. This multi-faceted approach supports comedy actors, creators, and the comedy ecosystem, setting an example for the exploration of the comedy scene.
As the first quarter of 2024 has just concluded, the competition among major platforms and the popularity of dramas will continue. Works like “Destined,” “Mysterious Lotus Casebook,” “Story of Kunning Palace,” and “A Journey to Love” from iQiyi that surpassed ten thousand in internal popularity values last year are still being talked about by netizens.
This year, period dramas like “Fox Spirit Matchmaker” and “Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Season 2 ,” contemporary dramas like “City of the City” and “I Am Police,” new dramas from the “Mist Theater” like “Tell No One” and “Breaking the Shadows,” are all lined up to meet the audience.