Isn’t the problem with Netflix that nobody can count on a second season no matter how well the first season does? So many good shows have been cancelled after the first season because Netflix doesn’t collect data correctly. And it’s now a self-repeating cycle:
- everybody knows Netflix will cancel great shows
- people choose not get invested in shows
- shows don’t do as well as they could
- Netflix cancels the show
- rinse, repeat
I didn’t notice I was doing it too until an article popped up (Forbes wasn’t the first) and it clicked: I wait for at least 2 seasons and an announcement of a third before watching a Netflix series, otherwise it’s just a waste of time. Evidently, others do it too.
Even shows that do get more seasons often see their budgets slashed. It’s similar to blockbuster movies that get cheap direct-to-tv or direct-to-home video sequels.
The Witcher comes to mind. I know a lot of hardcore GAMER fans had complaints about them deviating from the games, but even worse imo was the budget. The lighting, the CGI, the makeup. The acting even seems worse (maybe fewer takes, less editing budget?). The first season looked like it was trying to compete with Game of Thrones and other HBO shows. The second season was a step back, but still looked good. The 3rd season looked like a soap opera.
Disney+ learned this lesson, and for the Marvel shows at least, they’re going back to yearly releases. Daredevil Born Again season 2 is well into production right now and will come out again next March, for example.
I am 100% out on Netflix shows for this reason. It’s been how many years since One Piece live action came out? It’s been how long since the last season of Stranger Things? No one gives a shit anymore.
Most Netflix produced stuff is garbage on top of that. They have a couple quality things but most of it is completely unwatchable. I’ll take less content, for higher quality content. I don’t use it for constant background noise.
Same. It’s just been Netflix’s MO since they came into being.
They have never been able to develop a decent idea into a good one. Triple Frontier, a movie about former special forces dudes stealing from a cartel. Great idea, horrible 3rd act when they forgot how to all green beret at the same time.
Good idea, needed a few rewrites. Old Guard, 6 Underground, the list goes on and on. Movie after movie is just mid.
And yet you just highlighted some of their best work lol. Which isn’t saying a whole lot.
Haha that’s the whole point! There best work, isn’t.
Like, the first few Stranger Things were great, and House of Cards was great until the boondoggle of an end (which wasn’t the creators fault bc of all the Spacey nonsense). That’s about it.
Mindhunter was also great, but rather than losing their audience with huge gaps, they lost their showrunner and cast.
House of cards and mindhunter came from Netflix trying to give money to people that knew how to make quality shows and not interfering. Then they decided a different strategy of trying to appeal to lots of different demographics with low quality shlock. It destroyed the quality of everything. Now Netflix original means terrible, like direct to video was in the past.
Yeah that’s a fair assessment.
This is only tangentially related, but it touches on why I barely trust new shows anymore.
I kept hearing praise for a show called Severance (not on Netflix, though) and it sounded like it was something I’d like. Still I resisted the urge to watch it. It wasn’t until several fucking years later, they released a second season.
So, after the second season came out, I figured I’d give it a go. The firs season left me irritated because the season finale resolved almost nothing, left everything open. I’m pissed just knowing how betrayed I’d have felt if I had watched the show when the first season came out and then just got left hanging for years.
Then I watched the first episode of the second season, which fortunately provided some answers, and decided, fuck everybody involved with this project. I’m not getting invested because the potential for them to do another non-answer cliffhanger and just leave fans/viewers without any type of closure is just too much.
But back on topic, yes, I agree, Netflix quite often takes too long to release follow-up seasons on a lot of shows I watched and liked. I know some of it is outside of their control, but it seems to happen quite a bit to the point where I do wonder how much of it is actually out of their control.
Severance is very much safe from cancellation if that’s what you’re basing it on. It’s hugely successful.
It’s not safe from The Walking Deadification, though. And I’m sad to say, it seems like it’s already happening.
There’s no way Severance goes on for 11 seasons.
Laughs in LOST
Cause they don’t give a shit about movies, shows or storytelling as a whole.
They are a business and they only care about making a line move upward sharper.
Every single decision is based around that.
The point is, though, that with ever decreasing quality, the line doesn’t keep going up.
Apple TV+ has it figured out with Slow Horses. The last episode of the season always ends with preview scenes from the next season, which means it has (at the very least) already been filmed by the time the current season has aired.
PS: Cancelling ‘The Recruit’ is bullshit and why I avoid Netflix series unless they have very self contained seasons like ‘Sherlock & Daughter’, or have been renewed with a final season commitment. Again, Apple TV+ does well here with Silo.
The solution is to stop giving Netflix money. They greenlight new IP and tell everyone “just be glad you’ve got a speaking role. Here’s SAG minimum.” Then when the contract comes up again after season 2 for renewal they say “fuck no you’re not getting a raise - we’d rather cancel the show after a cliffhanger than actually pay our talent. Btw your royalties contract isn’t good for streaming revenue LOL getfuked”
IMO it wouldn’t be as bad if they released one episode a week across a year instead of dropping a scant 10 episode season at once for people to binge and forget
And if season two weren’t the same thing, just 28 months after anybody stopped paying attention.
Many shows would do well with a weekly release and don’t get it. Then there are other shows where the episode breaks are narratively arbitrary, so not being able to binge leaves the audience with a bad taste in their mouths. Different shows can benefit from different strategies, but the streamers mostly mismanage things.
