Lakorn (Thai: ละคร, pronounced [làʔkʰɔːn] or [lakʰɔːn], RTGS: lakhon), while usually meaning play in the Thai language, is also the term for dramatic television serials (soap operas). Lakorns are usually shown every night at primetime on Thai television channels and start at 20:30. An episode of a prime-time drama is usually two hours long (including commercials). A lakorn usually is a finished story, unlike Western "cliffhanger" dramas, but rather like Hispanic telenovelas. A series will run for about three months. It may air two or three episodes a week, the pattern usually being Monday-Tuesday, Wednesday-Thursday or Friday-Sunday. A channel will air three lakorns simultaneously at any given time. Because they attract the most viewers, each channel competes for the most popular stars. While the "best" lakorns are shown at night right after the news, there are ones with smaller profiles (and shorter run time) in the evenings at around 5 to 6 pm. In some cases, primetime lakorns are also shown on re-runs a couple of years after their initial release, in the afternoon. Lakorns are broadcast on channel 3, 5 and 7 in the same time of broadcasting.