During this Spring Festival, the film market is as hot as ever.
Various blockbusters have hit the screen one after another, Jia Ling's " Hot Hot ", Zhang Yimou's " Article 20", Shen Teng's " Flying Life 2" have all achieved good results. The box office results are booming. In comparison, the film and television drama market is relatively deserted.
Although during the Spring Festival, CCTV also launched two major dramas, Ding Yongdai and Bai Jingting's "South to North" and "The Case of the Tang Dynasty" starring Zhou Yiwei, in an attempt to once again set off a wave of new year dramas, Copy the success of "Hurricane" and "三级" in 2023. However, the opposite happened.
Although the quality of the two films, "South and North" and "The Case of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty", is still acceptable, reaching the average level of domestic film and television dramas, it can be watched.
However, in terms of popularity, both dramas failed to meet expectations. Not to mention that they could not compare with "Kurst", they also fell far behind the drama version of "The Three-Body Problem".
In fact, before the show started airing, I was really very optimistic about the drama "Southern and Northish", and I even boldly asserted that this drama would become popular all over the country. Now it seems that I was still too young, a little abrupt, and was slapped hard in the face.
So, looking back on the past, why didn't "South and North" gain more viewers and become a big hit?
I think the three major problems are the real causes, and the old problems of domestic dramas have happened again. Next, let’s discuss it with you. Interested viewers are welcome to leave a message to discuss!
1: The plot rhythm is peaceful
Currently, I have watched the 26th episode of "South and North". And "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" hasn't come yet. In the latest plot of
, the emotional drama between Wang Xin and Ma Yan ( Jin Chen ) did not advance much, and Lao Ma still blocked it in every possible way.
Wang Xin and Ma Yan have daily banter, but there is no special progress. The only added dramatic conflict is that Ma Yan wants to do business and sell buttons, but Lao Ma is firmly opposed.
Let’s change the topic and mention selling buttons. I seem to have seen a similar plot in some drama. If you know which drama it is, you can remind me in the comment area.
As for Dali (played by Liu Guanlin) and Yao Yuling (played by Jiang Yan), the flame of love between the two people is getting stronger and stronger.
However, every time Jia Jinlong ( Li Naiwen ) appears, all the efforts are in vain. To be honest, Yu Ling is half-hearted and is really not worth the effort for her.
As for solving the case, I thought that "Ding Gui Case" would be a major case that spanned multiple episodes, but I didn't expect that it would end in a hurry.
I don’t know what’s going on with you guys, but I stopped playing “Southern and Northbound” for a few days during the Chinese New Year, and then tied it up again.
Before becoming a repeat customer, I thought the plot would be discontinued, and I was worried that I would not be able to keep up with the rhythm of the plot.
However, after watching the latest 2 episodes, I realized that I was worrying too much. For viewers of "South and North", even if you watch a few episodes less, it will basically have no impact at all and will not affect the continuity of the series.
is, at best, one or two characters in the middle are offline, and the relationship between one or two people has changed slightly. As for the main plot, it is still uneventful, and the rhythm of the plot is simply not peaceful.
Wang Xin (played by Bai Jingting) and Lao Ma (played by Ding Yongdai) are still doing what they should do, wandering around on the train for a while, bickering and amusing each other for a while. In the middle of
, you will be given a case from time to time to test Wang Xin's vision, and then the master and apprentice will work together to solve the case. At most, the story behind the person involved in the case is somewhat interesting, and nothing else has changed.
The only coherent ones are the emotional scenes between Wang Xin and Ma Yan, as well as Dali and Yu Ling, but they never stop.
However, due to the occasional crime-solving scenes and mass scenes in the courtyard, it was intermittent and the atmosphere was not enough. The viewing experience was always dull, without too many climaxes.
On the other side, the people and things in the compound are a more interesting plot. However, it is a pity that every time it is just a small taste, there are not many scenes, and every time those powerful actors show a little bit, it ends in a hurry.
After watching so many episodes of "Southern and Northbound", I felt that the performance of the crime-solving line on the train was mediocre and there was not enough drama and conflict. The period drama in the courtyard was also uneventful and not much to watch.
However, the slow pace of the plot means that the audience's viewing experience is not exciting. Once the excitement is lost, people will easily turn their attention to other places during the holidays, such as going to the cinema to watch a movie, which will lead to the popularity of the series. I couldn't bring it up.
And last year, the reason why "Hurricane" and "The Three-Body Problem" were so popular was that one dramatic conflict after another locked everyone in front of the TV.
Then, after the audience watched it, they went to social media to exchange their impressions and resonated with each other, attracting the attention of waves of viewers.
I’m not bragging, but in terms of the quality of "Southern and Northish", if this domestic drama is placed in other schedules and the competition is not too fierce, it will definitely be a hit drama.
However, when it was placed in the Spring Festival period, the too bland plot rhythm was obviously a hindrance.
2: The casting is a drag.
The plot is mediocre and the casting is also a drag.
Before the show aired, when I first saw the cast of the show, I was extremely excited.
believes that there are many powerful actors including Ding Yongdai, Ni Dahong, Liu Jun, Wang Jinsong, Li Naiwen, Fang Fangbin and so on. Even if young actors such as Bai Jingting and Jin Chen are brought in, there will be no problem. The implementation, however, is not the case.
As far as the 26 episodes I watched, the talented actors represented by Teacher Ding Yongdai did an outstanding job, supporting the acting level and texture that a period drama should have. Every character is vivid, Unforgettable.
However, the performance of the young actors was a bit unsatisfactory.
Moreover, I am not the only one who thinks so. Many viewers in the comment area gave me feedback, saying that Bai Jingting and Jin Chen were holding back the entire drama precisely because their performance was mediocre compared to other actors. , there is a big gap in acting skills, which affects the perception.
Actually, in my opinion, Bai Jingting's performance is not bad. Although it is not as amazing as I expected, at least in terms of character completion, Bai Jingting did a pretty good job.
His portrayal of Wang Xin, except for the strange accent in his lines, does not have any major problems with the way he performs and the details of his performance.
Although there are some exaggerated scenes, they are also needed by the plot and have little impact overall.
On Jin Chen’s side, I think the casting of Ma Yan is holding back the series. Note, what I said here is that the casting was a hindrance, not Jin Chen’s acting.
Over the years, I have watched a lot of film and television dramas that Jin Chen has participated in, from "Ten Days Game" in which she collaborated with Zhu Yawen, to the spy drama "Secret and Great" in which she later participated, and then to last year's popular domestic drama The movie "All or Nothing".
In my impression, when people evaluate Jin Chen, appearance is always a plus point. It is rare to see that appearance affects the perception of a certain character.
However, since the launch of "Southern and Northish", many viewers have reported to me that Jin Chen's impression and delicate face are indeed a bit out of place in a period drama.
If this role were played by another actor, the overall look and feel of "Southern and Northish" would be much better.
Regarding this point, I was skeptical at first, but after watching so many episodes in a row, I somewhat agree with everyone's point of view.
Because, as far as period dramas are concerned, the audience is generally older, and many viewers may have actually experienced that era. Therefore, there were certain aesthetic standards for identifying beauties in that era.
You may prefer faces similar to those of Yin Tao when they were young, as well as those of Wu Yue who look natural and unadorned.
For example, in 2022's "The World", the 42-year-old Yin Tao plays the role of the young girl Zheng Juan, and she is still very popular with the audience. This is an example.
If the role of Ma Yan in "South to North" could be played by someone else, I believe the perception would be much better.
And in my mind, I happen to have a relatively good candidate. Yin Tao and Wu Yue are too old, and Zhang Jianing is just right. You can take a look.
3: It was launched too late and the accumulated popularity was not enough.
"South to North" did not become a big hit. In addition to the plot rhythm and actor selection, the schedule factor is also an important reason.
I know what everyone wants to say!
The schedule selection was not good. Didn't you say before that this is the Spring Festival schedule, just like last year's "Kurst" and "The Three-Body Problem", it is a good schedule? During the Chinese New Year, everyone has a lot of free time. Isn’t it the best time for movies and TV series?
yes? The Spring Festival is indeed the best time. Many of the most popular domestic dramas of the year are produced during this time. However, if you look at the launch dates of "Kurst" and "Three-Body" last year, they were January 14th and January 15th.
At that time, when these two dramas were launched, there was still a week before the Chinese New Year. After the series were updated, there was a lot of time to accumulate viewers. When the Chinese New Year came, it happened to be the time when the dramatic conflict of the drama was approaching its climax. Naturally It's so hot.
However, let’s take a look at the launch date of "South and North" and "The Case of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty". It is February 6, 2024, which is only 3 days before the Chinese New Year. Good guy, it just started airing, and it coincides with the release of the Spring Festival Gala and Spring Festival movie blockbusters.
Generally speaking, for a domestic drama. The popularity of the premiere is the highest. At this time, everyone is curious and wants to try something new. After that, the popularity will drop sharply. If you want to continue to attract the attention of new audiences, you need to develop word-of-mouth fermentation.
The time for word-of-mouth fermentation generally takes 2 to 3 days, because at this time, some viewers watch early and some watch late, making it difficult to achieve absolute unity.
It will take a few days for everyone to achieve visual identity, and then at the next climax of the dramatic conflict, there will be a concentrated explosion to attract the attention of new audiences again.
As for "South and North", there are only three days between the launch and the Spring Festival. In terms of accumulating viewers, it is not only useless, but may also distract the audience's attention.
Including me, many people around me forgot to watch it due to various reasons after watching a few episodes of the premiere. The climax of the dramatic conflict in the
series has arrived, but it has not accumulated enough viewers. This has resulted in the topic being unable to keep up, and naturally it has not been able to make big waves.
I think that the premiere time of "Southern and Northbound" was too close to the Spring Festival, which caused the drama's audience attention to plummet during the entire Spring Festival. The time gap was not made well, and the schedule was wasted. On the contrary, it hindered the series. .
and above are my personal opinions.
So, why do you think "South and North" didn't become a big hit? Interested viewers are welcome to leave a message for discussion!
