Why I never get invested in Netflix shows

The first app I installed on my Apple TV 4K when I got it was Netflix, and while it’s still installed and I’m subscribed, I find myself going to the service less and less. I tend to check out many of the latest movies from the streamer, and I’m a big fan of Hit-Man and Rebel Ridge, but I have noticed that I click on the original shows far less than I used to. Shows like Arcane, Squid Game, and Beef have all passed me by, and that’s just naming the well-known and critically acclaimed options available.

Something I’ve had to accept is that I just don’t trust Netflix to keep shows going anymore. The early cancelation of shows like Kaos and Dead Boy Detectives makes it feel like the onus is on me, the viewer, to ensure they get a second season. In a way, that’s right, but I don’t enjoy feeling like I have to rush to binge something for it to secure another season.

There’s so much out there to watch, and there’s no way I can watch everything right away, even if I’m interested. I still haven’t watched Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, and I’m a big fan of his work. Netflix has created some weird feedback loop for me in that I can’t get invested in something because I know it’ll be canceled, but I get the feeling if I don’t watch it’ll be canceled. It’s a tough spot to be in, resulting in me watching less Netflix.

I can’t get invested in Netflix shows anymore

Not an easy problem to solve

Netflix

I know I’m not alone with this issue, but I find it difficult to even be excited about Netflix shows anymore. Don’t get me wrong, other streamers have problems with one-and-done seasons, and we see that even Star Warscan fall victim to it. However, it feels like a prominent problem for Netflix. The streamer simply doesn’t give shows enough time to build an audience. Seeing something like Kaos, a show starring Jeff Goldblum, canceled shortly after its release really makes you wonder if anything is truly safe.

I’m not sitting here and saying that every Netflix show gets canceled before an ending. Cobra Kai, Stranger Things, Never Have I Ever, and Ozark all made it to the end, but they feel like the exception. Netflix has canceled enough shows prematurely that it really makes me think twice before putting a show on. It’s disappointing that it’s come to this.

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Too many shows, not enough time

Content overload

Netflix/Pocket-Lint

With so many streaming services, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with everything even if you devote all your free time to watching TV. I’m already behind on new shows like Agatha All Along and The Penguin, but with those being miniseries, I don’t have to fear about them being canceled without an ending. I shouldn’t have to budget my time and think about what shows I should devote my attention to in order to secure them a second season, but it feels like it’s something I should be conscious of.

Is there any easy fix to this? I’m not sure what it is, but I know I’m not the only one growing tired of what’s happening with shows. What makes matters even worse is when something gets canceled after a season, and then it’s scrubbed from the service completely. The bar is on the floor, but Netflix isn’t guilty of that yet. People have been saying for years there’s a streaming bubble, and it feels like this is as close as we’ve gotten to it popping. Staying subscribed to all the services at once costs as much as cable once did, so that means you have to make business decisions about what you want to watch. However, the wrong choice could impact a show’s future because you didn’t watch it quickly enough.

What’s even tougher is that it doesn’t matter if something’s good or bad, what matters is if people watch it. This means if there’s something I know will be niche, I have to go out of my way to watch it because it doesn’t have the huge audience a show like Emily in Paris commands that can guarantee it gets future seasons.

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Where to go from here

A brave new world

Netflix

This type of behavior from Netflix isn’t new, but it’s reached a boiling point for me. If it starts to train viewers to not watch a show until it’s confirmed there’s a second season, then it could be detrimental for even more shows. Shows that get renewed well in advance, like HBO’s House of the Dragon, are few and far between, so it seems like this world is here to stay.

What I can hope for is Netflix understanding that it can take time for a show to find an audience and that canceling something mere weeks after it is released isn’t good for anybody. I understand that Netflix can’t just wait around for months before green lighting another season because actors might’ve already moved on to new jobs, but there has to be a better way to handle things than this.

I want to be excited about a new Netflix show again without having to drop everything and watch it right away. Something I’d appreciate is a return to weekly drops. It works for HBO, and it looks like it’s working for Disney+, so I don’t see why it couldn’t work for Netflix. Splitting a season up into three parts, like Netflix did with Cobra Kai, doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, and it has led me to wait until it’s all out instead of experiencing the final season in chunks.

Weekly TV isn’t a huge commitment, like watching an entire season in a weekend, and it’d be easier for me to keep up with multiple shows at once. I know not everybody feels the same way, but I know that’d be one way to get me to invest in a Netflix show again. In the meantime, I’ll continue to keep an eye out for things that I might like and hope they aren’t canceled before I get to them.

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