During the rise of streaming services, fans had gotten used to the whole season getting dropped on the premiere date, and while Disney+ and Amazon have been sticking to their weekly release (with great results too), it seems that Netflix wants to keep their binge-able model for Stranger Things.
Talking during a panel at the HRTS Presidents Luncheon (via Variety), Netflix’s head of scripted series for US and Canada said:
“For the fans of ‘Stranger Things,’ this is how they’ve been watching that show, and I think to change that on them would be disappointing… To not give them exactly what they’ve been expecting — which is ‘Stranger Things’ is a seasonal experience, they go through that with them — I think that it would be an abrupt change for the member.”
While fans were happy with the binge-able model before, fans have realized that hype for a specific show can only last for a week or two. With the weekly release, hype and excitement for a series can last for several months.
If anything, it kind of depends greatly on the source material. A series like Stranger Things can probably work when you watch it piece by piece since each episode is lengthy and packed with content, but when you look at Disney+ with their inconsistent runtimes and episode counts, it gets frustrating to wait for the next episode of Moon Knight or Obi-Wan Kenobi since you don’t know if it will be enough to keep you excited for a week.
If you ask me, Amazon kind of changed things up when they decided to release a handful of episodes a week rather than just one; so you can manage your watching, while at the same time not feel shorted.
That’s just my take, at least.
Catch Stranger Things 4 now available on Netflix
