THE success of the epic dramas “Legend of Mi Yue” and “Nirvana on Fire,” both based on hit online literary novels, is expected to push more domestic TV producers to exploit story ideas originating on the Internet.

But does a glut of this genre, largely aimed at teenagers, really want the general viewing public wants to watch? The more producers pile into adaptations of Internet novels, the greater the risk of flops, warn some industry observers.

Last year, about 20 such series were aired on domestic TV channels, with only a few, or about 10 percent achieving an average national rating over 1 percent, according to information provided at a recent Shanghai annual industry forum on the TV production and broadcasting.

That “success” rate is no higher than TV productions not based on Internet material. Last year, of the 400 overall dramas shown on television, only 10 percent of them were “well-received,” which means a viewership of more than 1 percent.

Some might argue that the data collection is faulty because it doesn’t include the clicks of viewers who watch dramas online.

Still, most agree that just because a digital novel is popular doesn’t mean it can be adapted successfully into TV or online drama.

“Fierce competition for viewers and for copyrights to popular online fiction are rising,” said Wang Leiqing, director of the Shanghai Media Group’s Film and TV Drama Center. “Time-travel fantasies, romance and historical epics are among the most popular genres to attract young viewers.”

He added that the copyrights to today’s most popular online novels have already been bought, with an estimated 30 adaptations or more scheduled to be aired this year.

Among the more recent ones to hit the small screen are “The Imperial Doctress,” a story about the legendary life of ancient Tan Yunxian, and “Chronicle of Life,” a tale of romance between Emperor Kangxi and the daughter of a convicted chancellor.

Last year, “The Legend of Mi Yue,” a series by Zheng Xiaolong followed the success of his epic “Empress in the Palace” and was one of the top-rated TV series.

The script came from an online novel tracing the legendary life and loves of Mi Yue, the first empress dowager in China.

Zheng is a director renowned for bringing visual artistry to his films. “Nirvana on Fire” was another successful TV adaptation of the hit online novel “Langya List.” Featuring a star-studded cast, spectacular martial arts scenes and lavish cinematography, the suspenseful epic was dubbed “China’s Count of Monte Cristo” by netizens. Young people, who are a prime consumer target, were the biggest audience.

When the series was released in South Korea and on popular video websites in North America, it won high praise from foreign viewers for its distinctive Chinese elements and aesthetics.

But most productions aren’t quite so stunning, even when backed up by big budgets.

Tina Zhou, a local administrative manager, said when her favorite online novel, “Cloud in the Song” by Tong Hua, was adapted for television, it lacked a logical storyline, despite sumptuous scenes and big-name stars.

“In addition, the costumes and sets didn’t conform to that period of history,” she said. “There are a lot of historical mistakes in the series. I had high expectations for the production because the original novel is so amazing. But the drama let us down.”

The series, which starred popular actors Angelababy and Du Chun, was given heavy promotion when it was aired on Hunan Satellite TV last year. Yet it managed to get only a 0.6 percent national rating.

Zhou was not the only one disappointed with the adaptation. Many viewers criticized the series for its shabby backdrops, deviation from the novel’s storyline and poor special effects.

The drama “Hua Xu Yin: City of Desperate Love” fared even worse, receiving only a 0.39 percent rating.

Netizens didn’t like the casting. They said the young hero in the online novel, as portrayed by 47-year-old Hong Kong actor Kevin Cheng, didn’t ring true. No amount of makeup concealed his facial wrinkles in close-up shots.

One netizen calling herself Zhengban Haitu said both the script and the makeup were absurd. “For a drama set in ancient China, I don’t know why the characters had dyed, curly hair,” she said. TV producers said many factors hamper the success of TV adaptations.

Veteran producer Wang Leiqing warned that too many adaptations on the same subjects of time-travel and tomb-raiding may eventually cause viewer fatigue.

Scriptwriter and producer Bai Yicong noted that not all online fiction is suitable for dramatic adaptation.

“Conflict and character relationships in some ‘fast-food novels’ simply can’t support a series of 30 to 40 episodes,” he explained.

Both online and TV adaptations will face stricter oversight from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television this year.

Censors will be enforcing a taboo list that includes same-sex romances, extramarital affairs, one-night stands and underage sex, according to the new guidelines promulgated by China’s broadcast regulator.

Sequences depicting superstitious and feudal concepts, such as reincarnation and witchcraft, are also banned, as is any unsocial behavior that might have a bad influence on young audiences.

What TV producers need to do, many say, is create their own original ideas instead of just relying on Internet material.

Scriptwriter Wang Liping, known for her scripts tackling the relationship between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, said her next script will be a story about food.

“A good series is touching and inspiring,” she said. “It explores humanity and human emotions. We need powerful, diversified, realistic and thought-provoking productions. In that regard, it is urgent to nurture more young, talented scriptwriters.”

Many producers are seeking to reduce risk by collaborating with foreign production companies.

SMG Pictures, which will present adaptations of online fantasy novels “The Flame’s Daughter” and “Zichuan” this year, has signed a deal with the Fuji Television Network to co-produce a Chinese remake of a successful Japanese series in the next three years.

Several Chinese series inspired by the stories of acclaimed Japanese drama and animation also will air in China, including remakes of Japanese rom-coms “What Is Love” and “Proposal Daisakusen.”

Online, Internet giant Youku is airing the original suspense series “Plastic Surgery Season,” featuring both Chinese and South Korean actors. It took producers almost two years to produce the series in South Korea and China.

Professor Yin Hong, a TV and film expert from Tsinghua University, said the rise of series adapted from online fiction is a ploy by the domestic TV industry to grab younger viewers. Advertisers like that audience because they are good consumers.

Still, such series need to maintain high standards of quality, Yin said. Among the subjects he expects to dominate TV and online series in the next few years are tales of entrepreneurship, white-collar career dramas, adventure shows and series based on Chinese folk tales.