How Is Netflix Winning Us Over?
Boasting shows like Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black and Daredevil, is Netflix the pinnacle of excellence?
“Netflix is something I watch” Famke Jannsen
I have had a revelation. I love Netflix.
Despite being a devoted connoisseur of all things film and entertainment, and paying a premium for a satellite subscription service, I had little alternative but to exile myself from the Netflix phenomenon since its inception in 2007. At the time of the platforms launch, the notion of embarking on yet another entertainment package and adding an additional cost to the already considerable expenditures for the latter, was an unwelcome option. The Netflix service however, has always intrigued me. Especially when the specifics of their broadcast content arrived to lure us to the dark side.
But it wasn’t until Netflix embarked on a daring new endeavor to create original content, that my interest was dialed to eleven. Entitled “Netflix Originals” fresh and entertaining new shows like the hugely successful House of Cards and Orange is the New Black changed the landscape of televised programs and alerted the giants of the entertainment industry to the platforms remarkable potential. The latter, debuted on the streaming service in July 2013 and became its most popular show by far, and in doing so facilitated a sudden surge of subscribers all eager to enjoy the impressive array of content available at the touch of a button.
It was this unprecedented success that alerted the studio heads at Disney, to prospects of propagating their own Netflix series’ and forced them to jump on the proverbial bandwagon to bring their brand of entertainment to the millions of customers signing up to the premium service. And so, in November 2013, Netflix and Marvel Television announced a five-season deal to produce a series of live action show’s focussing on superheroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. In addition to the impressive and expansive range of comic book series’, Disney quickly announced the addition of the popular Star Wars television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars which would be available in its entirety for the very first time.
It was here my interest was piqued…
Being a well-documented Star Wars aficionado, the notion of the entire collection of The Clone Wars being available on the streaming service was a major draw and a considerable statement of intent. Attracting the millions of Star Wars fans from around the world, was a masterstroke on the part of both Disney and Netflix who saw an influx of traffic as a result. One of the major drawbacks of residing in the UK is that we are seriously overlooked when it comes to keeping up to date with the latest shows. Shows like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, are readily available on a simultaneous broadcast with the US, but shows like Star Wars Rebels and DC’s Gotham are traditionally withheld for longer than is necessary. In fact, the latter is currently enjoying a popular run with its third season in the US, but the UK has yet to receive even a single episode. To make matters worse, the long-awaited season three finale of Star Wars Rebels was withheld inexplicably for well over a month before it finally aired in the UK, despite the previous episode being aired several hours before the US broadcast.
In the case of The Clone Wars, the sixth and final season was enjoying a popular broadcast on US television when a deal to purchase the Star Wars franchise from George Lucas was confirmed to the media. In the aftermath of the purchase, The Clone Wars as a series was bizarrely cancelled, much to the disdain of many of the fans in favor of an all-new Disney fronted series. This non-conventional move on the part of Disney, saw the sixth season of The Clone Wars terminated half way through production and released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the US almost a year before it arrived on DVD only in the UK.
Therefore, having access to “The Lost Missions” of season six in the luxurious format of high-definition and all at the touch of a button on Netflix, was a dream come true and appeased many of the disgruntled fans around the world. And then, Daredevil arrived on our screens and changed the way we viewed the Marvel television franchise forever. The glitzy comic book environment of Hell’s Kitchen, New York was brought to life with a dark and visceral tone that took the world by storm. The series pulled no punches, and took us to the front line of Matt Murdock’s crusade against the crime ridden streets controlled by his arch nemesis, Wilson Fisk. The incredibly popular series, debuted in April 2015 and changed the way the we regarded the Marvel franchise forever, and undoubtedly blazed a trail for R-rated feature films like Deadpool and Logan to adopt a harder edge of content.
Daredevil’s overwhelming success facilitated the rise of spin-off series’ Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Punisher, the latter of which enjoyed a return to popularity in the wake of three moderately successful feature films. The Punisher, thrived in the dark and gruesome world of Daredevil’s second season and went on to receive a renewed cult following that expedited the creation of the character’s own series which is expected to debut in its entirety toward the end of the year.
Netflix has taken the bold decision to launch the series in one lump sum, determined to cash in on the binge-watching phenomenon that has arisen since the service’s streaming feature went live. The notion of binge-watching has created its own entity with whole families devoting entire weekends to the streaming service to fit in as much content as possible and it is here, that I have taken my first steps into the Netflix phenomenon.
Despite only signing up to the service a little less than a month ago, my family and I have immersed ourselves in the beauty of every aspect the facility has to offer. From the incredible first season of Stranger Things to the sublime first seasons of Daredevil and the current four seasons of Orange is the New Black to the reimagined version of Van Helsing, there is a plethora of original and fantastical content awaiting us. Even my children have discovered the joys of the service and are currently enjoying a renaissance with The Real Ghostbusters, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the impressive “Netflix Original” series Voltron. My son has already earmarked the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series for a re-watch and has joined me on the on the sofa for a Star Trek: The Original Series crash course.
There is something for everyone on Netflix, and I have found myself wishing I had signed up for the service a very long time ago. Missing out on the initial release of Daredevil has proven to be a moment of awakening for me and after watching both series, I find myself yearning for more. With Marvel’s Defenders scheduled for release later in the year and The Punisher series fast approaching, there is no better time to sign up for Netflix. Stranger Things has proven itself to be a stand-out series and its eagerly anticipated second season is set for release during the Halloween season this October which many fans will be longing to see.
Added to the news that the hugely successful Orange is the New Black has been renewed for an additional four seasons, has only cemented Netflix’s foothold on the entertainment industry and with a whole host of original content demonstrating the freedom of not being hampered by traditional restrictive watersheds, the service shows no signs of slowing down.
With so much entertainment available on Netflix, the time is now to take the plunge and open the door to the best of both original content and a back catalogue of past favorites, all available at the touch of a button.
The future is here guys and girls…and the future has the Netflix label all over it.
Happy viewing…
If you enjoyed this article, please recommend it by hitting the green heart so that more people can share it on medium. We really appreciate it!
