novellhall Chapter 360 Exorbitantly Priced Scalped Tickets
Chapter 360 Exorbitantly Priced Scalped Tickets
Chapter 359 Exorbitantly Priced Scalped Tickets
The head screenwriter spoke first, expressing concern: "Chen Xun, we understand what you mean, but this show has already aired for five seasons, and the audience is used to the current format. Will making such a big change suddenly make long-time viewers uncomfortable?"
"The most important thing for multi-camera sitcoms is the humor and closure of each episode. If there are too many long narratives, won't they lose the original comedic core?"
Why are long-time viewers leaving? It's because the format is too fixed; it's the same thing over and over again, and people get tired of it.
Chen Xun looked at the screenwriter, who was still stuck in the old mindset, and said helplessly, "I brought the ratings data for the first three seasons and the last two seasons, as well as the viewership and audience comments on overseas platforms."
"The average rating of the shows in the first three seasons that Han Li was deeply involved in was 6.8, and it even reached 7.0 at its peak. In the fourth and fifth seasons, when Han Li was absent, the average rating dropped to 2.1. The most common comment from viewers was that without Han Li, it just didn't feel the same. Some people also said that the main characters never grow, which is exhausting to watch."
He projected the data he had prepared in advance onto the screen.
"As for the core of the comedy, we changed the core of the story and the growth of the characters, not the essence of comedy."
Chen Xun continued: "Max's sharp tongue, Caroline's unexpected cuteness, and Han Lee's dry humor—we've retained all the elements that the audience likes, and we can even give them more room to develop them."
"The jokes used to be Max teasing Han Lee about his height and Caroline making blunders. Now we can have more sophisticated jokes, such as the clash between Chinese and Western business thinking, the blunders in the three of them working together, and the little episodes in the characters' growth. These are much more interesting than the old jokes that have been used repeatedly for six years."
Chen Xun presented all the information he had obtained using the "Industry Trend Prediction" tool.
"The long-term narrative that everyone is worried about is not turning sitcoms into TV series, but giving the characters a main storyline of growth. Each episode still has its own jokes and stories, but the main storyline moves forward."
"The audience has been following them for six years, not because they want to see them forever trapped in that little Brooklyn restaurant, but because they want to see them gradually improve, see Max find a sense of belonging, see Caroline stand up again, and see Han Lee's restaurant get better and better. It's the emotional bonds and the hope for growth that keep the audience following."
After he finished speaking, no one in the conference room objected.
The screenwriters are well aware of the problems with the series, but they are trapped in their established creative patterns, afraid to change, too lazy to change, and even more afraid of messing things up and taking the blame.
Now that Chen Xun has torn away the fig leaf and offered a solution, and taken on the greatest responsibility, what reason do they have to object?
Kate and Beth chimed in, "As actors who have been in the industry for six years, we can say with certainty that audiences are already tired of the recurring startup trope."
The private messages we've received from fans are all asking when Max and Caroline will finally succeed.
Kate said firmly, "Chen Xun's idea can not only save the show's ratings, but also give our characters a truly satisfying ending."
The CBS showrunner made the decision on the spot.
The show is now on the verge of being canceled.
Instead of sticking to the old formula and quietly ending the final season, it would be better to follow Chen Xun's approach and make sweeping changes.
If things are fixed, the ratings will rebound, which will not only save the show but may even lead to a renewal for another season.
Even if the changes aren't made well, the outcome won't be worse than it is now.
Moreover, Chen Xun's star power and popularity are undeniable; his deep involvement in scriptwriting alone can generate tremendous publicity and buzz for the series.
"I completely agree with Chen Xun's plan."
The person in charge quickly made arrangements to the screenwriting team: "Starting today, the script will be re-polished. The core idea will be as Chen Xun said: reconstruct the trio relationship, break the cyclical narrative, and establish the character growth line. Chen Xun will be involved in the script creation process from start to finish. The screenwriting team must fully cooperate with any ideas he has."
The producer immediately chimed in, "No problem, we'll cooperate fully. We'll change anything as long as we can bring the ratings back."
After the meeting, the screenwriters surrounded Chen Xun, chatting animatedly about their new script ideas, all of them quite enthusiastic.
The previously lifeless creative team was completely ignited by Chen Xun's words.
As I walked out of the Warner office building, the setting sun was casting its glow on the streets of Los Angeles, turning the sky orange-red.
Kate and Beth walked beside him, one on each side, excitedly discussing ideas for the new script.
Chen Xun listened to them with a smile, his heart filled with emotion.
CB$ made its official announcement on Weibo and Twitter the day after the meeting.
The content consists of only one classic still from Han Li's dramas.
[Breaking News: Golden Globe-winning actor Chen Xun is officially returning for the sixth season of "2 Broke Girls"! He will reprise his role as the beloved Han Lee, and will also be deeply involved in the scriptwriting for this season. Brooklyn's little restaurant has finally welcomed back its owner.]
The system crashed the moment the official announcement was released.
CB$'s social media operations staff watched the frantically refreshed repost data.
Within just 10 minutes of its release, the tweet was retweeted over 10 times and received over 25 likes!
The hashtag #HanLeelsBacki shot to the top of the global trending search list at lightning speed.
The hashtag #ChenXunReturnsFrom2BillionGirls# trended on social media.
Five out of the top ten trending search terms are related to this matter.
The comment section was completely flooded with netizens celebrating.
Twitter users are going crazy over the news: "I can't believe my eyes, Han Li is really back! My youth is back!"
"CBS finally did something decent! Without Han Lee, I couldn't finish either season of '2 Broke Girls,' but I'm going back right now!"
"Chen Xun is now a Golden Globe Award-winning actor, why would he be willing to come back and act in a sitcom?"
"I got into this fandom because of Han Li back then. I still use his coin trick and feng shui jokes with my friends to this day!"
Netizens on Weibo in China are celebrating like it's Chinese New Year.
The comment section quickly garnered over 100,000 comments: "This is unbelievable! I watched this show in high school, and now I've even graduated from university, and I'm still waiting for Han-Lee to return!"
"Chen Xun is so sentimental! Even now, with his status, he's still willing to come back and make up for this regret. I'm so happy!"
"Back then, it was Han Lee who showed me for the first time in an American TV series an Asian character who wasn't stereotyped and portrayed negatively. He was handsome, witty, and a true feng shui master!"
"CBS should be bowing down and thanking Chen Xun! The ratings plummeted in the first two seasons, and it looked like it was going to be canceled, but Chen Xun's return brought it back to life!"
The hype is still spreading at an alarming rate.
CBS Networks updated its official data overnight.
The number of viewers who pre-ordered the streaming service for the sixth season exceeded 1200 million within 24 hours of the official announcement!
Not only did it set a new record for the highest number of pre-orders for the entire "2 Broke Girls" series!
It also broke the record for the highest number of reservations for a CBS sitcom in nearly a decade.
It's worth noting that when the fifth season ended, the average number of viewers for the entire season was less than 500 million.
The number of reservations alone has more than doubled!
The CB$ executives were all smiles as they looked at the backend data. The person in charge who had initially decided to fully cooperate with Chen Xun in revising the script was praised to the skies at the internal meeting.
Even more outrageous than the reservation data was the skyrocketing price of tickets for the live recording of the first episode of season six.
"2 Broke Girls" is a multi-camera sitcom that uses a live audience recording format. In the past, live tickets were distributed for free on the official website, and occasionally they would only cost a few dozen dollars on second-hand platforms.
Even at its peak during the first three seasons, the highest price it ever fetched was only a few hundred or a thousand dollars.
However, after the official announcement, the first 50 tickets for the recording were sold out instantly.
Tickets scalped on secondhand platforms have been fetching exorbitant prices.
Tickets originally priced at $0 were being resold by scalpers for $2800 each.
Front row seats were being sold for as much as $5000, more expensive than Grammy Awards tickets and even more outrageous than concert tickets for many top singers.
#2 Broke Girls tickets are selling for $5000# This has become a trending topic.
Netizens were stunned!
"This is a live recording ticket for a sitcom! $5000? Are you crazy?"
"Scalpers know how to seize business opportunities. After all, who wouldn't want to see a Golden Globe-winning actor play Li Han live? That's a once-in-a-lifetime event!"
"Hilarious! CB$ must be kicking themselves. If they had known Chen Xun's return would be so popular, they would have begged him to come back for the first two seasons, even if they had to beg."
"Before, tickets couldn't be given away, now they're so hard to get that you can't even snatch them. Chen Xun's appeal is just too outrageous."
Kate excitedly called Chen Xun, her voice filled with disbelief: "Chen Xun, did you see that? Tickets for the first episode are being resold for five thousand dollars! Beth and I are stunned. Everyone on the crew is saying that your return has brought this show, which was almost dead, back to its peak."
Chen Xun had just finished filming a night scene for "Spider-Man" and was sitting in a trailer looking at the news online when he couldn't help but laugh: "I didn't expect everyone to react so strongly. I thought it was just for the old viewers to have some fun, but I didn't expect it to cause such a big stir."
"It's not just longtime viewers!"
Kate laughed and said, "CBS's advertising department is being bombarded with calls. Before, advertising companies didn't want to invest because of our low ratings, but now the advertising slots for season six are in high demand. The price for a 15-second mid-roll advertising slot has tripled, and the people at the station are celebrating like it's New Year's every day."
This is not finished!
After the official announcement, Chen Xun's friends in Hollywood also joined in the fun.
This also pushed the popularity to a new level.
The first one to jump out was Robert Downey Jr.
He's always been one to join in the fun, and now that he's filming with Chen Xun, he immediately retweeted CB$'s official announcement tweet, adding a playful caption: "Congratulations to my good brother on returning to his old profession! But a reminder to everyone in Brooklyn, this feng shui master not only knows how to tell fortunes and conjure coins, but he also steals business from Stark Industries. Be careful, he might turn your little restaurant into a high-tech startup hub. Also, I've reserved a cameo spot—going to the restaurant to get Tony Stark a coffee, is that too much to ask?"
Downey's tweet instantly sparked another wave of retweets, with netizens laughing hysterically: "Hahaha, Downey's joining in the fun too! Iron Man making a cameo appearance at 2 Broke Girls' restaurant, what a dream collaboration!"
"I'm already imagining it: Tony walks into the restaurant, Han Lee looks up and says, 'The divination says you'll lose money today, maybe by investing in my restaurant.' Hilarious!"
"The entire Marvel cast is going to have cameos, right? Get it done already! I want to see Star-Lord freeloading at a restaurant!"
"Chen Xun upstairs is just rubbing himself in, huh? I want to see too!"