Chinese television producers are trying to find programming in line with new government orders for entertainment that promotes "family values" and veers away from foreign influences.
Many traditional favorites – such as hard-edged crime dramas and mushy romance shows – have been criticized by President Hu Jintao.
For the past few months, channels have been reluctant to produce or buy programs across a wide range of genres that have been banned or criticized by the authorities, according to a report in the South China Morning Post.
Many have shifted to bland talk shows whose content is easier to control.
The campaign is part of Hu's effort to protect young people from being "contaminated" by Western thoughts, materialism or even heroism.
It includes banning television shows about computer games, and keeping crime dramas off prime-time slots. Instead, officials want dramas that promote family values and talk shows addressing family ethics, science and social responsibility, according to the report.
Government departments have reportedly been ordered to produce material suitable "to provide a healthy environment for the growth of youth."
Analysts, say the report, believe the campaign is the result of the Communist Party's uneasiness with young people's growing exposure to foreign ideas. That fear was underscored by a directive in February which said 367 million people under the age of 18 had become targets of "anti-China forces," including Western thoughts and corrupt lifestyles.
One circular has banned descriptions of the love lives of revolutionary heroes in the so-called "Red Classics."
Historical dramas are also taboo because censors fear they may satirize political figures. Even urban romance stories are not safe, as they are often criticized for encouraging corrupt and extravagant lifestyles.