Netflix’s binge model is making shows like Black Mirror suffer

On December 4, 2011, millions of viewers watched ‘The National Anthem’, the debut of Black mirror and the one where the Prime Minister is forced to have sex with a pig on live TV. When the episode ended, viewers had to sit with it. They debated the merits of the episode, what it was trying to say, and whether it was being said effectively. For the week to “15 million earnings” aired, people who were originally put off by the plot of the debut episode were given time to get past their initial knee-jerk reactions and think about the story beyond the surface level.

Season 6 of Black mirror is out now and was released all at once, as it has been since Netflix bought the show in 2015. When the viewers finish that first episode, they just have to wait a few seconds for the next one to autoplay. If they want, they can finish the entire season in one sitting, which is exactly what many viewers have been doing since the show moved to Netflix. It’s also a format more widely ingrained in Netflix’s scripted shows, at the expense of building fandom around such shows.

Viewers are, of course, free to do as they please. But for a TV show where each episode is a self-contained story designed specifically to try and spark discussion, bingeing seems to be doing the show a disservice. Black mirror doesn’t always hit the mark, but it deserves a try, and it doesn’t feel like the newer episodes got one.

It’s how “Smithereens,” a Season 5 story that contemplates what counts as victory when you’re battling a systemic problem much bigger than yourself, gets repeated over and over again. dismissed as just a “phones bad” episode. For example, “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” the story that uses its premise to explore the corporate exploitation of artists from three contrasting angles, is summarized as simply another uploaded consciousness story. When viewers had a full week to talk about individual episodes, their takeaways were more nuanced and they had time to breathe and evolve.

Image: Netflix

Image: Netflix

It’s easy to imagine that, if future episodes were given more space, their themes wouldn’t be so severely flattened in fandom discussions – even on the weaker episodes. As “The National Anthem” aired during the Netflix years, would the episode have as many supporters among the fandom? Or would it be widely dismissed as nothing more than shock value?

The constant demand for the next episode makes more sense when you’re watching a serialized show – but that doesn’t mean Netflix’s binge model is ideal. Viewers may think they’d rather have their hands on all the new season’s episodes, but those viewers who watch weekly shows on other platforms certainly seem to have it better.

Season 2 of Euphoria in particular was one of the most tweeted TV shows of the decade until now, and it’s impossible to imagine the show accomplishing that feat without waiting a week between episodes. Euphoria maybe not the best show in the world, but there was nothing more fun than the conversations within the fandom at the time. Rue’s devastating meltdown midway through, the speculation surrounding Lexi’s game, the absolute game-changer moment when Rue spilled the beans on Cassie’s fling with Nate — it was a thrilling experience, for reasons only half related to the show itself. Like it Succession or House of the Dragon have also been this past year, through season 2 Euphoria was no longer just a show; it was a vibrant community, full of life for two months at a time, not just a few days.

Photo: Eddy Chen/HBO

Image: Netflix

Meanwhile, outside stray escape hits like The queen’s gambit And Squid game, Netflix’s strategy of releasing the entire season in one go ensures the show won’t be a meaningful part of the pop culture conversation for more than a week or two. The most popular shows have their own subreddits and fan communities, but these fan bases are only alive for about a week or so a year. Stranger things season 4 managed to stay relevant longer than the previous two seasons, but that was only because Netflix put a hiatus for the last two episodes.

It makes sense that such shows have a shorter period of excitement or buzz from fans. Also, when shows release all episodes at once, it’s extremely difficult for fans to talk to one another without worrying about spoilers. To avoid spoilers, fans should watch as much of it as possible the day it comes out, or take your time and avoid social media entirely. The only way to get in touch with the Netflix show fandom is to watch as much of it as you can on the day it comes out, or take your time and avoid social media entirely. It’s a release format that encourages breathlessness, prompting viewers to view their favorite shows as content to be consumed as soon as possible, not art to be savored and contemplated.

When there’s time for the entire fanbase to react to an episode, to speculate as a group about next week’s episode, there’s time for them to fully engage, to recreate first impressions of a particular episode. to view and review. Black mirror is perhaps the most egregious example, but even TV without anthology series is harmed by Netflix’s approach. Netflix clearly understands the value of non-binge models – it’s already on its way with several of them ongoing reality shows to great success (if not for the Netflix servers) – but it doesn’t let fans of scripted TV enjoy the same sense of anticipation and spectacle. Why was Love is blind‘s final season released in easy-to-handle weekly batches, while Black mirror drop the whole season at once? Why shouldn’t a scripted show also be given time for fans to rate the episodes on an individual basis? With nearly every other major streaming service embracing a return to a more traditional weekly release schedule for their scripted shows, we all think it’s best if Netflix follows suit.