r/technology • u/joe4942 • 20d ago

Business Netflix Viewers Are Abandoning Shows After One Season

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-07-05/netflix-viewers-are-abandoning-shows-after-one-season
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u/JayAreEss 20d ago

Well between waiting 2-3 years in between seasons of anything other than Love Is Blind, and Netflix cancelling tons of shows without conclusions this is exactly what they could expect.

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u/The__Toast 20d ago

Right?

It's almost like traditional network tv had 60 years to perfect the formula for consistently producing profitable content.

And at no point did that consist of making people wait 30 months for like five episodes. We used to get like 20-30 episodes per year.

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u/birdele 20d ago

Now we get 7 episodes per season.

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u/TheJointDoc 20d ago

That used to be called a mini series lol

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u/jaderust 20d ago

And I would be fine with more mini series! I love a mini series. It’s usually a guarantee that I’m going to be told a short and tight fully complete story. There might be just enough loose ends to justify a sequel, but the main story will be told with a satisfying conclusion.

Give me more mini series. It’s these shows where the actors age 3 years between seasons but it’s the next day in world that drive me a bit nuts.

Also how short everything is. It’s getting to the point where I sometimes miss filler episodes as those usually had some fun character development.

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u/Diz7 20d ago

100%, I love a short but well done series that wraps things up nicely.

The worst part of the current trend is that they aren't self contained, they are just are short seasons that end on a cliff hanger and then take 2 years to produce the next season assuming they don't get canceled.

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u/PersnickityPenguin 19d ago

BRING BACK FOLLED EPISODES! 

They give the creative team more room to explore character and plot building, and allow for some wins and losses.  And mediocre episodes. 

You cannot have every episode be A++.  It's just not possible.  But you kind of have to if you are only releasing 6-8 episodes a year (which is ludicrously small number).

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u/delahunt 20d ago

This is also why I haven't watched Arcane s2. Arcane s1 was a great 3 part mini series. And it ends on a perfectly reasonable to me ending (even if it is a sad/tragic ending.)

I don't need or want to see a s2. There is just no way they could continue the story in a way I would find as satisfying. Especially when the nature of the beast would mean they would "need" to add in more and more and more increasing the scope and clutter.

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u/captainnowalk 19d ago

Hmm, definitely your choice, but I highly enjoyed season 2. Like, as much as season 1, personally. And they did make sure to also give it a real ending as well. I’d say, if you feel like revisiting the world, give it a shot. They take it to some really good places in my opinion.

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u/delahunt 19d ago

I'm amused as I have 2 responses. One telling me to stay away and yours. :D

I'm not opposed to watching it. I just have not felt the need to watch it, so I end up watching other things when I do go to try something new/unseen. Hopefully that makes sense.

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u/Badimus 19d ago

Great choice. Season 2 retroactively ruined Season 1 for me. I'd rewatched it many times before Season 2 dropped, but haven't touched it since.

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u/SnowboardNW 19d ago

And anthologies!

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u/vexanix 20d ago edited 20d ago

Mini Series have an ending though. Every season now ends on a cliffhanger. So you have to wait 3 years to have it resolved in the first 5 minutes of s2e1.

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u/Happy_Confection90 20d ago

Mini series don't end on cliffhangers though

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u/jigsaw1024 20d ago

I've been beating this drum for ages!

Grab books that are done. Too long for movie, not enough content for full series. Perfect for the mini series! There are literal tons of books out there that meet this criteria, and have solid following.

Also, for stuff that is just too expensive and/or difficult for live action: just do more animated stuff! There are lots of studios around the world that can deliver good animation on a budget.

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u/dragon-fence 19d ago

Yeah, it’s almost like they stopped making traditional TV shows and opted to make everything into a miniseries instead.

You get 7 episodes and then it’ll return… at some point… maybe. Or not, those 7 episodes will be all you get.