# How many episodes should an AI short drama have?

**Short answer:** At least 30. That was the minimum TikTok's Drama Center required before it would accept a series when we submitted in October 2026, and our own series ran 30 to 45 episodes.

URL: https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-many-episodes-should-an-ai-short-drama-have
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Our series

Episode counts in our released short dramas:

| Series | Episodes | Total runtime |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Blood Sun: The Fall of Kratos](https://arc.katechon.technology/films/blood-sun) | 45 | 51.6 minutes of episodes |
| [High Note](https://arc.katechon.technology/films/high-note) | 40 | 56 minutes as one film |
| The Little Fairy Bakery | 30 | 61.6–69.7 seconds per episode |

## Why 30 or more

- Platform minimums. Drama Center accepted saved drafts with fewer episodes but refused to submit a series with fewer than 30 main episodes.
- Paywall room. With a handful of free episodes up front, a series needs enough paid episodes after the first reversal to be worth unlocking.
- Arc shape. Thirty one-minute episodes is about half an hour: enough for a setup, two or three reversals and a payoff.

## When fewer makes sense

A pilot of eight to ten episodes is a good way to test a premise before committing, and a widescreen extended opening can serve as a trailer, as our 16:9 cut of the first episodes of The Emperor's Pleasure Court did. For a platform release, plan the full count.

## What the count does to the budget

Video at list price on Seedance 2.0 Mini 720p, 72-second episodes with 15% retakes:

| Episodes | List cost | Arc credits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 10 | $101 | 7,797 |
| 30 | $302 | 23,391 |
| 45 | $453 | 35,087 |
| 60 | $603 | 46,782 |

Costs scale almost linearly with episodes; reference images are made once. Try other counts in the [cost calculator](https://arc.katechon.technology/tools/ai-video-cost-calculator).

## Where Katechon Arc fits

Arc organises a project as episodes sharing one cast and set of locations, so a 30 or 60 episode series lives in one place.

Arc does not submit series to platforms or check their requirements; confirm each platform's current rules yourself.

## People also ask

### How many free episodes should a paid short drama have?

We left 8 episodes free on our Drama Center submissions, so the first big reversal lands before the paywall.

## Related answers

- [How long should an AI short drama episode be?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-long-should-a-short-drama-episode-be): Aim for 60 to 70 seconds, built from about 6 shots of 12 seconds, with a hook at the start and a cliffhanger at the end.
- [How do you publish an AI short drama on TikTok?](https://arc.katechon.technology/answers/how-to-publish-an-ai-short-drama-on-tiktok): Two routes: post episodes or trailers to your own account, or submit the whole series to TikTok's short-drama programme, Drama Center,…
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