From Binge Watching to Appointment Viewing
A new idea for Netflix…
Three years ago, I asked the question if Stranger Things wouldn’t be better as a “standard” weekly-release show, rather than as a standard Netflix binge-ready show? Three years later, I’m still wondering that. But with a twist.
Now, I’m clearly wrong about this given the numbers Netflix is pulling in for this third season of the show. But I still think it’s worth thinking about/debating. I really like Stranger Things but a not-so-small part of me wonders if I wouldn’t like it even more if there was time to digest and discuss with others after each episode. Sure, I could force myself to do the former, but the latter is basically impossible if everyone is in a different place in terms of episodes watched — with many being entirely done after a full-on binge.
We’re all just coming off the high (and low) that was Game of Thrones — perhaps the last great show with regard to the “watercooler effect”. We all had to watch it in real time for if no other reason than to avoid spoilers, which were basically impossible to avoid if you used the internet, which is impossible to avoid in our current day and age. And the side effect of this was decidedly old school: vibrant discussions — not to mention content — about individual episodes for an entire week. And cliff hangers! And a build up in excitement to Sundays!¹ Viewing parties! Etc!²
Stranger Things benefits from basically none of this. A great episode is appreciated internally until the next one starts to auto-play in 4… 3… 2… 1… A tweet about such an episode would be pointless.
Me: “Episode 3 of Stranger Things season 3 was great!”You: “Which one was that again?”
Netflix seemingly tried to capture some the old television magic with some companion after-the-show content after season 2 of the show. But it’s not the same. And again, I can’t help but wonder if an episode-by-episode forced build-up wouldn’t actually help the show become even more popular (not to mention helping Netflix’s sign-up rate, as buzz built). But again, the numbers are already fantastic. So why mess with a good thing, let alone a great one?
Well, here’s a slightly new idea: what if a show like Stranger Things started as a binge show, but then morphed into weekly, appointment viewing as it proved its popularity? So, once Stranger Things became a sensation after season 1, and people were nice and hooked, season 2 would go to the installment-model, with a new episode coming out at the same time each week. Or, if Netflix wasn’t confident enough in a show after just one season, they could wait to switch to the new model for season 3 (two season “trials” seem to be the norm for Netflix).
Or, if Netflix wanted to benefit from a long, holiday weekend (as they did with Stranger Things season 3 which was released on the 4th of July), they could release say, half the season all at once, binge-ready, and then stagger the rest of the episodes over several weeks to get the same effect. There’s actually a lot you could do here, once folks are hooked!
Again, I know this is antithetical to Netflix’s model. But I think this blend has potentially huge benefits. Both for us, as viewers, for the shows themselves, and for Netflix! Also, while this idea eight years ago proved to be a good one, I’m still waiting on that Firefly reboot, Netflix. Thanks.
¹ I also wonder about the psychology around something being — or even just seeming to be — more meaningful if it’s a part of your life for longer, or even just an extended period of time. It’s entirely possible that quite a number of people have spent just three total days (maybe even fewer, if you started late!) watching all of Stranger Things thus far, if they binged it straight through each time. Compare that to Game of Thrones which has more likely been in peoples’ lives for months each year, because of the time between episodes. Perhaps all of this is also just an offshoot of the sunk-cost fallacy. Regardless, I think even just having more time to talk about the show in between the episodes would further ingrain it in peoples’ lives.
² Worth noting that following my posts on the overall disappointment with the final season of Game of Thrones, a few people wrote me to say that they actually binge-watched the entire series leading up to the finale and they believe that made them like it more than it seems like I (and many others who watched it week after week, like animals) did. There’s perhaps something to the notion that some shows are better when binged, and it’s entirely possible that Stranger Things is one of the those shows as well!
