The Case for Weekly Episode Releases
Netflix disrupted television when it starting releasing seasons of its original shows all at once rather than weekly. The Netflix model fits well within the digital age, where instant access to anything and everything is demanded. I’ll admit, being able to watch a new season of a show right when it comes out is pretty damn nice. Who doesn’t like a good television binge? While most of us may want this, should we?
One of my biggest gripes with the Netflix model is the issue of “spoilers” - when major plot points are revealed that can ruin the surprise and reactions of viewers. Everyone watches tv at their own pace, and in my unscientific and unproven opinion, it’s much more likely for people to be on the same page when shows are released weekly than all at once. Netflix often releases shows super early in the morning, and while many people do stay up to catch the latest season of their favorite show and may even finish the entire season in one binge, there are also many others who won’t have time to start until the upcoming weekend, or next week, or next month. When this happens, how do you know when is the right time to talk about spoilers? I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with friends and family members when one of us has finished a new season of a show and wants to talk about it, but the other is far from finishing.
In addition to spoilers, fan theories and discussions are almost nonexistent because everything is already answered within the new season that was released all at once. Sure, you can theorize what happens next season, but the suspense within the seasons themselves are no longer there. The days of “Water Cooler TV” - that is, the pop culture discussion you and your co-workers have by the office water cooler regarding that week’s episode of a popular TV show - are over. Instead of months of fun discussions about your favorite television shows, you’re left with probably ten minutes of conversation regarding said TV shows.
With entire seasons debuting all at once, it leads to episodes blending into one another instead of each standing as its own distinct episode. With shows on broadcast TV airing weekly, they have the benefit of each episode being remembered for its specific plot. When you’re binge-watching a show, you’ll often find episodes bleeding into one another, forgetting when one ends and the other begins, and soon you won’t remember what each episode was even about. Sure, you’ll know what has happened in the season, but the individual episodes are lost. Having seasons debuting all at once also leads to longer waiting periods between seasons. And the longer the wait, the more you’ll probably forget what happened last season, therefore requiring a recap because it’s been so long.
The final reason why I prefer shows being released weekly as opposed to all at once is it allows me to catch up on TV. We are in a new golden age of television where there’s actually quite a lot of damn good television happening on pretty much every network or streaming platform. Today’s quality television is an embarrassment of riches - there are literally hundreds of shows available to watch but so little time. I have an ever-growing list of shows I still need to start and/or finish and I feel overwhelmed just thinking about it. I hope one day I can finally complete this list, but I doubt it’ll ever happen. That’s why I’m so relieved to hear newer streaming platforms like Disney+ and Apple TV+ are releasing their original shows on a weekly basis. To be fair, Hulu, Amazon, CBS All Access, and DC Universe have all been doing this for years, but Netflix is still the biggest streaming platform. I hope this is the start of a "new” trend in streaming where weekly releases become the norm. I’m confident when HBO Max and Peacock both launch early next year they’ll follow the weekly release model as well. Netflix has actually been experimenting with different release models lately, so who knows, maybe it’ll eventually start releasing all of its original content on a weekly basis too.
