Who is the biggest dark horse in the national drama ratings in 2023?
If it was the beginning of the year, it might be said to be "Hurricane".
If it was at the beginning of December, it might be said that it was the legendary CCTV drama "Pearl River Family", because it surpassed "Hurricane" in the ratings.
Now, the answer is Thrush. I know you may have a different opinion, but the truth is that this anti-special drama is really popular.
Yes, anti-special drama. A week ago, "Thrush" was launched, and the real-time ratings of the first broadcast exceeded 21, became the national ratings champion in the same period, even surpassing the central first-class "Ask the Boundless", which is even higher than "Hurricane".
With the start of this drama, the costumes and props in the play, the acting skills of the young actors, etc., have caused some controversy, but have these controversies affected the ratings of the series?I'll tell you the results directly: this drama was broadcast for 7 days, and the ratings for 7 days exceeded 2, and on the day of February 18, the average rating reached 2414, again setting a new high. You must know that although "Hurricane" is powerful, the ratings broke 2 in the second half, and "Pearl River People" caught up in the middle stage. And "Thrush" broke through 2 as soon as it was launched, reaching 2 in a week4。
With Bai Minghan played by Ding Yongdai confirmed that he is not a snow wolf, the suspense about whether the snow wolf is Director Ge, the factory director or Director Luo will definitely push the ratings to continue to soar.
It is almost certain that with the start of the next three consecutive episodes, by the 27th "Flowers" will take over, the ratings of "Thrush" will almost certainly surpass "Pearl River People" again and become the national drama ratings champion in 2023. Is "Thrush" so powerful?is amazing, it's this anti-special drama.
Spy war dramas have been very successful in national dramas, and works such as "Secret Calculation", "Latent", "Before Dawn", "Cliff", "Kite" and other works once caused a boom and received widespread attention and praise from the audience.
However, in the past 5 years, there are only a handful of excellent spy war dramas that can win both word-of-mouth and ratings, and there is only one "Rebel".
And this year, the situation is even more unsatisfactory, and the audience watches one and complains about another.
The genre of spy war dramas fluctuates like a tide, especially the ** spy war drama has caused the audience's aesthetic fatigue, but the audience still wants to see this type of drama, so the anti-spy war drama came into being.
The question is, is there an anti-special drama that can achieve great success in ratings and word-of-mouth like "Silent Oath" back then?
CCTV's 2024 repertoire list is about to launch an anti-special drama, and according to the new version of the trailer, it can be speculated that the broadcast time of the show is not far away.
The series, titled Night and Dawn, has 38 episodes.
At the beginning of this year, "Night and Dawn" was selected as one of the key plays of the "Big Drama Viewing Station" in 2023.
The play is also a typical "anti-special drama".
The background of the story is set after the founding of New China in 1949, and it is no longer the enemy in the traditional spy war drama, but the situation where the enemy is dark and I am clear.
When it comes to domestic anti-special dramas, we can't fail to mention "Silent Oath".
The show has been very popular since it was broadcast on CCTV in 2002, and has won many awards such as the Feitian Award and the Golden Eagle Award, which has made many "anti-special dramas" obsessed.
However, in 2006, a dark horse drama appeared, which changed the market trend of anti-special dramas, because a more potential ** spy war drama was launched: "Secret Calculation" starring Liu Yunlong was a great success.
In the days when spy war dramas dominated the market, although anti-special dramas also included Hu Jun's "In the Silent Place", Zhang Yi's "Glorious Era" and other masterpieces, it was difficult to break through the ratings, and gradually lost its luster in the market, and even the genre of spy war dramas itself was "eaten" by anti-special dramas.
CCTV, as the best viewing platform, has broadcast a number of traditional spy war dramas in recent years, but anti-special dramas have not been seen for many years.
"Thrush" can be seen as a test of the waters of CCTV, and the next main drama should be "Night and Dawn".
The play is directed by Huang Nan and Li Cai, and the screenwriter is Weng Liangping of "The Great Battle" and "Ask the Boundless".
Chen Zheyuan, Nie Yuan, Xing Fei, Yao Anna starring, as well as Wang Zhiwen, Ni Dahong, Wang Jinsong and other acting schools, as well as Sun Yan, Wang Xiuzhu, Feng Bing, Hao Ping, Li Mengnan, etc.
It can be said that the strength lineup can be called first-class.
Although the broadcast time of the show has not yet been confirmed, it has appeared in the list of 2024 dramas officially announced by CCTV, and the drama party has also released the second version of the trailer.
Coupled with the explosion of "Thrush" in terms of ratings, it can be expected that an anti-mega drama will be launched soon - "Night and Dawn".
From the traditional spy war dramas released one after another this year to "Thrush", the first thing the audience will question must be the plot.
Without a good script, no matter how many powerful actors there are, it will be in vain.
So, can the story of "Night and Dawn" reach a passing grade?
The story of the play begins on a dark night in 1943. Our ** Lu Zhengyang (played by Nie Yuan) and the old policeman Lin Shaobai (played by Chen Zheyuan) fought for the first time, in order to solve a ** case that shocked Shanghai, the two fought wits and courage and launched a fierce duel.
In 1949, Shanghai was liberated and dawn fell.
Lu Zhengyang became an important figure in our anti-enemy special front. Despite our victory, many enemy elements remain lurking in the shadows, plotting to sabotage our efforts.
After strict screening, Lu Zhengyang boldly used Lin Shaobai, an old policeman known as "Shanghai Know-it-all". The two went from being rivals to partners.
Subsequently, they successively cracked the "vault robbery case," the "counterfeit money case," the "latent radio station case," and other major cases planned by Zheng Lanting, and completely thwarted the conspiracy of the enemy elements hiding in the shadows.
The two trailers cut in from our perspective and brought a lot of information and things to see. For example, those tense and suspenseful "anti-special" operations.
The trailer does not begin with a confrontation between the enemy and the enemy, but a muralist calmly completing a propaganda poster. The camera only showed his back, but in the process of making the special, I found out that the face on his front was Wang Zhiwen's face. In other words, he is the ultimate villain of this show, the veteran enemy Zheng Lanting.
It's really a lot like hiding in the city. Lin Shaobai said in the play: "This group of people has always been in Shanghai. ”。
In the next shot, our public security officers hurried to an abandoned construction site and surrounded it. But the voice that accompanies the voiceover says, "We deliberately let you go." ”。
Zheng Lanting walked into the ** pavilion steadily, and Wang Zhiwen's voice was shocking: The fish bit Erbium!
This sentence kicked off the prelude to the battle of wisdom between us and the enemy.
We were desperate to know what the enemy wanted to do, and at the same time we were worried about whether we had an internal ghost. This is undoubtedly the most puzzling part of the show.
The suspenseful clues laid out in the trailer reveal an eerie murderous atmosphere, which makes this large-scale "enemy dark and I light" cat and mouse game even more confusing.
For example, the thrill of action scenes.
Unlike "Silent Oath", the action scenes in "Night and Dawn" are very rich, and there is no lack of action elements in this spy war drama.
There is some intense action.
When we confronted the enemy head-on, the scene was full of fire and rumbling.
There are some quiet shots.
Nie Yuan and "Old Mo" Feng Bing are separated by a wall.
The crisis looms, and tensions reach their peak.
Body movements are becoming more and more violent.
The contrast between movement and stillness creates a sense of tension that becomes key to the language of the shot.
There is a scene where movement and stillness are combined.
For example, when capturing the enemy, the thrilling gunfight scene.
There are also fierce fight scenes, empty-handed fighting, and hand-to-hand combat. brought some cool action scenes, which further enhanced the viewing experience of the whole show.
It seems that the production level of the show is very high, and the cinematography and art are very fine and stylish.
But what fascinated me the most was the cat-and-mouse game between Enemy and us.
The two sides are inseparable, firing guns and fighting in secret.
The play is extremely oppressive, full of tension, and makes people feel like they are on the edge of the abyss.
2015's "The Pretender" is considered to be the pioneer of the rejuvenation of spy war dramas.
chose young traffic stars as the leading actors, and at the same time invited some old drama bones to cooperate.
However, after "The Pretender" became popular, the starring lineup of spy war dramas began to change. Hu Ge, Wang Kai and veteran cadre Jin Dong used to be the stars who dominated the traffic, but now their favor has turned to young actors.
Frankly, this is also the beginning of the decline of the spy war drama genre. But at present, no matter how the lineup is configured, the combination of old and new has become a trend that cannot be changed. Huang Nan, the director of "Night and Dawn", has strong strength and has participated in the cooperation of "Crossing the Yalu River" and "Armageddon". What reassures me even more is the play's screenwriter Weng Liangping. He not only participated in the screenwriting of "Armageddon", but also took charge of another spy war drama "Long Wind and Waves" that will be released next year.
What is certain is that this screenwriter does have real skills. Looking at the cast again, there are a total of 10 well-known and powerful actors to join, both old drama bones and Mesozoic powerhouses, and the lineup can be called strong. It can be seen from the trailer that the actors in the enemy camp include Wang Zhiwen and Wang Jinsong, two aces. The enemy cadres played Feng Bing, Wen Zhengrong, Wang Xiuzhu and Ren Zhengbin. The actors in our camp are mainly young actors Chen Zheyuan, Xing Fei and Yao Anna, and the slightly more senior actors are Nie Yuan and Sun Yan.
Such a lineup combination actually creates another suspense, that is, how these young people can defeat the old fox played by Wang Zhiwen and Wang Jinsong, as well as the iron-blooded generals played by Feng Bing, Wen Zhengrong, and Wang Xiuzhu. Among them, there are five actors I am looking forward to the most, and Wang Zhiwen is the first to bear the brunt.
Let's not talk nonsense, Wang Zhiwen is of course one of the top actors in China, his acting skills are unfathomable, his line skills are solid, and he can control both good and evil properly. Especially in spy war dramas, he has performed extraordinarily.
For example, Wang Tianxiang, who played in "The Wind", is extremely evil;The role of our ** in "Rebel" is even more admirable;As for the villain Mu Xihe he played in "Infernal", he has a bald head and a fierce appearance, which makes people creepy at first glance. Regardless of the quality of the work, Wang Zhiwen's performance is always of a high standard, impeccable, and he exudes a strong tension in his own right. Let's talk about Zheng Lanting played by him in "Night and Dawn", as the core of the enemy, he can maintain an indifferent attitude in the downtown area, and his eyes reveal countless stories.
What is good acting?In fact, it is not difficult to understand, as long as you look at the end of the trailer, close your eyes and open them again, the atmosphere created between his eyes and his eyes is more shocking than that of thousands of troops, this is the real acting.
Next, let's talk about Wang Jinsong, many viewers may know him because of his Uncle Dong played in the TV series "Northeast Family". But for veteran Chinese drama audiences, they may have known him through "Ming Dynasty 1566" or "No War in Peking". Wang Jinsong is skinny and even weaker when he coughs, but as soon as he opens his mouth, he reveals a sinister and ruthless temperament. This time he plays the role of Mao Sen, the supreme commander of the enemy, in the play, and the subtle expression in the trailer is not easy to detect, but it contains deep meaning. The role of the enemy, the two aces together, is enough to attract expectations.
Finally, let's talk about Sun Yan and Feng Bing.
Sun Yan and Feng Bing are put together, not because they are not weighty, but because they are both old faces familiar to the audience of "Hurricane". One of them plays Xiaohu, while the other plays Lao Mo, both of whom are villains. This time, however, the situation is different.
Wang Liqun, played by Feng Bing, is still an enemy killer and does not hesitate to slaughter the enemy. And Sun Yan's character may be an undercover agent on our side. But the phrase "I have blood on my hands" made people feel that his role was not simple.
Next is Nie Yuan. He is the most senior and powerful actor in our camp. In the past, he once played roles such as Zhao Zilong and Luo Cheng, and he was heroic, not only with good looks, but also with excellent acting skills. After his transformation into a powerful actor, he increasingly showed wonderful performances. He is very familiar with the theme of spy warfare. In the ** spy war drama "The Forerunner", Tang Xianping played by him and Ma Tianmu played by Zhang Luyi fought wits and courage, becoming the pillars of the entire series. In the costume spy war drama "Feng Qi Longxi", his role is deeply hidden, and his acting skills are amazing.
Now it's time to turn to anti-special dramas. This time, he played Lu Zhengyang, who lives up to his name, is honest and firm, and is also the guide of the male protagonist. It was as if he had already calculated every step, and he was fully prepared in his heart. Although facing the thunderous heart, his surface is like a peaceful lake, calm and calm. To be honest, the tension created by the actor alone, and it is precisely because of him that I believe that both the enemy and the enemy will fight with all their might.
In the end, the actor Chen Zheyuan is the key to the whole series. Many similar productions have proven that the young actor is precisely the key factor in the quality of the series.
He appeared in the suspense drama "Detective Chinatown" supervised by Chen Sicheng for several years, and also participated in "Detective Chinatown 3". In CCTV's "Peerless Double Pride", he played Xiao Yuer. Obviously, he is a new actor who is highly sought after by fans and highly praised by the industry. But whether he can be qualified for so many old dramas still needs to be proven by him personally.
The story of "Night and Dawn" is fascinating, the cast is also very strong, and it also has the platform support of CCTV. But I know that everyone will have a question in their minds: Will this drama overturn?
If they are old viewers of national dramas, it should not be difficult for them to find that various genres of national dramas in 2023 have developed. Only spy war dramas, whether it is "Infernal", "Thin Ice", "Stalker", or "Beehive" and "Plum Blossom Red Hearts", have a strong lineup and good reputation, but the quality is not satisfactory.
Now, the test has come to the field of anti-special dramas. What exactly is a rollover?
Some viewers said that the relationship between men and women was too procrastinating, and some people said that the makeup in the play was too exaggerated, so that it lost its sense of reality. But I think in the final analysis, the key issue lies in an important characteristic of anti-special dramas and spy war dramas - tone.
First of all, the lines should have a tone. A good play doesn't need to be explicitly stated, but it reveals murder in every detail. And bad dramas will only be mysterious, without substance.
Secondly, the story should have a tone. Classic spy wars and anti-special dramas have put a lot of effort into creating suspense. In just a few seconds, the undercurrent surges and is fascinating. In bad dramas, the emotional drama is too far-fetched, and the suspense plot is unreasonable.
Finally, the picture should have a tone. Each scene should meet the era background and makeup requirements to make the audience feel real and relevant.
Liu Yunlong is the most vocal character in spy war dramas. There is no king in anti-special dramas, but there is huge room for development. Although freshness and ratings can make up for the lack of quality, the audience's aesthetic tastes will change.
For latecomers, the audience will demand more. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the creator to provide a higher standard of work.
Anti-special dramas cannot develop one-sidedly, and only by continuously improving the quality can they exist for a long time. Night and dawn represent a turning point in the fate of the anti-special drama. After a long trough in the market, the fire of "Thrush" represents the dawn of dawn. However, to light the way forward, we can only rely on the efforts of the anti-special drama itself.