What are Thai lakorns?

Literally translated as "television play," a lakorn (or lakhon) is the Thai equivalent of an American soap opera. Unlike American soap operas, which are usually shown around midday, lakorns are prime-time dramas in Thailand. Each episode is two hours long.

Also unlike American soap operas, lakorns consist of a multiple-episode arcs of a complete series lasting for about three months. In this respect, lakorns are more similar to Spanish telenovelas than American soap operas. Many of the lakorns feature the same actors and actresses in leading roles, and they generally are cast to star in the same role for each new series.