Whenever you find a new favorite show, do they keep getting canceled after one or two seasons? Streaming services are canceling shows left and right for no clear reason. Karrah Toatley tries to figure out why.
GOSSIP GIRL, HALF BAD: THE BASTARD SON AND THE DEVIL HIMSELF, WARRIOR NUN, AND FIRST KILL. THESE SHOWS RANGE FROM DYSTOPIAN TO SUPERNATURAL, BUT WHAT THEY LACK IN SIMILARITY IN GENRE THEY MAKE UP FOR IN SHARING THE SAME FATE. CANCELLATION
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BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE ANOTHER CORRELATION. EACH SHOW HAS ONE OR MORE CHARACTERS IN THE MAIN CAST THAT ARE A MINORITY, WHETHER THEY ARE LGBT AND/OR A PERSON OF COLOR. ARE STREAMING COMPANIES PURGING REPRESENTATION FROM THEIR SITES?
BEFORE WE CAN MAKE SUCH ALLEGATIONS WE FIRST MUST UNPACK WHY REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA IS SO IMPORTANT.
[Aymar Jean Christian] “The more diversity you have in representation, the more understanding you have of the many ways in this country and in this world that people live, which makes you a better human.”
THAT WAS AYMAR JEAN CHRISTIAN. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION AT NORTHWESTERN. FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, CHRISTIAN HAS EXPLORED HOW THE INTERNET TRANSFORMED THE ART OF TELEVISION AND EXPANDED CULTURAL REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA.
SO IF REPRESENTATION IS SO IMPORTANT THEN WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE SO MANY SHOWS WITH PEOPLE OF COLOR AND LGBT CHARACTERS ARE BEING CANCELLED BEFORE A SECOND OR THIRD SEASON IS GREEN-LIT?
[AC] “It does seem like a lot of diverse shows are getting canceled more than other shows, and history tells us that that’s likely the case, but, it’s still too soon to tell.”
WHICH IS TRUE. NETFLIX LAUNCHED ITS STREAMING SERVICE LESS THAN TWO DECADES AGO. IN COMPARISON IT TOOK CABLE FORTY YEARS TO REACH ITS POPULARITY HIGH AT THE END OF THE 80S
[AC] “Netflix gets this message, oh, diversity sells on streaming. And so all the other streamers are doing that as well, right? So, We’re now at the end, we’re at the next phase of that cycle, right? Just like in the mid-nineties when the broadcasters had hit a ceiling in diverse representation. And just at the end of two thousands when cable had reached the ceiling in diverse representation, so now is streaming, reaches a ceiling in diverse representation.
IF THAT’S JUST THE EBB AND FLOW OF THE INDUSTRY WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR STREAMING?
I PERSONALLY HAVE NO IDEA SO I REACHED OUT TO SOMEONE THAT UNDERSTANDS THE STREAMING INDUSTRY A LOT BETTER THAN I DO.
[Michael Smith] “I’m Michael Smith. I’m a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and I study technological change in the entertainment industry.”
SO HOW HAS STREAMING CHANGED THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.
[MS] “it’s allowed the entertainment industry to create shows and to profitably create shows that wouldn’t have been profitable in a traditional broadcast model. let’s imagine you’ve got two shows. One, you show it to a test audience, and 80% of the people like it. And the other you show to a test audience, and only 20% of the people like it, but the people who like it, love it, and are going to show up every week to watch it. In a broadcast world, you go with the 80% show, in an on-demand streaming world you go with the 20% show.”
IF THAT’S THE CASE THEN WHY DO SHOWS LIKE THE ONES I’VE MENTIONED BEFORE WITH SUCH DEDICATED FANDOMS THAT TREND #SAVEMYSHOW EVERY DAY FOR WEEKS ON END STILL GETTING CANCELLED?
[MS] “The problem is how do I value the show on my platform? I don’t think the entertainment industry has figured that out yet. Because it’s a really hard question. And I say that with all due respect to the industry.”
SO THAT’S JUST IT. YOUR FAVORITE SHOWS ARE BEING CANCELLED LEFT AND RIGHT FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY DOESN’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING.
WITHOUT A WAY TO CALCULATE HOW VALUABLE A SHOW IS TO ITS PLATFORM, IT’S EASY TO REVERT TO OLD HABITS, LIKE USING POPULARITY TO DECIDE A SHOWS FATE.
SHOWS LIKE STRANGER THINGS, EUPHORIA, YOU, AND GAME OF THRONES ARE UNDENIABLY POPULAR AND ALL HAVE AT LEAST THREE SEASONS.
[AC] “The market and the economy has gone down. And so these companies have less money and so they’re pulling on what is seen as either the riskiest content or the shows with creators who are newer to the system.”
I GUESS THAT’S JUST HOW THE INDUSTRY GOES.
FOR WNUR NEWS I’M KARRAH TOATLEY.
