Netflix has a big hit with 'House of Cards'
Last night, I decided to dive into Netflix's latest original series, House of Cards. I wasn't disappointed, and I knew I wouldn't be: Kevin Spacey is brilliant in everything. It's a heavy show, packed with tons of political drama and first-rate acting by Spacey, Kate Mara and Robin Wright, among others. If you enjoy a show about the nastiness and backbiting that is politics in America, I'd highly recommend checking House of Cards out.
But that's not why I'm so in awe of House of Cards -- far from it. No, I'm far more interested in the fact that yes, Netflix is slowly but surely building the foundations for an empire of so-called binge-viewing of TV shows. All 13 episodes of House of Cards season one are now streaming. If I wanted to, I could stay up all night and all day tomorrow and finish them all. I don't, but knowing I could? Oh that's powerful stuff.
I've binge-viewed a lot of Netflix shows in the past, but they were other network's programs. I tore through Gossip Girl in a fevered fit (literally, I had a terrible case of bronchitis and was bedridden for five days). I am, right now, in the throes of a crazed Breaking Bad bender. I'm bleary-eyed at work every single day lately because I cannot stop watching. And yeah, I finally saw all the seasons of Felicity. I get it now, I love it too. God bless Keri Russell for being so adorable.
When I finally finish watching a regular network's show via Netflix, I get super irritated because now, well, I've got to wait until next week's episode like everyone else to find out what happens. No! I can't do that, I need resolution right now!
The success of House of Cards on Netflix is a game changer because it solidifies the fact that yes, this type of approach works and reaches an audience. A big one, too: Netflix' CCO Ted Sarandos says House of Cards is Netflix's "leading content in terms of the number of people watching and the hours of engagement."
But he also acknowledges that yes, this is a challenging new format, one fraught with pitfalls. Among the biggest? The buzz for binge shows like this won't build in the way it would for weekly programs (think Lost, Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos).
It will be extremely interesting to watch in coming months and years whether Netflix goes all-in on more of these kinds of all-at-once programs. People want what they want now, after all. Right now. In fact, right now I'm going to go watch another episode of House of Cards, because I can. When I want to.
As long as the product doesn't suffer, I'm all for being able to watch all of my TV shows this way. What about you? Is binge-viewing your thing too, or do you prefer the anticipation of waiting for next week's show?
Photo courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter