Tamil television drama
Tamil television drama or Tamil serials are a genre of Tamil-language television produced in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. All major TV networks in India produce a variety of drama series including family, comedy, romance, history stories, horror, devotional, fantasy stories and many others. Tamil serial started to broadcast television series in the 1990s. Today's format of 100–500 episodes started in the 2000s. The television series industry has played a pivotal role in increasing Tamil popularity in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. They are also broadcast in other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe , Australia and North America. They are usually shown on Tamil television channels and start at 12 pm to 3 pm (afternoon), 6 pm to 8 pm (evening) and 8 pm to 11 pm (primetime and night). A series will run for about 3 or 4 years. It may air 5 or 6 episodes a week, the pattern usually being Monday through Friday or Monday through Saturday. A channel usually airs 5 to 15 TV dramas simultaneously at any given time. Because they attract the most viewers, each channel competes for the most popular stars. Format. Tamil television serials are usually  helmed by one director, written by one screenwriter, thus having a distinct directing style and language, unlike American television series, where often several directors and writers work together. Series are likely to have only one season, with 1–500 or 1–1000 episodes. Mini series may be longer, with 100 to 200 episodes, but they also run for only one season. The broadcast time for flagship dramas is 12 pm - 3 pm to 6 pm - 11 pm, with episodes on 5 to 6 consecutive nights : Monday–Friday or Monday–Saturday and weekends. Different dramas appear on each of the nationwide networks, Sun  TV, STAR Vijay, Kalaignar TV, Colors Tamil, Zee Tamizh, Jaya TV, Raj TV, Polimer TV, Puthuyugam TV, Vendhar TV, Mega TV, Makkal TV, DD Podhigai, Shakthi TV, Vasantham TV, MediaCorp Vasantham, Astro Vaanavil, TV2 and Deepam TV. Dramas in prime slots are in the telenovella format, rarely running over 500 episodes. Singapore and Malaysia. The broadcast time for flagship dramas is 22:00 to 23:00, with episodes on Four consecutive nights: Mondays to Thursday, Friday, and weekends. Different dramas appear on each of the nationwide networks, MediaCorp Vasantham, Astro Vaanavil and Astro Vinmeen HD. Series are likely to have one to  three season, with 1–80 episodes. Mini series may be longer, with 1 to 16 episodes, they also run for one to three season. Some popular contemporary dramas include: "Vettai", "Nijangal", "Vettai: Pledged to Hunt", "Sundharam Kudumpathinar", "Annamalai", "Ragasiyam", "Vetri". Contemporary series. Series set in contemporary times usually run for one season, for 100–1000 episodes of 22 minutes. They are often centered on a family story, with love ties and relationships being in the focus. Characters are mostly idealised, with Tamil female protagonists described as the ideal women, and can focus on ethics and social issues in rural areas. The daily  dramas are also usually set in contemporary times, describing a family conflict or family relationships, centered on Tamil women, who sacrifice themselves for family happiness. Some popular contemporary dramas include: "Shakthi", "Chiti", "Anandham", "Kalki", "Kasalavu Nesam", "Annamalai", "Metti Oli", "Thangam", "Thirumathi Selvam", "Deivamagal", "Kolangal", "Azhagi", "Athipookal", "Uyirmei", "Sembaruthi", "Gayathri", "Mella Thiranthathu Kadhavu", "Thendral", "Kana Kaanum Kaalangal", "Office", "Madhurai", "Marmadesam" and "Kadhalikka Neramillai". Music. Theme music and background music sets the overall tone of the Tamil series. Most series will start off with one to three minutes of opening theme music during the opening credits. Other series will have at the  very least a catchy melody in the beginning, displaying the drama's name that lasts a few seconds, and then one to two minutes of ending theme background music during the closing credits. Background music is placed and used at strategic points of the episode to set the mood of that particular show. Original soundtracks (OSTs) are made specifically for each series and play an important role in Tamil dramas (mostly in Singapore and Malaysia). They are generally recorded by professional playback singers and tend to enhance the reputation and popularity of dramas. OSTs help to heighten a situation, accentuate  a mood, provide relief, or serve as background to an interior monologue. Production. They are often mass-produced under large production banners, with companies like AVM Productions, Saregama, Radaan Mediaworks, Vikatan Televistas, Balaji Telefilms and In House Productions, running different language versions of the same serial on different television networks or channels. Broadcast. Tamil TV dramas are popular overseas in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia. They are also broadcast in other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The popularity of Tamil TV dramas in India, European and the US markets is on the rise . Tamil serials are also dubbed in Malayalam, Telugu, Sinhalese and English and most serials air with English, Sinhalese and Malay subtitles. India. Kerala. In the Indian state of Kerala, Tamil series are popular and broadcast at prime time, "Kolangal" and "Anandham" were aired on Surya TV. Some Tamil series have also been remade into Malayalam versions such as "Parvathi" in 2002 which was a remake of the serial "Chithi" and "Nilavilakku" a remake of "Thirumathi Selvam". Surya TV and Asianet Plus are examples of Malayalam television networks that airs Tamil series. Andhra Pradesh. In the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh , Tamil series have gained popularity and the Tamil series, "Chithi", "Kolangal", "Anandham", "Selvi", "Arasi", "Annamalai", "Vasantham", "Surya", "Pasam", "Chellamay", "Kalyanam" and "Lakshmi" were aired on Gemini TV, RVS TV, Zee Telugu and Vanitha TV. Some Tamil series have also been remade into Telugu language versions such as "Devatha" which was a remake of the serial "Thirumathi Selvam", "Aparanji" a remake of "Thangam", "Sravani Subramanyam" a remake of "Thendral" and "Jabilamma" a remake of "Deivamagal". Karnataka. Tamil series have also been remade into Kannada versions such as "Rangoli" was a remake of the serial "Kolangal", "Chikamma" a remake of "Chithi", "Bangara  a remake of Thangam", "Thangaali" a remake of "Thendral", "Mangalya" a remake of "Metti Oli" and "Chandra Chakori" a remake of "Deivamagal". The Udaya TV air Tamil series remade in the Kannada language. Maharashtra. Tamil series have also been remade into Marathi. The Chennai-based Sun TV group is going to start a Marathi GEC named as Sun Marathi in January 2021. It will be Sun group's fourth entry in South Indian market. Many shows like Nandini, Maya, Roja, Arundhati will be dubbed in Marathi language to reach towards peoples of Maharastra. Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka Tamil channels  air Tamil series, and also dub and subtitle in the Sinhalese language. The first Tamil Language serial to be dubbed in Sinhalese was "Chithi". Tamil television series are extremely popular in Sri Lanka, with ratings higher than the traditional Tamil Nadu TV series that Sri Lankan watched. Most Tamil serial airs in Tamil language with Sinhalese subtitle. Singapore and Malaysia. In Singapore and Malaysia Tamil Channel airs Tamil Series and subtitle in the English language. Among the most popular series are "Vettai", "Nijangal", "Ennuyire", "Annamalai", "Ragasiyam" and "Neeya". Other countries. Tamil Series and television shows are also popular among the  Tamil diaspora. Tamil television shows are aired on certain cable television channels in various countries such as the Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, the Middle East, North Africa, Réunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Seychelles, Fiji, Guyana, Burma, Trinidad and Tobago, the French West Indies, Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States. Running time. An episode of a popular Tamil television drama from the 2010s is usually between 30 and 60 minutes in length (excluding advertisements), which is much longer than a typical episode of an Indian or Western European series. List of longest-running Tamil Language television series. This is a  list of the longest-running Tamil Language television series, ordered by number of episodes the show has aired. This list includes only programs aired five years and above. See also. Channels: