The TV Series discussion thread

Netfix have said publicly that their production policy is to produce a ton of different shows and look at which have good watch numbers within the first 2 weeks of release. Anything that doesn't measure up gets cancelled. They cannot afford to produce every show they try out, but are always looking for another Stranger Things or Squid Game. Thing is, they don't give any of the new shows time to grow an audience. If it's not an insta-viral hit, it's done.
Yeah, that doesn't sound like a smart strategy imo with their policy of always releasing full seasons and not episode by episode.
Technically, with their strategy of looking for instant hits, they'll throw around a lot of money, end up with just very few hits (just statistically).
And when they do stumble onto a hit, their watchers can watch it all, in the span of less than a months subscription.
And they're also basically encouraging their viewers to not get attached to anything unless it explodes in popularity.
And then when they do want to watch something they can just binge and drop off.
I would imagine, with a subscription model, their strategy should be a constant stream of decent to great things. As diverse as possible, to cast the widest net.
I don't see the point in throwing so much money at trying to find very few instant hits, when they'll also be consumed by viewers very very fast, and then have not much reason to stick around.
But what do I know? Wasn't it that Netflix has been unprofitable for very many years? Are they even profitable now?
 
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I tend to not watch new shows for the most part, because it seems they often get cancelled quickly, with notable exceptions being HBO and Amazon, for the most part.
 
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I've had shows canceled that I enjoyed, mostly by Fox, but I don't see a problem here, nor an epidemic. Television is very expensive to produce and Netflix produces a ton of shows. If nobody is watching, why would they continue it? Sometimes shows don't get canceled quickly enough, if you ask me. Supernatural was good for around 5 years and it lasted over twice that long.
 
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I've had shows canceled that I enjoyed, mostly by Fox, but I don't see a problem here, nor an epidemic. Television is very expensive to produce and Netflix produces a ton of shows. If nobody is watching, why would they continue it? Sometimes shows don't get canceled quickly enough, if you ask me. Supernatural was good for around 5 years and it lasted over twice that long.
I agree if nobody is watching but what about if an "average" number of users are watching. It may not make money for a couple of years but eventually it will be profitable. In the Cinema business 80% of movies make a loss after their first run (It's an oft quoted number which may not be entirely accurate). However, after 10 years around 80% of films become profitable through TV runs, Blurays etc. The same rule may not apply to TV but I wouldn't be suprised if it does apply at a different percentage.

Consider "The Expanse". Netflix bought it off Syfy and ran it for a bit then cancelled it. It was picked up by Amazon and went all the way to season 6. I'm sure it lost some money here and there but I wouldn't be suprised if it has broken even/turned a profit by now. I hope they are not just using immediate viewership as a decision factor - if a show is really good (how to judge that though?) it will do alright in the long term.

I agree that sometimes shows don't get cancelled quick enough - or even worse they try and drag it out longer than they should of. I hate TV series based on books where they start adding their own stories/ideas just to drag it out some more episodes/seasons and the extra episodes end up being crap.

I also worry that sometimes people interpret data incorrectly. Not all shows are bingeworthy and sometimes a lot of people plan to watch a show but just haven't got around to it. Maybe it averages out but I imagine there are quite a few people (like me) who don't watch TV shows until at least 3-4 seasons are out. Case in point - I have had Netflix many years but have just started watching Stranger Things. There are other shows I am waiting on and I bet there are a bunch of people like me.
 
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The Expanse is one of the only shows in the last decade that I can recall being unhappy about it being canceled. I think it's safe to consider it an outlier.

The thing is, there is so much television these days, far more than existed 30 or 20 or even 10 years ago. There's no compelling reason for a Netflix or an Amazon Prime or an Apple+ to stick with a series that is treading water in hopes it can eventually build a large enough audience to be profitable when they can instead greenlight another dozen shows that might do better, sooner.

There is always the argument for prestige and awards over gross audience numbers, and that clearly still applies. There are some shows that actually have very small viewership numbers (well under 5 million per episode) that stick around because they're critically acclaimed. But if a show is just okay? And has a middling audience? Those shows are a dime a dozen. Sucks if you happen to be one of those fans, but completely understandable from a broader perspective.
 
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Unfortunately, I lost interest in The Expanse once Thomas Jane's character died. It had a real detective noir feeling I enjoyed with him in it. Time to take my pet nuke for a walk.
 
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Thomas Jane is in Season 3&4....

Season 3 is a low point (I still found it enjoyable enough though), Season 4-6 are amazing. There was a real uptick in quality with Amazon took over.
 
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I liked Joe Miller, and maybe it was not the same after his death but he still had a personality with his new appearance. It's not a detective series though, so I wasn't really bothered that the show carried on.

For me the low point was the last season, which included parts that didn't make any sense since they perfectly knew it was the last season (even if they were hoping otherwise), instead of giving us a good closure with a few loose ends. Bad strategic move in an already too short season.
 
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If you enjoyed the Expanse telly show, you'd likely enjoy the books even more. And yes, the detective Miller does make several returns! I'll say that the tv version is very watered down from the books, which goes into much more detail regarding characters, plots, etc. Well worth reading, for certain.
 
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I'm on ep 4 of Haunting of Hill House, and I'm not sure what to say. It's decent, but I really don't like all the constant jumping from past to present. It's so frequent.
Also, compared to Bly Manor, it just doesn't seem to have the same level of atmosphere. Could be because of all the cutting back and forth.
 
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Watched the first couple episodes of Midnight Mass. Piecing together where it's going, but still enjoyable! The doctor actress was gnawing at my memory every time she was on screen though! Finally figured it out: Monica Reyes :D
 
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Completed watching Haunting of Hill House. Pretty great overall. The ending was maybe a little bit overstated and could've probably been more subtle. At least in terms of allowing characters to say too much, what could've been implied.
But I guess that's nitpicking. I enjoyed it very much.
 
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Didn't want to say it before and possibly spoil your impressions, but I definitely rank Hill House above Bly Manor :) Great series.

Watched episode 5 of Midnight Mass last night (the one that ends in a boat on the water...). Wow, it's not often that TV/movie media leaves me completely stunned into quiet reverie. What a moment.
 
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Didn't want to say it before and possibly spoil your impressions, but I definitely rank Hill House above Bly Manor :) Great series.

Watched episode 5 of Midnight Mass last night (the one that ends in a boat on the water...). Wow, it's not often that TV/movie media leaves me completely stunned into quiet reverie. What a moment.
Bly Manor and Hill House are pretty different. Bly Manor is more classical romantic horror, while Hill House feels like more character drama in a horror setting. I enjoyed both. Not sure which I'd class above the other. They feel pretty different. Hill House was more modern and dramatic, while Bly Manor was more of an old folk-tale .

But out of all of them Midnight Mass is by far my favorite. That was also the first one I had seen from Flanagan.
 
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Still making my way through the fourth series of Cobra Kai, and it's good. I'm also working on the fourth series of Titans, knowing now that it appears to be the final season.
 
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