What is a short drama?
A short drama is a scripted series told in very short vertical episodes, usually about one to two minutes each on the big watch apps, and every episode ends on a cliffhanger. It is made to be watched on a phone, one episode after another, often with the sound off. In China the format is called duanju, which means short drama, and many viewers elsewhere find it in apps such as ReelShort and DramaBox. You can also make one yourself with AI.
Short drama, micro drama, vertical drama
You will see the same format under several names. They describe one thing from different sides:
- Short drama: the episodes are short, far shorter than a TV episode.
- Micro drama or microdrama: the same idea, stressing how small each episode is.
- Vertical drama: the frame, 9:16, the shape of a phone held upright.
- Mini drama: another name used by apps and viewers.
- Duanju: the Chinese word for short drama, used for the series made in China.
How long is a short drama?
Episodes are short and there are many of them. eMarketer describes microdramas as serialized scripted shows in vertical episodes of roughly 1 to 2 minutes, and Subscription Insider (July 20, 2026) calls them one- and two-minute serialized stories, noting that a complete story may run across dozens of installments.
Subscription Insider also gives two examples: Baddie, a vertical thriller from Spain's Atresplayer, with a first season of 30 episodes of approximately two minutes each, and Telemundo's Armas de Mujer, reworked into 123 two-minute episodes for ReelShort.
Episodes made with agent-media are shorter still, 15 to 60 seconds. The dramas on our series page run 21 to 28 seconds an episode and the sitcoms 32 to 45, because a joke needs a beat to land.
What happens in one episode
An episode has room for one move. It opens on a problem you can see in the first seconds, picking up from the last cliffhanger with no recap. Someone pushes back. Past the halfway mark, one thing turns: power, information or the relationship. Then it stops on a line that asks a question, and the next episode is one swipe away.
That is why short dramas feel fast. There are no subplots and no slow scenes, only the part of a TV episode that makes you want the next one.
The tropes that run the format
Short dramas return to a handful of stories again and again, because each one can turn in a single line:
- Billionaire revenge: the person everyone looked down on turns out to hold the money.
- Contract marriage: a marriage on paper, with a deadline and a no-feelings rule.
- Rebirth revenge: the hero gets a second chance at the past and uses it.
- Hidden identity: someone is not who they say they are, and one person starts to notice.
- Second chance: the one who left walks back in.
- Enemies to lovers: two people who cannot stand each other, forced to work together.
Where to watch short dramas
Most viewing happens in apps built for the format. eMarketer names ReelShort, owned by Crazy Maple Studio, and DramaBox, and describes freemium models that mix paid episode unlocks with advertising. Subscription Insider describes the path: viewers watch several episodes at no cost, then some buy coins to unlock the next one, while others watch ads or pay for a subscription.
Creators also post short dramas on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, where the vertical frame is native. Our own shows play in the browser on the agent-media series page, with nothing to install.
Make your own short drama
A short drama no longer needs a studio. With agent-media you describe the show in Claude, answer a short interview and approve the season plan, the cast of two leads and up to six friends or rivals, and each episode's script and price before it is filmed.
Episodes come back in 9:16, 15 to 60 seconds long, with captions burned in, no watermark and the same cast every time. Episode 1 of your own show is $1 and a micro drama of ten 30-second episodes at 480p is $49 one-time.
A short drama episode, start to finish
The One I Left, episode 1, runs 21 seconds. Jack walks into Sophie's flower shop to order white roses for his wedding, the flowers she once wanted. Five lines, one shop, one question.
- JACK
I need flowers for my wedding.
- SOPHIE
Congratulations. What does she like?
- JACK
White roses. Like you wanted.
- SOPHIE
You came here to order those?
- JACK
Same flowers. Different bride.
Questions
What is a short drama?
A scripted series told in short vertical episodes, each ending on a cliffhanger, made to watch on a phone one episode after another.
Are short dramas the same as micro dramas?
Yes. Short drama, micro drama, vertical drama and mini drama all name the same format.
How many episodes does a short drama have?
App series often run to dozens of episodes; one example Subscription Insider cites has 123. Every show on our series page runs 10, and the agent-media interview offers 3, 5 or 10 episodes, or anything from 1 to 20.
Can I make my own short drama?
Yes. With agent-media you describe the show in Claude and approve the season plan, the cast and each script. Episode 1 is $1.
Watch one. Then make yours.
Episode 1 of your own show costs $1. Micro drama, 10 episodes: $49 one-time.