Netflix's 5-Part Crime Thriller Series Is A Reminder Of Better Times

We all know that TV today is not like it used to be, and one crime thriller on Netflix highlights that change better than most. The rise of Netflix is bittersweet in many ways because of just how much it's changed the landscape of TV as a whole. We have gone from a time when most new shows aired on major network channels in specific time slots, to the modern age of streaming on demand.

The convenience and accessibility of streaming have been a revelation for TV and audiences, with people being able to enjoy more of what they love, and shows going viral in a way that is unlike anything from the past. However, with this major shift, the way that services like Netflix operate has also changed its focus towards algorithms rather than quality long-form storytelling.

In some ways, with the rise of so many competing streaming platforms, this has been a necessity to ensure the survival of Netflix and its competitors, but it's also traded off some of the most appealing parts of how Netflix initially rose up to become the top streamer in the first place.

Netflix Saved You From Cancellation

For example, when Netflix debuted You on its platform, the show wasn't originally intended for Netflix. In fact, You was made for another channel, Lifetime, which debuted the premiere season of the show and then renewed it for a second season. Unfortunately, Lifetime rescinded that offer due to low viewing figures, and creatives were forced to shop the show around.

For a while, this spectacular series sat in limbo, with nowhere willing to commit to making a second season, until Netflix delivered a golden offer that guaranteed the series another shot at life on their platform. Evidently, the series performed much better on Netflix, and the show went on to have an incredible five-season run, which allowed Joe Goldberg's full story to be told.

If it weren't for Netflix stepping in, the show would have disappeared, with the memory of a single-season flop fading for the people who gave it a chance while it was still on Lifetime. And this wasn't an isolated incident; for a while, it was a major part of how Netflix operated and drew in new viewers.

Netflix Was Once Known For Saving TV Shows

In the earliest days of Netflix, the company had nothing to do with creating original content. For a few years, its biggest competition was Blockbuster, because the whole concept of Netflix was about sending rental DVDs to customers, rather than having someone go to a physical store to rent a movie or show.

Then, a few years in, Netflix was able to break new ground by offering a broad selection of films and shows through a streaming service, eliminating so much of the friction that exists with customers needing to get their hands on a physical disc, and then use it on another device, to ultimately play a show or movie they wanted to watch.

Still, at that point, Netflix didn't have much to do with original content, because they operated with licenses from other studios that allowed them to distribute their projects through their website. The move from borrowing other studios' content to actually producing it likely began with projects like You, where Netflix was able to invest in a pre-existing team and allow them to keep working on a show that would have otherwise been canceled.

There are dozens of examples of this happening with TV shows that were on the brink of disappearing, only for Netflix to step in and save them. And with a handful of those projects, Netflix struck gold, creating some of their most popular shows, such as Lucifer, Cobra Kai, and indeed, You.

Today, Netflix produces a huge number of original TV shows and films with less of a focus on bringing back shows from the dead, and more of a traditional approach to investing in new content, seeing what performs and fits their metrics, and then canning the programs that don't match up.

It's a brutal cycle, and one that isn't unique to Netflix, but the way that they changed how not just their platform operates, but every single production company involved in creating TV shows, has had a far-reaching and, at times, detrimental effect on how creative projects are made and consumed today.

Why Netflix Has Become Associated With Short-Lived Series

There are a handful of projects that companies continue to push as prestige television. In other words, shows that have rich and immersive storytelling, innovative approaches to shooting and character development, and generally stand out as peak examples of creativity. Unfortunately, this is becoming increasingly rare, with most companies directing their creatives to work differently.

Long gone are the days of 22-episode seasons with a new season coming out every year. Today, it's far more common for a show to have six to eight episodes in one season, and then often a gap of two or more years between seasons. And that isn't a result of the quality going up or the production value for each specific episode increasing.

Instead, modern TV, especially where streaming services like Netflix are concerned, is focused on creating shows that are often dumbed down to make them consumable while still scrolling on a phone, packed with punchy clips that could go viral on social media, and crammed into a short enough season as to have audiences binge it all in one go.

All of this serves the algorithms and the metrics outlined by Netflix and its competitors. It draws in new audiences, keeps them on the screen longer in one sitting, and ensures they get the maximum return on any investment in a new show. It doesn't serve the audience or the shows in the same way.

Add to all of this the fact that most shows get dropped with a batch of episodes available all at once, and it further proves that Netflix isn't trying to create something that people will tune in and return to watch, but they are focused on getting new subscriptions and getting as much attention as possible.

With that, You is one of the last of a dying breed of shows that Netflix has saved from death in order to build its own success. Today, they don't need other networks' scraps; they make their own content with express directives to create in the way that works best for them. And it isn't just Netflix, but it is an unfortunate product of this new way of consuming TV.