• By Nick Patel
• 04 Oct, 2026
• Drama Series

ReelShort’s AI-Generated ‘The Great and Powerful Genie’ Tops Hollywood’s First-Ever Microdrama Chart

Microdramas finally have a scoreboard, and the first name at the top of it belongs to a genie. ReelShort’s The Great and Powerful Genie led The Hollywood Reporter‘s first-ever Microdrama Chart, a weekly ranking that puts vertical series next to the box office, streaming, broadcast and Broadway numbers in the trade’s data section.

Here’s the twist that makes it even more interesting: ReelShort’s own series page describes Genie as “an AI-generated animated ReelShort original production.” By its own platform’s account, then, the No. 1 show on Hollywood’s first microdrama chart is AI-generated.

A new chart, and a familiar winner

THR launched the Microdrama Chart in early September. It’s powered by the Vertical Index from research firm Owl & Co. Founder Hernan Lopez says the index tracks more than 70,000 titles across 20 apps every day, and he called the launch “a major validation moment” for the format. In his announcement, Lopez noted that “ReelShort topped the inaugural chart with ‘The Great and Powerful Genie,’ with strong showings from DramaBox and DramaWave on the board as well.”

The genie held on to the top spot the following week. For the week of Sept. 7–13, Genie pulled in about 43 million views and repeated at No. 1, according to K-EnterTech Hub’s breakdown of the chart. That made seven weeks in the top 10. In a comment under THR‘s post, Lopez predicted the series would soon cross 300 million lifetime views on the Vertical Index.

The same week also showed how top-heavy the business is. ReelShort placed five titles in the top 10, worth roughly 119 million views, and DramaBox placed three, worth about 61 million. Together, the two apps accounted for about 90% of the roughly 201 million views the top 10 generated that week.

What the show is about

The premise is pure microdrama comfort food. Elijah Baran is a genie who has been granting wishes for thousands of years. A billionaire uses his final wish to set Elijah free, with one condition: he has to marry the man’s granddaughter, Christine, for five years. Elijah becomes human, marries her, and quietly helps her become a successful CEO. She ignores and belittles him the whole time. As the five years run out, he realizes she may never love him and decides to divorce her. If you’ve watched one revenge-of-the-underestimated-husband drama, you know why this one keeps people tapping “next episode.”

The series runs 51 episodes and is complete on ReelShort. Premium episodes start at Episode 10. THR credits Eric Guilmette and Nikki Leigh as its stars. Guilmette is a familiar face on our rankings, too: he’s in the cast of ReelShort’s I Don’t Need No Alpha Brothers and The Husband She Took for Granted.

Why it matters

A trade-paper chart gives the industry a shared yardstick, something microdramas have lacked while apps reported their own numbers in their own ways. It also opens the next debate. Under Lopez’s announcement, at least one industry commenter asked for charts to clearly separate AI-generated titles from live-action ones. With an AI-generated series sitting at No. 1, that question is going to get louder.

On our side, The Great and Powerful Genie currently sits at No. 24 on the Vertical Charts rankings, with a VertiScore of 70.5. Our score blends several signals beyond raw views; you can read how it works on our methodology page. Keep an eye on the full chart to see whether the genie keeps climbing.

Sources

• Owl & Co founder Hernan Lopez, “Hollywood Reporter Launches Microdrama Chart Powered by Owl & Co’s Vertical Index,” LinkedIn
• The Hollywood Reporter, chart post on The Great and Powerful Genie, LinkedIn, and the THR Charts page
• RAIN News, “NEW: Charting vertical dramas,” Sept. 9, 2026, rainnews.com
• K-EnterTech Hub, “Microdrama Viewing Concentrates on Two Platforms,” Sept. 20, 2026, kentertechhub.com
• ReelShort, The Great and Powerful Genie series page (plot, episode count, AI disclosure)