Netflix comes in
Throughout this blog, I have been exploring how reality television is fuel for keeping broadcast telly running. This has been advantageous after losing more and more viewers to Netflix. It wasn’t until 2018 that the streaming giant started making reality TV shows, starting with Nailed It!, a hilarious competition with inept bakers who try their best, and a reboot of the makeover show Queer Eye. Both of them have become franchises since. Having tested the waters on the demand for the genre, Netflix has gone all-in in the last few months.
Talking to Vulture, Netflix’s unscripted boss Brandon Riegg said that they are trying to compete with all broadcasters at the same time, which means releasing shows which will appeal to different audiences. Their unscripted section has been thriving as Netflix’s production value stands out. Having no commercial interruptions also changes the way in which the creators tell their stories, once again differentiating them from traditional television.
A couple of groundbreaking additions to the Netflix catalog in the last few months have been The Circle and Love is Blind. Both of these share similarities with popular British shows like Big Brother and Love Island, sharing a dystopian vibe. These have proven to be extremely popular across the world and NBC even went as far as saying Love is Blind is bringing the genre into the 21st century. This is an interesting point given its premise is that people can fall in love based on personality and not looks — in an appearance-dominated era.
What separates some Netflix original realities from others is that some of them are released in batches throughout a few weeks. This puts emphasis on event television, which is crucial for the genre to work. Screen Rant reported that the intention of this is to build suspense and encourage dialogue. The streamer is still trialing different ways of releasing different types of content, and most of their realities have been binge-able in a similar vein as their scripted counterparts.
Riegg confirmed that the reality division of the streamer is still very young and that they haven’t even finished phase one of their strategy. For now, we can only wait to see what Netflix will bring us next.
