“It is the end of an era!” many Chinese netizens exclaimed after the four heroines of the ABC network’s hit TV series Desperate Housewives bid farewell to audiences on May 14. One week later, Fox network’s medical drama House M.D. also came to an end.
　　When American viewers said goodbye to the two popular TV series after eight seasons, fans shared their loss more than 10,000 km away in China, where millions tuned in online to watch the emotional finales. After the final episodes of Desperate Housewives were aired on May 14, Chinese netizens posted over 1 million messages paying tribute to the show on micro-blogging sites.
　　American shows like House M.D. and Desperate Housewives are not aired on Chinese television, but are instead watched by a growing number of young people on the Internet.
　　Fan favorites
　　“I still remember the Desperate Housewives scene that our teacher showed to us during an English class at college. Eight years are a long time, and along with the show, we gradually grew mature,” said Xia Xiaonuan, a devoted fan of Desperate Housewives, on her micro-blog.
　　“The show has accompanied me like a friend since I was a girl,” said Xu Duoduo, a 25-year-old mother living in Beijing who was also a loyal viewer of the TV series. As the show’s four housewives underwent various plot twists and turns, such as murder, illness, divorce and remarriage, Xu grew from a girl to a mother. Many like her have matured and changed to the backdrop of popular television dramas.
　　For the Chinese audience, American TV shows have played an increasingly important role in their entertainment lives.
　　“In addition to the clever plot twists, American TV series impress me with rich knowledge and expertise,” said Wang Fan, a 28-year-old audience from Chongqing Municipality.
　　After watching Lie to Me, a popular crime series where detectives solve criminal cases by scrutinizing suspects’ facial “micro- expressions,” Wang began observing people’s facial cues more closely.
　　“It is amazing that American screenwriters and directors could make an entertaining program so professional,” said Wang.
　　Chinese audiences first started watching American TV series in large numbers in the 1980s. In 1980, China Central Television(CCTV) broadcast The Man From Atlantis. The short-lived science fiction show, though flat by today’s standards, immediately swept China. After years of isolation from the outside world, the people were eager to learn more about the West. The broadcast became a landmark event in China’s long process of reform and opening up.
　　At that time, many households didn’t own televisions, and few domestic TV series were on the air. In 1979, the Central Government encouraged all local TV stations to produce TV series to spur demand. Any television station that could air 12 episodes a year was even given an award.
　　For the Chinese audience of the early 1980s, The Man From Atlantis was fresh and exciting. Many lines became common slang phrases among young viewers. Even the sunglasses worn by the hero, Mark Harris, became a stylish must-have accessory popularly referred to then as “Mark glasses.” His swimming style was widely adopted. The TV series also inadvertently introduced a new sport to China—playing Frisbee.
　　The people’s humor
　　Roger Christiansen, director of the international hit comedy show Friends, came to Beijing and Shanghai again in May of this year. And again, Chinese fans warmly welcomed him.
　　Friends attracted a devoted following in China during its 10-season run, and has not been forgotten since the series drew to a close in 2004.
　　Christiansen, who became the director of the situation comedy in 2000, said he was surprised by the show’s success in China because it was made for an American audience. He found that people of all countries and regions liked it for different reasons.
　　He admitted that he didn’t expect the humor to cross over and amuse the Chinese audience, as comedy is often culturally specific and difficult to translate. Although the show presented a different culture, certain elements of it were common to all human beings, said Christiansen.
　　Friends delivered a rare brand of comedy that had wide appeal. When the audience watched Friends, they laughed and cried along with the characters as if they were personal friends, said Christiansen to a group of Chinese journalists.
　　In his view, Chinese TV series were developing and making progress with shows in the United States. The screenwriting, lighting and sound effects improved as producers learned from one another.
　　The popularity of American sitcoms like Friends also contributed to the development of China’s own TV series.
　　The Chinese people first saw situation comedy in 1982, when the American TV series My Favorite Martian was broadcast by a number of local TV stations in China. Until the show was aired, most Chinese were unfamiliar with the format.
　　In the next 10 years another American sitcom, Growing Pains, entertained the Chinese audience with its amusing family-centered stories. The sitcom has since become a favorite form of television in the mainland.
　　The country saw its first domestic situation comedy in 1994, with the airing of Wo Ai Wo Jia (I Love My Family). The series became extremely popular and is loved by the audience even today. Similar to Growing Pains, the comedy focused on family life. By telling stories of three generations of a family and their neighbors, it presented a vivid picture of ordinary people’s lives. It presented Chinese humor with an American format.
　　


　　Ready for primetime
　　The success of American TV series has led to comparisons with domestic shows.
　　“After watching House M.D., I couldn’t bear to watch domestic medical dramas any more. I find them simple and dull,” said Wang Qiang, a 28-year-old fan.
　　American shows attach great importance to interacting with the audience. No matter the stage of plot development, series are cancelled when ratings fall, said Wu Mengjie, a media professional.
　　In the eyes of Gao Qunshu, a Chinese director well known for making TV series about the lives of cops, the Americans have a prominent advantage—respect for commercial and artistic rules.
　　After a century of development, the Americans had established an effective mechanism for storytelling and movie production, said Gao.
　　Gao advised young directors not to rush into innovation, but to learn from the existing masterpieces of their American counterparts in the first place. Only in this way can they build a sound foundation for future creativity.
　　However, there is also encouraging news for domestic TV series, which have seen an increase in ratings despite widespread criticism. The number and size of the series are already enough to make China the world’s top producer of television shows.
　　According to official statistics, only half of these shows can be broadcast on television. Fortunately, the Internet has provided an alternative broadcasting platform for viewership.
　　The market-oriented operation which started in the 1990s has also served as a driving force for the development of Chinese TV series. The government investment and corporate sponsorship are no longer the only sources of funds for TV show production. More private capital has flown into the industry in the form of commercial investments or loans.
　　In the meantime, some TV series are being exported to other countries. In 2010, China exported 10,200 hours of TV shows, worth $10 million. In 2011, these two figures rose to 11,000 hours and $12 million, according to Cheng Chunli, a senior marketing director of China International Television Corp.