What’s Wrong With Netflix?

The age of streaming has arrived. Gone are the days of TV series lasting more than 2 seasons, let alone 20-episode seasons. Good luck seeing the next season soon if your show is lucky enough to enter mainstream media. Can you believe I was 14 when I first watched Stranger Things? I’m graduating from university in a few months and the fifth season is still in production. If this were television, we would be on season 10. Instead, streaming has produced 1-day binge watches released every three years.

Stranger Things Season 1 (SOURCE)

So why is this happening? Why do shows get cancelled like flies? Why do shows take years between seasons, unlike procedural television where seasons are released every 6 months?

Well, I’m planning to find that out.

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What’s taking so long?

Many streaming services insist that longer production times lead to higher-quality productions. Unfortunately, more drama series are subscribing to movie levels of production, with more VFX and unique sets to increase the wow factor for audiences.

This causes many problems.

1. Desensitisation

Squid Games Season 1 (SOURCE)

As more and more people get accustomed to a Stranger Things level of drama production, the audience will expect the shows on our screens to reflect movie standard viewings.

This problem worsens when we realise the binge-able quality of these shows. Be honest, when was the last time you took your time to watch an episodic show? These days, instead of weekly episodes, an entire season gets released on the same day. Audiences can consume a whole 8-episode season within one day.

What does this mean for the artistry of television? Much like TikTok brain rot, our brains are so desensitized to great works of art.

Squid Game highlights such a moving commentary on social inequalities and economic determinism. Yet, binging all nine episodes in one day reduces our viewing to a ‘silly Korean game show’. How many of you watched Squid Game without considering its themes and real-life applications?

This carelessness is evident in our replications of the exploitative game show, seen in the ‘Beast Games’ show by MrBeast and Amazon. Fictional exploitation is now transformed into non-fictional exploitation, for what? Our entertainment?

Beast Games coming to Prime Video soon (SOURCE)

There’s also less time to foster communities. Procedural shows foster loyal audiences who remain with the show for years.

Supernatural is a great example of a show with dedicated and long-term viewers over 15 seasons. With each episode’s release, discussions are had and showrunners are tuned into these feedback and comments. Tumblr, Twitter, and Reddit are some social media platforms that fans gather on to avidly discuss their favourite shows.

Supernatural Season 13 (SOURCE)

Now, audiences are detached from their shows. Most give up after year two of radio silence from production, moving on to the next viral show.

For example, Invincible used to have such a dedicated fanbase. Yet, I rarely hear from the community anymore due to the three-year gap between the first two seasons. Most have moved on to other shows and many continue to complain about the lack of transparency about episode releases.

Invincible Season 1 (SOURCE)

2. Cancelled shows

Higher quality also results in higher expenses. For example, Netflix’s most expensive original series is Stranger Things, with an estimated production cost of 30 million USD per episode. When each show requires a higher cost to produce, streaming services have to redirect all their resources to a smaller number of total shows.

Netflix released their viewing data for the first time in 2023. It reveals that drama series have a higher threshold for viewership to ensure a renewal. Meanwhile, comedies and reality shows that require a lower budget for the same viewership count can thrive at a lower threshold.

Single’s Inferno Season 1 (SOURCE)

This means that Netflix will have to cancel more and more of their original shows to accommodate the cost required to maintain audiences for bigger shows such as Wednesday or Stranger Things.

Unfortunately, this means that shows with smaller but equally dedicated fanbases will see most of their favourite shows being cancelled. A lot of these smaller fanbases turn out to be communities of LGBTQ+ shows. Sapphic teen drama ‘First Kill’ and gay comedy-drama ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ are some examples of queer shows that were prematurely cancelled.

First Kill Season 1 (SOURCE)

There’s insufficient representation in media as it is. With streaming sites only focusing on costs and revenue instead of diversity, the number of shows dedicated to minorities will only fall.

Another side effect of prematurely cancelled shows is how it turns the audience away from watching them. With the fear of a show being cancelled with a cliffhanger hanging above the viewer, many viewers will choose to prevent that pain by avoiding these shows in the first place. This creates a cycle of show cancellations due to low viewership.

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What to do?

Unfortunately, this is the reality of modern TV. We pray and hope that our favourite shows are not cancelled by streaming services. We sit and wait for the next season of our favourite show to drop in three years.

So, what can we do?

Well, procedural television is not entirely dead. Shows are still being released by the week and renewed every year. Grey’s Anatomy, released in 2005, is going on its 21st season this October for example. Engage in these shows, and engage with their communities. Who knows, you can find new friends. Don’t expect the highest quality VFX, but expect genuine writing and genuine relationships.

Grey’s Anatomy Season 21 (SOURCE)

Next, take a critical look at your shows. I’m not saying spend every minute of each episode tearing down its themes.

But when Squid Game tells you that exploiting the poor and vulnerable is BAD, don’t proceed to hype up the Mr Beast replica where he plans to exploit the poor and vulnerable. You will better appreciate what you watch and prevent your brain from melting into TikTok goo if you view shows critically.

Dahmer: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (SOURCE)

Similarly, when the family of a serial killer’s victims tells you not to watch the Netflix show inspired by his cruelty, don’t proceed to make it the third most-watched show on Netflix and make TikTok edits of him.

The high viewership of the Dahmer series has spawned an anthology titled ‘Monsters’, describing different true crimes. The recent title — Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story — has been criticised for its dishonest portrayal of the brothers, ignoring the blatant abuse they went through. This begs the question: Are we sensationalizing true crime and further hurting victims?

You can tell these streaming services what audiences want to watch. Instead of directing viewership to sensationalized and real-life murders, be brave enough to watch shows with smaller audiences and lesser-known actors. It’s the easy first step of saving cancelled shows.