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Question of the Day (QOTD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a film/TV-related question that we put to you, the reader. The comments section below is like the feedback box at work; except, in this example, we actually read what you write and care about what you have to say.
This isn’t a new question. I see it all the time online. So let’s just dive right in.
So, the question I ask today is: Are two-plus year gaps between seasons of a streaming show affecting its viewership/public interest?
I always come back to this question whenever Stranger Things pops into my head. I absolutely loved the first season when it premiered in 2016. It was right up my alley. I was ready for that second season when it premiered just a little over a year later in 2017. Then there was almost a two-year wait for Season 3, which I still haven’t seen. Then there was a three-year gap between Seasons 3 and 4, and it’s looking like another 3-year wait between 4 and 5. All interest I’ve had in Stranger Things is pretty much gone. I’ll watch it eventually, but it’s nowhere near the top of my watchlist because Netflix took too damn long to make it.
The same for The Boys. I got into it around Season 3 in 2022, absolutely loved it. But now it’s been two years, and I couldn’t care less about catching up on Gen V to watch Season 4. Same for Invincible. Loved the first season, but then it took too long to give me Season 2 and now it’s another one of those “I’ll get to it when I get to it.”
It used to be that shows would premiere in September, conclude in May, and, if they were renewed, be back on air in September, which is a roughly four-month wait between seasons. Now, unless you’re a network show, that wait is at least tripled. And, at least in my opinion, that’s really the max I’ll wait for a show (unless your show is titled You or Reacher). A lot of these shows are CG-heavy, which no doubt impacts production, but damn, Game of Thrones still aired annually. *should shrug*
So what about you, screenagers? Do these long gaps between seasons affect your interest in a show?
I’ll see you in the trenches.
