How to watch short dramas on a computer — or on your TV
The big-screen way to binge a vertical series: one button, the whole run beside the picture, and three ways onto a TV.
By The Generated Worlds editors · Published
Open generatedworlds.com in any desktop browser and start a series. Press the full screen button in the top-right corner of the video: the picture fills the screen and every episode of the series is listed down the right, so you can jump to any episode with one click. Press Esc to go back. To watch on a TV, show that browser window on it.
Short dramas — the one-to-three-minute serialized episodes behind apps like ReelShort and DramaBox — are shot vertically for a phone held upright. That is why most of them look lost on a laptop: a narrow strip of picture in the middle of a wide screen, and nothing to do with the rest of it.
On Generated Worlds the browser is a first-class way to watch. In a normal window you get the same feed as the phone. Go full screen and the layout changes to suit the screen you are actually sitting in front of: the picture takes the left, and the series' episodes run down the right.
The steps
Open Generated Worlds in your browser
Go to generatedworlds.com on a laptop or desktop in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. The feed opens playing; scroll to move between series, or pick a series and start it.
Press full screen
Use the full screen button in the group of controls at the top right of the video. It appears on any window at least 1024 pixels wide when you are using a mouse or trackpad.
Pick an episode from the list
Every episode of the series is listed beside the picture with its length; the one playing is highlighted. Click any free episode and it starts straight away. A padlock marks an episode that needs unlocking.
Keep watching, or press Esc to leave
When an episode ends the next one follows on its own. Press Esc, or the button at the top of the episode list, to return to the normal feed.
What theater mode changes
- The whole frame, never cropped. A vertical episode is shown at full height with a soft blur either side; a widescreen episode fills the width.
- The episode list is the navigation. No swiping, no opening a sheet — the run is always visible, with thumbnails, running times and which episodes are free.
- The rest of the site stays the same. Search, sound, captions, sharing and your saved place in each series all work as they do in the window.
- Phones and tablets are unchanged. Full screen on a phone still turns a widescreen episode to landscape, the way a phone should.
How to get it onto a TV
There is no Generated Worlds TV app. What works today is putting a computer's browser on the TV, and there are three ordinary ways to do that:
| Method | What you need | How |
|---|---|---|
| HDMI cable | A laptop with an HDMI port (or a USB-C adapter) | Plug the laptop into the TV, open the site, press full screen. |
| Cast a tab | Chrome and a Chromecast or Google TV | In Chrome's menu choose Cast, then Cast tab, and pick your TV. |
| AirPlay | A Mac and an Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible TV | Choose Screen Mirroring in the Mac's Control Center and pick your TV. |
Ways to watch on a TV
A TV's own built-in web browser is not a good way to watch: a TV remote is not a pointer, so theater mode does not switch on there and the site behaves as it would on a phone.
Common questions
Can you watch short dramas on a PC or laptop?
Yes. Generated Worlds plays in any modern desktop browser with nothing to install. Pressing full screen opens a theater layout built for a wide screen, with the series' episode list beside the picture.
Is there an app to download for Windows or Mac?
No, and you do not need one. The website is the desktop player. On a phone you can add it to your home screen from the browser if you want an app icon.
Why does the full screen button not change the layout for me?
Theater mode switches on only when the browser window is at least 1024 pixels wide and you are using a mouse or trackpad. On a small window, a touchscreen tablet or a TV's built-in browser you get the phone layout instead.
Are the episodes free on a computer too?
Yes — access is the same on every device. Every series is free to start, and the episode list shows which episodes are open and which carry a padlock.
How do I watch on my TV?
Show your computer's browser on the TV: an HDMI cable from a laptop, Cast tab from Chrome to a Chromecast or Google TV, or AirPlay screen mirroring from a Mac. Then press full screen as usual.
How do I leave theater mode?
Press Esc on your keyboard, or the button at the top of the episode list. You return to the normal feed exactly where you were.
Keep reading
Watch it now
Every series is free to start, no account needed. The feed opens playing.