Commentary: Streaming Release Patterns Alter The Perception Of Shows

Streaming has changed the way shows are being consumed. Because of this, streaming is also changing the way shows are being produced and received. The way it used to be: all shows (either on broadcast or cable) were on a level playing field and pretty much played by the same rules. Each episode was its own stand-alone chapter in what was otherwise a larger series. It was done this way because episodes were released over time and audiences had a chance to digest each episode before moving on to the next. But streaming and the ability to watch whole seasons at once has shifted the way audiences perceive the show — not just as a work of individual episodes, but something judged as a whole. What’s interesting is that some shows use the “binge” format to construct their story even if the episodes are being released weekly.

It might seem confusing, but the best way to explain this is to look at examples as to how this is being used in practice. A good comparison is the difference between a show like Stranger Things and Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. Stranger Things has more or less followed the Netflix format of releasing an entire season at once. Because of this, this seasons are judged as a whole from beginning to end because they essentially can be consumed all at once. In contrast, Obi-Wan Kenobi was released weekly an episode at a time. But the story structure of Kenobi follows the Stranger Things model. The entire show is meant to be viewed as a whole rather than a series of individual episodes.

Because of this release schedule, where fans were consuming the show over the course of weeks when it was meant to be viewed much quicker, and the reception was altered by that. Fans were judging the entire show one episode at a time when, in fact, the entire show is meant to be judged as a whole. Stranger Things was not judged one episode at a time because the entire season (minus two episodes, of course) was released at once. This just goes to show that in this strange era of TV, a release schedule is extremely important to how audiences will receive and digest a story.

Stranger Things is now streaming on Netflix. Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.