Abstract

American TV series are popular in China these years owing to some factors. Comparing them with our local TV dramas, this essay focuses on the differences in the culture, the rich content, and the operating mode between China and America so as to get some illumination to help our TV drama production industry. As a super power in the world, American culture is attractive to Chinese people, and they can get to know something about America through watching those TV series. Besides, American TV series have novel topics and exciting stories that leave people deep impression. And its operating mode also has some advantage.

Key words: American TV series, culture, content, operating mode

摘    要

美剧这些年在中国很流行。本论文主要从文化、内容和运行模式几方面对比中国电视剧来探析美剧的流行原因。作为一个超级大国，美国文化本身对中国观众具有一定的吸引力，观众可以透过观看美剧了解美国。其次，美剧新颖的题材及刺激的情节让人印象深刻。美剧独特的运行模式也占有一定的优势。

关键词：美剧；文化；内容；运行模式

1. Introduction
    Many American TV series have enjoyed a great popularity in China these years. FOX broadcasting station launched Prison Break in 2005. So far, it has always become a staple of conversation. Moreover, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl also have a large number of fans in China. China’s largest Internet search engine Baidu shows that the index of searching for “American TV series” has soared from 224 points in early June 2006 to 3900 points or more till now. Besides, on the list of the well-known resource-sharing website VeryCD, American TV series have taken more than half of the total resources. Why do so many people get so crazy about American TV series? What is in them? So, this paper attempts to discuss the causes for the popularity American TV Series has enjoyed in China.
1. Demonstration
2.1 The favorable factors in the Chinese society
    These years, American TV series has come into vogue in China. we can see lots of people talking about American TV series here and there, university students in the dormitory, white collars in the company, good friends at the party and so on. As a kind of foreign culture, there are obstacles standing beyond our standard of taste and language which we cannot grasp very well. However, American TV series remain the most widely searched and downloaded on our Internet sites. Why are there so many people to choose American TV series rather than local ones? In this part, some factors I value are pointed out as follows.