Microdramas, ultra-short soap operas with episodes lasting 60-90 seconds, have become a major entertainment trend, with 8.2 million people in the UK watching them monthly.
The Rise of Microdramas
The format originated in China seven or eight years ago, featuring over-the-top premises like infidelity, arranged marriage, and secret billionaires. It has since spread globally, with forecasted US revenue of $1.5bn by the end of this year.
Channel 4 recently announced its first microdrama, and the UK leads Europe in viewership. The author, Imogen West-Knights, describes the experience of watching them as causing a "queasy, vertiginous feeling" about the vast differences in human experiences.
Inside the Microdrama Experience
To understand the phenomenon, West-Knights downloaded ReelShort, an app hosting microdramas exclusively. Titles recommended included Trapped in the Boss's Embrace, I Had a Baby Without You, and Carrying His Triplets, Becoming His Wifey. She selected Pregnant By My Ex's Professor Dad due to its convoluted title.
The shows are described as having no setup or world-building, with rapidly cut dramatic scenes: cheating, slapping, smashed car windows, and new love interests, all within the first three minutes. Voiceovers leave no room for nuance, and viewers hit a paywall after a few free episodes, which can be bypassed by watching ads for colour-matching mobile games.
Reactions and Concerns
West-Knights admits to enjoying bad television but finds microdramas "flagrantly" awful, leading her to question her desire for quality in this format. Writer Daniel Kolitz, in a New York Times Magazine piece, described these shows as happening to people "like a food-borne illness" rather than a choice.
The author expresses hope that microdramas will fade like non-fungible tokens, citing growing personal panic about phone-induced brain atrophy. "Just let people enjoy things!" a better person might think, but not this time, she concludes.
