9 ms·

It's fascinating to see Netflix's transition from the data-driven insights that led them to the perfectly targeted, yet ultimately artistically-bankrupt House o

It's fascinating to see Netflix's transition from the data-driven insights that led them to the perfectly targeted, yet ultimately artistically-bankrupt House of Cards to the critically-acclaimed, yet hard-to-target Roma. Comparing a prestige TV series to a feature film may be apples-to-oranges, but it's hard to miss the contrast between a show that seemed to be triangulated from the successes of other networks' prestige dramas and a film that really has no popular successes to support it (apart from Cuarón's pedigree). Roma is the kind of personal, auteur work that algorithms work against. It's an incredible credit to Netflix's new content strategy that it was produced, and furthermore, promoted.

paganel 8y ago
> yet ultimately artistically-bankrupt House of Cards House of Cards did a lot of things right (granted, I haven't watched their latest season). First and I think most important of all it informed the general public about what politics really is, i.e. a social activity involving very enterprising men and some women that more closely approaches the works of Machiavelli than those of Rousseau. In other words, it made us aware that we live in the world of Putins, Bibis and Trumps and not in the world of Bill Clintons and Obamas, the latter's world being better described by a show like "The West Wing", which looks totally passé right now.
- mac01021 8y ago
  But the West wing is an order of magnitude more enjoyable to watch. In house of cards, it gradually becomes impossible to emotionally invest oneself in the welfare of any of the characters, or any any outcome of the meandering plot.
  - paganel 8y ago
    > But the West wing is an order of magnitude more enjoyable to watch I totally agree, which probably means that public life has become a lot less enjoyable to watch since “West Wing” used to air. As they say: ars imitatur naturam.
    - mac01021 8y ago
      Is public life in reality so much different from what it was 20 years ago? I've been assuming that most politicians are basically behaving the same, but that public sentiment about politics has taken a turn for the worse.
KaiserPro 8y ago
Yes, netflix has a tonne of data, but to say it informs and drives their original content more than any other network is wide of the mark. House of Cards was made because its based on an excellent BBC series(and book before that) from 1993, is directed by david fincher, and has Kevin Spacey in it. With that combination they could have made a clone of the big bang theory a success. There is nothing data driven about getting Cuarón to make a movie. He's an oscar winner, with a load of nominations as well. What is different is that Neflix has a boat load of cash, and will, within reason, give people a free reign. This is basically what miramax did in the 90s when they had cash from disney. I hope that unlike unlike miramax its not run by sex pests.

paganel 8y ago

> yet ultimately artistically-bankrupt House of Cards House of Cards did a lot of things right (granted, I haven't watched their latest season). First and I think most important of all it informed the general public about what politics really is, i.e. a social activity involving very enterprising men and some women that more closely approaches the works of Machiavelli than those of Rousseau. In other words, it made us aware that we live in the world of Putins, Bibis and Trumps and not in the world of Bill Clintons and Obamas, the latter's world being better described by a show like "The West Wing", which looks totally passé right now.

mac01021 8y ago
But the West wing is an order of magnitude more enjoyable to watch. In house of cards, it gradually becomes impossible to emotionally invest oneself in the welfare of any of the characters, or any any outcome of the meandering plot.
- paganel 8y ago
  > But the West wing is an order of magnitude more enjoyable to watch I totally agree, which probably means that public life has become a lot less enjoyable to watch since “West Wing” used to air. As they say: ars imitatur naturam.
  - mac01021 8y ago
    Is public life in reality so much different from what it was 20 years ago? I've been assuming that most politicians are basically behaving the same, but that public sentiment about politics has taken a turn for the worse.

KaiserPro 8y ago

Yes, netflix has a tonne of data, but to say it informs and drives their original content more than any other network is wide of the mark. House of Cards was made because its based on an excellent BBC series(and book before that) from 1993, is directed by david fincher, and has Kevin Spacey in it. With that combination they could have made a clone of the big bang theory a success. There is nothing data driven about getting Cuarón to make a movie. He's an oscar winner, with a load of nominations as well. What is different is that Neflix has a boat load of cash, and will, within reason, give people a free reign. This is basically what miramax did in the 90s when they had cash from disney. I hope that unlike unlike miramax its not run by sex pests.