It has been revealed that the episode limit for Chinese dramas, which had been set at 'maximum 40 episodes,' will be formally abolished, expanding the creative scope for fully depicting stories in historical epics and other works from now on.

Regarding the drama episode limit, it was introduced in 2019 with the aim of, among other things, restricting the padding of episodes, known as 'water-injected dramas' (注水劇), which inflate advertising revenue and copyright prices. The National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) announced a new policy called '21 Items' in August 2025, and based on this, the uniform limit of 40 episodes was abolished. At the same time, the regulation for season-based dramas, which stated 'more than one year between seasons,' will also be relaxed.

With the abolition of the episode limit, for works exceeding 40 episodes from now on, it will be possible to announce them after submitting the complete script for all episodes to the NRTA and passing a special review. For example, the director of last year's popular drama 'Zang Hai Chuan ~The Silent Flame, Shaking the Palace~' explicitly stated that '40 episodes are not enough,' and many historical dramas and epics had no choice but to cut parts of the story or rush through the ending to fit within the limit. This measure aims to secure sufficient length for works depicting grand narratives, while also preventing padded dramas through stricter reviews.

Furthermore, the fantasy drama 'Lost You Forever' released its Season 2 in 2024, one year after the release of Season 1 in 2023. There are also observations that by splitting long-form works into multiple seasons, the story was fragmented mid-way, and the long interval between releases became a challenge in maintaining viewer engagement. With this deregulation, video streaming platforms and others will be able to flexibly determine the release timing of sequels according to market reaction, and the resolution of such drawbacks is also expected.

Behind these significant changes is the popularity of short dramas in recent years. Leveraging their fast pace and convenience, they are attracting viewers away from traditional long-form dramas. Meanwhile, the environment surrounding China's film and television industry is becoming increasingly challenging, with the number of dramas produced decreasing by over 70% in the last decade. This measure is also seen as aiming to encourage the creation of intricate narratives unique to long-form dramas and large-scale works by relaxing uniform episode limits, thereby differentiating them from short dramas. (Mathilda)