5 ms·

The 1899 cancellation is when I realized that Netflix has no competent strategy to rolling out shows. It was #1 and #2 on their charts for weeks, only dethroned

The 1899 cancellation is when I realized that Netflix has no competent strategy to rolling out shows. It was #1 and #2 on their charts for weeks, only dethroned by Wednesday, yet they cancelled it. I fear that Netflix is eventually going to just make "Fast and the Furious" quality of original content, or they will go with franchises with known names that are licensed. They created the Witcher, are pushing out another season of it (despite the lead leaving, bad reviews and backlash on direction) and have a spin off that is universally panned. Cinema is suffering from the same thing, which is why superhero films and franchises rule the silver screen. It's not a good direction for the artform or any semblance of quality. So many great franchises were rough (or had poor TV ratings) in their first seasons that are now considered classics. From Seinfeld to Parks and Rec to X-Files to Star Trek TNG, there are countless examples.

jsnell 4y ago
> It was #1 and #2 on their charts for weeks, only dethroned by Wednesday, yet they cancelled it. It was #1 for 0 weeks, #2 for 3 weeks, and plummeted off the charts quickly after that.
- tempest_ 4y ago
  That also assumes that those charts actually reflect whatever metric they are based on. There is probably some finger on the scale to keep things near the top and promote them longer if they are struggling to gain traction.
  - jsnell 4y ago
    I'm not talking about any amorphous "most popular" lists in the app. Netflix publish weekly numbers on the hours viewed for the top shows / films. This is a fixed metric and a definite and comparable number. Here's the release week of 1899: https://top10.netflix.com/tv?week=2022-11-20 https://top10.netflix.com/tv?week=2022-11-20 There is no chance that they're fabricating these numbers. First, that would be securities fraud. Second, it would not work as promotion channel because basically nobody would look at this website to decide what to view. But it is great for getting data for obscure internet fights!
    - tempest_ 4y ago
      Even after reading the fine print there it still isnt clear to me if those are the most watched things BY netflix ON netflix, or if it is the most watched ON Netflix.
      - jsnell 4y ago
        The latter. But I don't understand how that could matter for the original claim on 1889's success: if it wasn't the #1 "by-Netflix-on-Netflix" show, it cannot have been #1 on a "on-Netflix" list either.
fbdab103 4y ago
Historical supernatural fiction is not a genre with a huge established audience. The likely path to success is for the show to be excellent and organically grow from word of mouth. Which is going to take time to present itself on a top-ten chart.
tarotuser 4y ago
We've cancelled our Netflix, and loading up our Jellyfin server with all those classics (legally... naturally!). And we're in S02E08 of X-Files, because it really was that good. We're also watching Julia Child, and a few other shows. We were some of the first on Netflix's DVD library, and went to streaming as soon as they offered it. And early on, it was the best of the best. Now, it's throw-away B movie garbage you wouldn't even pay $1.99 in the Walmart's dvd bin, and riddled with shows that were great but naturally cancelled on a cliffhanger. I'm still sour about "Dark Matter". Bought from SyFy to Netflix, and summarily canceled. I'll just wait until/if the shows are complete. And then I will acquire them. I've been done for a while, after paying waay too much and being jerked around by the media companies. Back to Yo Ho Ho. That means I can afford expensive rum :)
- darknavi 4y ago
  I might be crazy but a lot of the 1-2 season cancelled shows are still worth watching. A really fun journey that ends prematurely is still really entertaining. I suggest... acquiring... them.
  - zanellato19 4y ago
    The fact that people only like stories when they are finished makes me sad.
    - tarotuser 4y ago
      The comparable analogy is someone giving you a book that has the last 20 pages cut out. And only when you're a few pages to the "end" do you realize that you'll never know the real resolution to the story. That's what ending on a cliffhanger is like. You know there's more, and completes the whole story.. but you'll never see/read it.
    - HelloMcFly 4y ago
      These shows are artistic creations. When it's clear that the painting is unfinished, and the artist's vision and intent incomplete, why bother? Not every show is like this, many say what they have to say in a single episode (many sitcoms, police procedurals) or season (e.g., Hacks, Watchmen, The Wire). But there are a lot of shows that are just unfinished works-in-progress without the end of their story.
AtlasBarfed 4y ago
I feel they need to acquire a "real" studio like NBC. They are sorely lacking in organizational production, casting, writing talent, or people that know the industry to identify talent. Netflix from what I can tell simply bootstrapped their own production company, and I think Amazon did too. My conclusion is that they are not organizationally good at production, they simply hope for miracles from whomever they put in charge of IP. I mean, is HBO a "big company" from a production/management standpoint? Look at the quality they put out. NBC I believe is not that big anymore either, but their series and coherent branding simply seems so much better than Netflix or Amazon Prime.
rainbowzootsuit 4y ago
I watch my shows a quarter-hour at a time. Therefore I stick to their children's animated content that's often without dialog or plot beyond a single five minute scene. Hearing about these trials and tribulations, it sounds like I have chosen wisely.
uni_rule 4y ago
It's as simple as dropping a show like a hot stone before they have to increase their actors' pay contractually. Terminal bean-counting.

jsnell 4y ago

> It was #1 and #2 on their charts for weeks, only dethroned by Wednesday, yet they cancelled it. It was #1 for 0 weeks, #2 for 3 weeks, and plummeted off the charts quickly after that.

tempest_ 4y ago
That also assumes that those charts actually reflect whatever metric they are based on. There is probably some finger on the scale to keep things near the top and promote them longer if they are struggling to gain traction.
- jsnell 4y ago
  I'm not talking about any amorphous "most popular" lists in the app. Netflix publish weekly numbers on the hours viewed for the top shows / films. This is a fixed metric and a definite and comparable number. Here's the release week of 1899: https://top10.netflix.com/tv?week=2022-11-20 https://top10.netflix.com/tv?week=2022-11-20 There is no chance that they're fabricating these numbers. First, that would be securities fraud. Second, it would not work as promotion channel because basically nobody would look at this website to decide what to view. But it is great for getting data for obscure internet fights!
  - tempest_ 4y ago
    Even after reading the fine print there it still isnt clear to me if those are the most watched things BY netflix ON netflix, or if it is the most watched ON Netflix.
    - jsnell 4y ago
      The latter. But I don't understand how that could matter for the original claim on 1889's success: if it wasn't the #1 "by-Netflix-on-Netflix" show, it cannot have been #1 on a "on-Netflix" list either.

fbdab103 4y ago

Historical supernatural fiction is not a genre with a huge established audience. The likely path to success is for the show to be excellent and organically grow from word of mouth. Which is going to take time to present itself on a top-ten chart.

tarotuser 4y ago

We've cancelled our Netflix, and loading up our Jellyfin server with all those classics (legally... naturally!). And we're in S02E08 of X-Files, because it really was that good. We're also watching Julia Child, and a few other shows. We were some of the first on Netflix's DVD library, and went to streaming as soon as they offered it. And early on, it was the best of the best. Now, it's throw-away B movie garbage you wouldn't even pay $1.99 in the Walmart's dvd bin, and riddled with shows that were great but naturally cancelled on a cliffhanger. I'm still sour about "Dark Matter". Bought from SyFy to Netflix, and summarily canceled. I'll just wait until/if the shows are complete. And then I will acquire them. I've been done for a while, after paying waay too much and being jerked around by the media companies. Back to Yo Ho Ho. That means I can afford expensive rum :)

darknavi 4y ago
I might be crazy but a lot of the 1-2 season cancelled shows are still worth watching. A really fun journey that ends prematurely is still really entertaining. I suggest... acquiring... them.
- zanellato19 4y ago
  The fact that people only like stories when they are finished makes me sad.
  - tarotuser 4y ago
    The comparable analogy is someone giving you a book that has the last 20 pages cut out. And only when you're a few pages to the "end" do you realize that you'll never know the real resolution to the story. That's what ending on a cliffhanger is like. You know there's more, and completes the whole story.. but you'll never see/read it.
  - HelloMcFly 4y ago
    These shows are artistic creations. When it's clear that the painting is unfinished, and the artist's vision and intent incomplete, why bother? Not every show is like this, many say what they have to say in a single episode (many sitcoms, police procedurals) or season (e.g., Hacks, Watchmen, The Wire). But there are a lot of shows that are just unfinished works-in-progress without the end of their story.

AtlasBarfed 4y ago

I feel they need to acquire a "real" studio like NBC. They are sorely lacking in organizational production, casting, writing talent, or people that know the industry to identify talent. Netflix from what I can tell simply bootstrapped their own production company, and I think Amazon did too. My conclusion is that they are not organizationally good at production, they simply hope for miracles from whomever they put in charge of IP. I mean, is HBO a "big company" from a production/management standpoint? Look at the quality they put out. NBC I believe is not that big anymore either, but their series and coherent branding simply seems so much better than Netflix or Amazon Prime.

rainbowzootsuit 4y ago

I watch my shows a quarter-hour at a time. Therefore I stick to their children's animated content that's often without dialog or plot beyond a single five minute scene. Hearing about these trials and tribulations, it sounds like I have chosen wisely.

uni_rule 4y ago

It's as simple as dropping a show like a hot stone before they have to increase their actors' pay contractually. Terminal bean-counting.