Hit online drama sets new record for domestic crime shows

Day and Night[白夜追凶], an online crime drama, broadcast the finale[结局] on Oct 11. Day and Night,starring Pan Yueming (left) and Wang Longzheng, has become this year's hit TV drama since its release in August.

As Chinese viewers spend more time on video websites, network dramas are booming both in quantity and in quality.

The year looks like the golden time for domestic crime shows[国产犯罪剧]. Audience taste has shifted from time-travelling heroines with embroidered garments to rigorous-thinking detectives tracking serial killers.

Well-made internet series sprung up like mushrooms after the screening of summer blockbusters. Day and Night, Burning Ice[无证之罪], Line Walker II[使徒行者2] are three of the most popular ones recently released on video sites Youku, iQiyi, and QQ Live respectively.

Audience-oriented scripts, broad online exposure, and handpicked[1] cast help network crime shows gain a strong viewership.

[1]handpicked: someone who is handpicked has been carefully chosen for a special purpose〔人〕精心挑选的

one of his handpicked advisers 

他精挑细选的顾问之一

Day and Night, widely reckoned as the best crime drama of the year, got a total of 24.6 billion hits online by this Thursday.

"I watched the whole thing during the National Day holiday," Jia Xiaotao, a media analyst said. "I had to stay up late every night, but it was totally worth it."

It also set an impressive rating record of 9.1 (out of 10) on Douban, a major Chinese film and TV rating platform, graded by over one hundred thousand users.

Unlike most online hit dramas which are adapted from bestselling novels, Day and Night has no franchise[2] to rely on. But it has made its own name.

[2]franchise: A franchise is an authority that is given by an organization to someone, allowing them to sell its goods or services or to take part in an activity which the organization controls. (公司授予某人的) 特许经营权

...fast-food franchises. 
…快餐特许经营权。

...the franchise to build and operate the tunnel. 

…建造、运营隧道的特许权。

Audiences are fascinated by the complicated yet watertight[3] storylines weaved by playwright Zhi Wen, a former litigator with years of law practice.

[3]watertight:

a watertight container, roof, door etc does not allow water to get in or out〔容器、屋顶、门等〕不透水的，防水的，水密的

an argument, plan etc that is watertight is made very carefully so that people cannot find any mistakes in it〔论点、计划等〕严密的，周密的；无懈可击的

Lucky for him, his alibi is watertight. 

算他走运，不在犯罪现场的证据无懈可击。

"My habit is to confirm every single detail in the script," Zhi Wen said in an interview. "If I can test to verify, I don't just look at the appearances. If I can actually see it, I don't stop at hearsay[4]."

[4]hearsay: Hearsay is information which you have been told but do not know to be true. 传闻; 谣言; 道听途说 [UC]

Much of what was reported to them was hearsay. 
他们听到的汇报大多都是道听途说。

"We want to present a sophisticated story to internet viewers. Crimes are solved based on hard proofs, not psychological speculations," Wang Ping, associate producer of Day and Night, said.

The show has been well-received by audience of both genders. "According to our viewership survey, a substantial part of our fan base is female,” Wang added.

"Besides good and evil, the show discusses the struggle of humanity," Wang said. "Not stereotyping any character is the key to emotionally link the audience with the story."

Yuan Yumei, producer of the show, previously worked in traditional film business and has been in the internet industry for six years.

"We created Day and Night to echo the features of American TV series. The fast-paced narrative and carefully designed visual language attracted many fans that are into US TV dramas."

Yuan shows optimism and confidence in the future of online TV shows. "The status of online drama is rising in the entire industry. I have witnessed its development and transformation from a grassroots level."

"Day and Night is not perfect. But it stands for innovation and bold experiment. We hope to contribute to the future of domestic network dramas and set the bar a little bit higher," Wang Ping said.