Stranger Things 4's success is only further proof of Netflix’s unsustainability - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 06-03-2022, 05:34 AM

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/...ership/661163/

The return of Stranger Things with supersized episodes after three years was supposed to reverse weeks of negativity surrounding Netflix. And the supersizing worked, "according to Netflix, at least," says Shirley Li. "The streaming platform reported Tuesday that Stranger Things 4: Volume One had garnered a staggering 286.79 million hours watched over the course of its first weekend, breaking the platform’s record for an English-language TV show." But Stranger Things 4's popularity doesn't mean a return to form for Netflix, says Li, especially with a report that this season cost nearly $30 million an episode amid headlines of employee layoffs. "A $30-million-an-episode budget is unlikely to be replicated for other projects in the company’s pipeline," says Li. "Not every show can afford to be turned into event viewing. And as with previous headline-making statistics the streamer has released, the figures touted this week come with a heap of salt: Stranger Things last aired in 2019, and since then, Netflix has changed its model of determining ratings, making it impossible to accurately compare the success of this season with that of previous ones. (The third season also broke records, for instance, but viewership at the time was tallied according to the number of households watching at least 70 percent of an episode, not the number of total hours streamed.) So yes, 286.79 million hours is indeed a record-breaking number—but only in terms of data the company began collecting last year. And even then, the show’s achievements seem paltry when non-English-language series are added into the mix. In its best-performing week, the Korean drama Squid Game accumulated more than 571 million hours viewed, eclipsing Stranger Things’ total."

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Stranger Things' exhausting sprawl nearly ruined Season 4: "Stranger Things Season 4 would have been so much better had they just stayed in Hawkins," says Emma Fraser, adding: "Especially as the episode’s running lengths went on (and on…and on), it got more and more aggravating each time we were taken away from these characters’ crackling chemistry and the hotbed for perfectly nostalgic ’80s horror that Hawkins offers. My Apple Screen Time should not reach double digits when I watch this show. The season became a slog because of these pointless detours. None of them—not Will, Mike, and Jonathan’s road trip; not the repetitive grind in Russia; not the goofy-as-hell rescue mission; and not the isolation of Eleven from everyone—were interesting enough to keep anyone’s attention when the action left Hawkins, our (scary) happy place. It was nearly a fatal flaw of the entire season, and a classic case of a TV series that gets overly confident, too ambitious, and loses sight of what actually makes it work."
Stranger Things' depiction of Max's grief is a rarity in the horror genre: "Often in horror, there’s not enough time to see the characters grieve," says Vanessa Maki. "They experience devastating loss, but they’re not able to process it because their lives are still actively in danger. Stranger Things season 4, however, took a different approach with Max (Sadie Sink). Max’s grieving after Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) violent death in the previous season (something she witnessed) is really given time. And it’s refreshing—going through that kind of trauma changes a person, regardless of whether or not their relationship was rough, and it would be a disservice to the character if she wasn’t profoundly affected."
Duffer Brothers say Will's sexuality will be addressed in Volume 2: “You’re supposed to be asking those questions,” says Matt Duffer, adding: “This is where it gets tricky since we haven’t released the whole season yet. I just want people to watch the final two episodes” of Season 4.
Jamie Campbell Bower reacts to the Season 4 twist reveal
Stranger Things 4 improves upon Firestarter
Here are 37 small and clever details that prove Stranger Things 4 is its best season so far
Duffer Brothers answer burning Season 4 questions, like: "How old is One supposed to be by the time his scenes with Eleven in the Rainbow Room occurred?"

06-03-2022, 05:34 AM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 125,912	Stranger Things 4's success is only further proof of Netflix’s unsustainability https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/...ership/661163/ The return of Stranger Things with supersized episodes after three years was supposed to reverse weeks of negativity surrounding Netflix. And the supersizing worked, "according to Netflix, at least," says Shirley Li. "The streaming platform reported Tuesday that Stranger Things 4: Volume One had garnered a staggering 286.79 million hours watched over the course of its first weekend, breaking the platform’s record for an English-language TV show." But Stranger Things 4's popularity doesn't mean a return to form for Netflix, says Li, especially with a report that this season cost nearly $30 million an episode amid headlines of employee layoffs. "A $30-million-an-episode budget is unlikely to be replicated for other projects in the company’s pipeline," says Li. "Not every show can afford to be turned into event viewing. And as with previous headline-making statistics the streamer has released, the figures touted this week come with a heap of salt: Stranger Things last aired in 2019, and since then, Netflix has changed its model of determining ratings, making it impossible to accurately compare the success of this season with that of previous ones. (The third season also broke records, for instance, but viewership at the time was tallied according to the number of households watching at least 70 percent of an episode, not the number of total hours streamed.) So yes, 286.79 million hours is indeed a record-breaking number—but only in terms of data the company began collecting last year. And even then, the show’s achievements seem paltry when non-English-language series are added into the mix. In its best-performing week, the Korean drama Squid Game accumulated more than 571 million hours viewed, eclipsing Stranger Things’ total." ALSO: Stranger Things' exhausting sprawl nearly ruined Season 4: "Stranger Things Season 4 would have been so much better had they just stayed in Hawkins," says Emma Fraser, adding: "Especially as the episode’s running lengths went on (and on…and on), it got more and more aggravating each time we were taken away from these characters’ crackling chemistry and the hotbed for perfectly nostalgic ’80s horror that Hawkins offers. My Apple Screen Time should not reach double digits when I watch this show. The season became a slog because of these pointless detours. None of them—not Will, Mike, and Jonathan’s road trip; not the repetitive grind in Russia; not the goofy-as-hell rescue mission; and not the isolation of Eleven from everyone—were interesting enough to keep anyone’s attention when the action left Hawkins, our (scary) happy place. It was nearly a fatal flaw of the entire season, and a classic case of a TV series that gets overly confident, too ambitious, and loses sight of what actually makes it work." Stranger Things' depiction of Max's grief is a rarity in the horror genre: "Often in horror, there’s not enough time to see the characters grieve," says Vanessa Maki. "They experience devastating loss, but they’re not able to process it because their lives are still actively in danger. Stranger Things season 4, however, took a different approach with Max (Sadie Sink). Max’s grieving after Billy’s (Dacre Montgomery) violent death in the previous season (something she witnessed) is really given time. And it’s refreshing—going through that kind of trauma changes a person, regardless of whether or not their relationship was rough, and it would be a disservice to the character if she wasn’t profoundly affected." Duffer Brothers say Will's sexuality will be addressed in Volume 2: “You’re supposed to be asking those questions,” says Matt Duffer, adding: “This is where it gets tricky since we haven’t released the whole season yet. I just want people to watch the final two episodes” of Season 4. Jamie Campbell Bower reacts to the Season 4 twist reveal Stranger Things 4 improves upon Firestarter Here are 37 small and clever details that prove Stranger Things 4 is its best season so far Duffer Brothers answer burning Season 4 questions, like: "How old is One supposed to be by the time his scenes with Eleven in the Rainbow Room occurred?"