Recently, the popularity of the costume drama "Chasing Jade" has always been accompanied by controversy, which has become the focus of attention in the film and television industry. The show was simulcast on both Tencent and iQiyi platforms. After the show was aired, the platforms frequently hyped up related topics. Terms such as "Zhang Linghe is the only male protagonist in his 95th lifetime to have over 10,000 people on three platforms" and "Tian Xiwei's first actress to have over 10,000 people on two platforms" have been on the top of the search. It was even claimed that its playback volume has surpassed that of the phenomenal hit "Kurst", triggering doubts across the Internet.
The core of the controversy is that the platform is suspected of data falsification, and it has been exposed that there is a "hand rubbing" operation – non-members will be marked as "completed" within 1-2 seconds after clicking on the episode, and there is even a logical loophole of "113% completion rate", which is in sharp contrast to its high-profile publicity data. At the same time, as netizens frequently compared "Chasing Jade" with classic hits such as "Hurry Up" and "Celebrating More Than Years" and questioned the quality of their data, these two long-finished works were also included in the hot searches, creating an embarrassing situation of "bad works rubbing up against classics". This controversy not only reflects the operating chaos of the platform's "data only theory", but also triggers the public's thinking: Are the real hit dramas based on data hype, or do they rely on quality to win people's hearts?
Determining whether a drama is a real hit can never be defined by a single broadcast volume data, but requires multi-dimensional consideration to form a three-dimensional evaluation system.
Combining industry consensus and audience feedback, the core standards for hit dramas can be summarized into four points, none of which can be missing.
First, real and eye-catching market data. The "data" here is not the popularity value unilaterally hyped by the platform, but real data covering multiple dimensions such as broadcast volume, ratings, viewership share, online broadcast peaks, etc., and can form a sustained long-tail effect rather than short-term false fire;
Secondly, with excellent work quality and good reputation, the plot logic is rigorous, the characters are three-dimensional, and the production is well-made. Douban and other rating platforms can maintain high scores, and the reputation can form a consensus among audiences of different ages and circles, rather than false praise after fans control the reviews;
Third, the powerful communication power of breaking out of the circle can trigger national-level discussions, emerge famous lines, famous scenes, and characters that are out of the circle, and even drive the spread of related culture and products, forming a wide range of social influence;
Fourth, it has lasting vitality. It can be discussed, re-created, and revisited by the audience for a long time after the broadcast. The non-popularity quickly dissipates after the broadcast ends, achieving the leap from "hot drama" to "classic drama". In short, the core of a hit drama is that "word of mouth is king and data is supplementary". Data is a natural manifestation of quality, rather than a tool for deliberate hype.
Looking back at the domestic drama market in recent years, there are many hit dramas that can truly meet the above standards. With their excellent quality, they have gained dual recognition from data and word-of-mouth, leaving many deeply rooted phenomenon-level events and becoming industry benchmarks.
1. "In the Name of the People"
"In the Name of the People" is a landmark anti-corruption drama. It exploded in the market when it premiered in 2017. The ratings soared to 2.4% on the night it aired. The finale hit a record high of 8%. It once occupied seven of the top ten hot searches on Weibo. The number of views of the topic #大康士Don't bow your head GDP will drop # exceeded 3 billion. Even street vendors were following the update to discuss "How did Qi Tongwei die?"
The famous scene in the play in which Zhao Dehan hides 230 million in cash in his villa triggered heated discussions across the Internet, and related emoticons were widely circulated. What is even more amazing is that the plot of the play repeatedly "predicted" real-life anti-corruption cases. In 2021, the director of an energy bureau was investigated, and 4 tons of cash were found in his home. Netizens ridiculed that "the crew of "In the Name of the People" are non-staff members of the Discipline Inspection Commission." Even though it has been broadcast for many years, the play still has lasting vitality. The image of Secretary Dakang has been frequently re-created, and has even become a "survival guide within the system" for people taking public examinations, truly realizing that all people can break the circle.
2. "The Legend of Zhen Huan"
"The Legend of Zhen Huan" is an evergreen tree of costume dramas. Since its broadcast in 2011, it has been able to maintain high ratings through repeated reruns. It has consistently ranked first among costume dramas in terms of online broadcast volume, and its Douban score has stabilized at 9.4 points. In the play, famous lines such as "J people are hypocritical" and "I can't do it" spread throughout the streets. The characters such as Zhen Huan, Hua Fei and the Queen are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and have become popular targets for imitation and secondary creation by the public. What's even more rare is that the drama has formed a unique "Zhen Huan culture", which has given rise to various forms of communication such as line picking, detail analysis, and workplace interpretation. It has even gone abroad and been broadcast in many overseas countries and regions, becoming the cultural calling card of Chinese costume dramas. Its long-tail effect is so strong that it can be called the best among domestic dramas.
3. "Hurry"
As a phenomenal hit in 2023, "Kurst" perfectly interprets the core characteristics of "hit dramas". The Douban score of the show is as high as 8.5 points, with more than 1 million netizens participating in the rating. During the broadcast, the online broadcast peak reached new highs, and the ratings ranked first in the country. The ratings share on the finale night exceeded 20%. In the play, famous lines such as "The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish" and "Tell Lao Mo, I want to eat fish" flooded the Internet. Characters such as Gao Qiqiang and An Xin became the focus of national discussion, and even led to the sales of "The Art of War". There were a large number of people imitating Gao Qiqiang's outfits on the streets. The drama broke the solid framework of traditional police dramas, dug into the "grey area" where light and darkness intertwine in human nature, and triggered the public's thinking about social reality. After the broadcast, related topics continued to ferment, becoming one of the most influential film and television works of the year. Its data and reputation have both exploded, setting a benchmark that is difficult for latecomers to match.
4. "Celebrating More Than Years"
"Celebrating More Than Years", with its unique style that combines strategy and comedy, has become a popular representative of costume strategy dramas. After the first season of the show was aired, the number of online views exceeded 10 billion, and the Douban score was 8.0. Famous scenes such as "Fan Xian's 100 Drunk Poems" and "The Machiavellian Game between Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping" were well-known in the drama. Characters such as Fan Xian, Wu Zhu, and Emperor Qing are very memorable. After the second season premiered on CCTV 8, the ratings in 71 cities reached 2.36%, the total media reached more than 15 billion people, and the total audio-visual time exceeded 135 billion minutes. Even after it has been broadcast for many years, the broadcast of subsequent seasons can still trigger a nationwide craze. Its IP influence continues to ferment, and many related works have been derived, becoming a successful example of domestic IP dramas.
5. "The Human World"
"In the World" is a hit family ethics drama, with Chinese-style family ties as the core. It scored 8.4 on Douban, with a total viewership rating of 2.77% in 71 cities. It has been reached more than 22 billion times across all media and has a total audio-visual time of nearly 140 billion minutes. The play covers audiences of all ages. The post-60s generation looks back on their youth at the same age, the post-70s generation sees their own struggles, the post-80s generation understands the mood of their parents, the post-90s generation appreciates the pioneering efforts of their elders, and the post-00s generation appreciates the life of their elders, achieving emotional resonance for all age groups. The fates of characters such as Zhou Bingkun and Zheng Juan in the play touch people's hearts. Related topics have been on the hot search for many times, triggering in-depth discussions among the public about family relationships, struggles, and changes in the times. It has become the most popular drama in recent years, and has won multiple industry awards, achieving a double harvest of reputation and awards.
6/7, "The Age of Awakening" and "Sauvignon Blanc Season 2"
In addition, works such as "The Age of Awakening" and "Sauvignon Blanc Season 2" are also hits. "Age of Awakening" uses youthful expressions to bring red themes out of the circle, attracting young people's attention to history. Related lines and famous scenes frequently hit the screen, becoming hot topics on campus and in the workplace. title; "Sauvignon Blanc Season 2" uses the emotional expression of "thinking to the extreme" to convey the long-lasting concern of "love that is not available but always sticks to it". The number of online views and topics remain high, and the character-related secondary content is spread across major social platforms, making it a hit costume drama sought after by young people.
Going back to "Chasing Jade" itself, combined with the core standards of hit dramas, the answer is self-evident: "Chasing Jade" is not a real hit at all, but just a "pseudo-hit" that was built up by the hype of platform data.
Judging from the data, its so-called "double platform exceeded 10,000" and "the playback volume surpassed "Hurricane"" are all false claims based on data fraud. The real audience conversion rate, word-of-mouth feedback and publicity data are seriously out of touch, and cannot form a sustained long-tail effect;
From the quality point of view, the plot of the show is clichéd, lacks innovation, and the characters are flat. Apart from the appearance and makeup of the lead actor, it has no core competitiveness. Douban scores are low, and the reputation is polarized. Most of the drama is controlled by fans and negative reviews from passers-by, and lacks broad audience consensus;
From the perspective of communication power, the discussion of the show is only limited to the fan circle. There are no famous lines or scenes outside the circle, and it has not formed a national-level discussion. Even the maintenance of its popularity depends on the bundled comparison with classic hits such as "Hurry Up" and "Celebrating More Than Years". It lacks its own core appeal; from the perspective of vitality, the popularity of the show completely relies on platform hype. Once the marketing is stopped, the popularity will quickly dissipate, making it difficult to form long-term dissemination, let alone become a classic that is repeatedly revisited by the audience.
To sum up, the controversy of "Chasing Jade" is essentially a conflict between the platform's "traffic theory" and the nature of film and television creation. It uses false data to cover up the shortcomings of the quality of the work, and also reflects the impetuous chaos of the current film and television industry. Real hit dramas are never created based on data, but rely on sophisticated production, solid plots, and three-dimensional characters to win the sincere recognition of the audience.
The core reason why classic hits such as "In the Name of the People", "The Legend of Zhen Huan" and "Hurry Up" can be remembered is that they adhere to the original intention of creation, convey positive value, and achieve the unity of artistic value and market value. It is hoped that the controversy of "Chasing Jade" will serve as a wake-up call for the industry. Only by abandoning the impetuous mentality of traffic first and returning to the essence of content can we truly create more hit dramas recognized by the audience and promote the healthy and sustainable development of the domestic film and television industry.
