Thai television soap opera

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Lakorn (ละคร pronounced [la.kʰɔːn] related to Javanese ꦭꦏꦺꦴꦤ꧀ lakon from ꦭꦏꦸ laku "behavior"^[1][2]) or lakhon is a popular genre of fiction in Thai television known in Thai as ละครโทรทัศน์ RTGS: lakhon thorathat (lit. "television drama"). They are shown generally at prime-time on Thai television channels, starting usually on, before or approximately at 20:25-20:30 hrs local time. An episode of a prime-time drama is between 45 minutes to two hours long including commercials. Each series is a finished story, unlike Western "cliffhanger" dramas, but rather like Hispanic telenovelas.^[3]

The first television drama in Thailand was Suriyani Mai Yom Taengngan (สุริยานีไม่ยอมแต่งงาน, lit. "Suriyani refused to marry") starring Mom Rajawongse Thanadsri Svasti and Chotirot Samosorn with Nuanla-or Thongnuedee from the composition of Nai Ramkarn (Prayad Sor Nakanat) broadcast on January 5, 1956, on Channel 4 Bangkhunphrom (now Channel 9), the first Thai television station. It can be considered the broadcast happened only two months after the establishment of the station.^[4]

A series will run for about three months. It may air two or three episodes a week, the pattern being Monday–Tuesday, Wednesday–Thursday Monday-Thursday (weekday slots) or Friday–Sunday (weekend slot). A channel will air three soap operas simultaneously at any given time (each producing their own series by separate production houses). Channels will compete for the most popular stars as they attract the most viewers. Some examples are Channel 3, 5 and 7 as well to a lesser extent on Channel 9.^[5]

While the "best" series are shown at night right after the news, the ones with a smaller profiles (and shorter run times) will be shown in the evenings from 17:00–18:00. In some cases, the most popular prime-time series are shown on re-runs a couple of years after their initial release, generally in the afternoon.^[6]

A lakorn episode is normally 1 hour or 30 minutes. When broadcasting internationally, the running time is around 45 min. per episode.

Since January 20, 2023, every Friday night after the evening news (second edition), Channel 7 stopped broadcasting the television series as it became familiar. The station has turned to live broadcasts of combat sport matches of the ONE Championship instead, which is one of the great revolutions in the Thai television industry.^[7]

And since September 6 of the same year, Channel 7 has been given a new television series broadcast time of 20:30–21:30, a total of only one hour, and there will be only one television series broadcast from Monday to Thursday. As for Saturday–Sunday will broadcast another television series. When after 21:30, the station will broadcast Korean drama starting from Ghost Doctor (2022).^[8]