Following the conclusion of Stranger Things, the majority of viewers were left unsatisfied with the poor quality of the final season. Some fans blamed poor pacing and dialogue, while others blamed inconsistencies and a lack of stakes.
Spanning ten years, Stranger Things garnered a large following and grew to be considered Netflix’s highest-value original series. So, where did it all go wrong?
Critically acclaimed actors and lifelong friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck recently appeared on the podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” to discuss their new Netflix action thriller “The Rip.”
During the interview, Rogan asked the pair about their thoughts on the changes that streaming has made within the film industry.
According to Damon, Netflix, among other streaming services, follows a standard formula across the majority of its original content.
As a result, movies and TV shows that premiere on streaming services are more focused on maintaining viewer attention through constant action and the repetition of key plot points rather than cohesive writing.
Streaming services’ spoon-feeding of information to viewers significantly declines the quality of the final product, which explains the poor quality of the final season of Stranger Things.
However, Damon and Affleck go on to cite examples of original series that do not follow the Netflix formula that are equally, if not more, successful than those that do.
Looking at original shows such as Netflix’s “Adolescence” and HBO’s “Succession,” it is clear that the majority of viewers favor the quality of writing over the ability to multitask while watching.
Poor quality writing and production among streaming services’ original content has become the norm since even before COVID-19, despite audiences’ overwhelming favor of well-written content.
So, why cater to those not paying attention? Why bend over backwards to spoon-feed information to those who do not care enough to put their cell phone down? Why ruin the viewing experience for those invested in the content?