Why is Netflix Binning Popular Shows?

Netflix is killing the benefits of long-running TV shows by axing some it's most acclaimed and popular shows like Dead to Me too early

'Spinning Out' (CREDIT: Netflix)

                       by Jack Linsdell

There was a time when TV shows like Friends, Lost or Modern Family would run for season, after season, after season, over many years, specifically because they were well-liked, critically acclaimed and (most importantly) a ratings smash. Whether a sitcom or a drama, the longer shows ran for, the greater the time audiences got to spend with the characters they loved. This only served to increase an audiences' investment in shows and help turn the likes of Monica Geller, Jack Shepard and Phil Dunphy into household names and cultural icons. The other main benefit of long-running shows was that writers could allow characters to organically and naturally grow over bigger arcs, allowing them to develop with the times and through believable life changes. For example, if a show starts with a couple falling in love, for them to get married and then bring up children can only be believable if a show lasts several "years". 

Anyway, in the past decade Netflix and other leading streaming platforms have slowly began their domination of all filmed entertainment. By producing big-budget, original movies with the same production values as those found on the big screen, and featuring all of Hollywood's biggest stars, the likes of Netflix have completely negated the need for theatrical moviegoing by providing audiences the same movie experience from the comfort of their own sofa. Sure, the quality hasn't always been parable, but who cares when you can just pause and pick something else. And, they've done the same to cable TV too. With bigger budgets on offer, and the whole "binge entire shows at once" thing, Netflix has also cancelled out the need for episodic cable TV. Why wait a week to watch a new episode to a show with a smaller budget, lower production values and fewer "big" names in it, when you can watch a new and popular Netflix show all in one night? This has made Netflix the one stop show for the general audiences' TV. You'd think that this would make streaming platforms a breeding ground to develop popular and well-liked shows over several seasons. Well...apparently not.

When a show like Friends airs on cable TV, one which is well-liked enough, networks usually try and keep it in production until it reaches 100 episodes. The reason for this? Well, when a show has reached a certain point (about four seasons or approximately 100 episodes) it is licensed for broadcast on other networks (both internationally and domestically) in what is called off-network syndication. This allows networks to earn revenue from shows, both currently running or completed, whilst also increasing audience appeal across countries. The original Star Trek series that aired on NBC from 1966‐69 saw only moderate rating success until it entered off-network syndication when it become a worldwide phenomenon. Anyway, streaming services aren't bound by this because they earn their money from subscriptions, whereas cable TV only really earns money when shows enter syndication. This means Netflix doesn't need to keep shows running. Yet, this would be understandable if they axed critically-trashed and/or unviewed shows. Yet, increasingly Netflix is canceling some of their most acclaimed and popular shows. But, why?

Netflix is all about subscribers. They want to attract new subscribers constantly. This is after all where they make their money. When a new show aires on Netflix, it brings a load of free hype and publicity to the streaming service, attracting new customers who might subscribe just to watch that new show. Also, if you have a limited series like The I-Land, which can be quickly digested before people move on to something else, that will appeal far more to new members than having to catch up on hours and hours of content from long-running existing shows. All new seasons of current shows cater to those who have already subscribed to Netflix, which brings the streaming service no "new" money. And, that's why even a show with the same popularity as Game of Thrones that debuts its fifth season on Netflix won't bring them as many new subscribers (and money) as the first series of a new original show. 

The casualties of this new "cancel culture" trend happen to be some of Netflix's best shows too. There are those that get canned after just one season (like Joshua Safran's sublime musical Soundtrack and Samantha Stratton's compelling ice skating drama Spinning Out) and those more mainstream but equally enjoyable shows that are cancelled after just three or four series (like Dead to Me and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). I wouldn't be surprised to see Sex Education get pulled after season four too. And, one of their best shows, Robia Rashid's autism drama Atypical, has been recently renewed for a fourth and final season too. Not to forget Ozark being pulled early in it's run. This trend is concerning because a streaming service should be where TV shows can thrive. On Netflix, shows have no worries about recouping their budgets, nor do they have to be concerned about maintaining consistent ratings on a weekly basis. But, instead both showrunners and viewers are continuously on-edge and fearful that their beloved shows may not return for a next season. 

The current "cancel culture" is an understandable business approach, yet it might end up being to the detriment of existing customers who may decide to cancel their subscriptions because all of their favourite shows are being binned too early. It's a shame that Netflix who are more than happy to give the Russo brothers $200 million to make another generic assassin action blockbuster that nobody asked for, can't keep the cash flowing for some of their more artistically superior and popular shows. And, it's also a shame that the place where TV should be prospering (large and regular audience, big budgets, lack of age-rating restrictions on content etc.) is ending up being a place where the overall priority is not on content quality but content frequency. Netflix (and other streaming sites) are outright destroying the benefits of making long-running TV shows that become ingrained in modern pop culture solely because audiences have invested many years of their lives following the characters that they love. 

But, as long as commercial performance remains the number one priority of streaming services rather than artistic merit or customer satisfaction, this so called "cancel culture" is a problem that is never going to be cancelled itself.