House of Cards (Netflix)

[Guy Gardener]

Crappy shows in America get cancelled quickly, good shows too, however two years later I still see banner ad posters in bustops talking about "a new hit show" out here in the rim of the colonies.

Fricking zombies farmed out to idjits who don't know no better.

 

[bigdaddy]

Yeah the article is more "It's not important if the show is a it now, we need to see where the numbers lead". So yeah the end of the quarters they will brag.

Begs the question, if Netflix cancels a show, is there talk of a TV channel picking it up? Every show that gets canceled someone emails Netflix, does it go the other way?

 

[plynch]

What about the show itself? That's what I came here looking for.

Dark. So dark, like the anti-West Wing.

Do you want to see Spacey's character get taken down?

Spoiler: Frank

He killed a guy, for Pete's sake!

I only read toward the end of my viewing binge that there will be a S2.

Spoiler: Russo

I was also hopeful the producers would throw me some redemption with Russo in PA. No go.

It's so relentlessly grim, with everyone lying, using everyone else, I don't know if I'd start a S2. It sure was well-engineered through datamining to keep me watching.

 

[tighr]

What about the show itself? That's what I came here looking for.

Yeah, I set up a spoilers thread here: http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=203239

I thought it was a good idea to let this thread stick around to discuss the idea of a Netflix show, and the ratings/numbers/etc released about it. Actual discussion of the content of the episodes should be in a spoiler thread, based on the fact that its not traditionally episodic, and everyone is at different points in the show.

 

[bigdaddy]

It is a good idea. I haven't seen it yet but the ratings talk is "fun".

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm only up to episode 8, so I still can't look at the other thread!

I noticed something interesting, the "Popular on Netflix" ribbon of about 40 or so titles now includes the original House of Cards, so that's getting a big bump too. I also noticed that every series of Star Trek except poor ENT is on the list. That must be a general list since there's a different one telling me what I'd like (apparently I'm not much of a Trekkie after all according to Netflix).

Anyway, Netflix must be paying attention to that. The moral of the story is that it's worthwhile to do a series under some existing name - remake, continuation - because then you get "credit" for the old one, too. Hanging onto new subscribers depends on giving them something else to watch when they finished whatever they came in to see.

 

[Jax]

Just finished the show and got to say a very impressive show Netflix manage to create here, Spacey deserves a couple of nominations and overall the cast is very solid. I look forward to season 2.

 

[tighr]

The moral of the story is that it's worthwhile to do a series under some existing name - remake, continuation - because then you get "credit" for the old one, too. Hanging onto new subscribers depends on giving them something else to watch when they finished whatever they came in to see.

Certainly seems to be the case with Arrested Development. I am rewatching the old episodes (in a haphazard order, too) of that show in preparation for the new episodes. I want to make sure I remember all the inside jokes.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Why we shouldn't need to have two threads for HoC.

But what role does the social viewing experience fit in our own personal enjoyment of a show? Isn't the way we enjoy a show independent of how others feel about it? Not necessarily. Our brains, through what is known as our limbic resonance, may actually rely to a certain extent on the way others feel about what we watch in deciding how we feel about it.

Limbic resonance may be why we have viewing parties for premieres of shows, and why we still enjoy going to movie theaters or catching premieres of films at film festivals like Sundance. Entrepreneur and MIT Media Labs assistant professor Kevin Slavin suggests limbic resonance is the reason behind the emergence of things like the laugh track on sitcoms and the TV-show backchannel chatter on Twitter (so pronounced it's led to its own Nielsen rating).

So perhaps while Netflix's new video format bends to the way we watch, it doesn't bend to the way we watch together. At least not yet. Netflix's challenge -- and perhaps ours too -- will be to reinvent the shared viewing experience.

Netflix has a lot of options. It can use the viewing data it collects, alongside its sophisticated recommendation algorithm, to surface and recommend the programs and chapters of which a viewer's trusted circle of friends is enjoying. Or it can grant access to forums for discussion based on one's completion of a chapter or program. Doing things like allowing my friend to see what chapter I'm on in a given show we're both watching allows them to easily see whether or not they should wait to talk to me about that episode they're dying to talk about.

For Netflix, the question of whether it will develop this critical new structure of shared experience to accompany its new programming -- or else allow its new paradigm to collapse -- remains to be seen. We'll have to stay tuned.

Netflix needs to upgrade its social interface so that when I finish watching the first episode, I can jump right into a discussion only for people who are up to that point. Each episode has its own discussion, no need for spoiler code. They do have user reviews, but the interactive/social aspect is paltry and I don't think I can even access that from the streaming only interface that I see on Roku.

Beyond making customers happy and helping them avoid spoilers, the community aspects of Netflix are valuable because they will continue to be in the business of serving up other people's content for the foreseeable future.

Four or five original series per year isn't what's going to keep people subscribing. That makes Netflix vulnerable, since they don't control the content but if they do control the community they are building, then they are in a much better position, because content producers have to chase the audience wherever it goes.

Also from a larger perspective, the value of content is going to keep going down as it becomes easier to access. Piracy is the extreme example of how technology drives the value of content down to zero. But you can't pirate a community. Netflix should be thinking of ways to turn their customers into their product. If all your friends are yakking on Netflix, then you have to join, too.

Maybe a lofty goal, but better than riding the content train down, down, down. Someday Netflix may be making original series simply to attract more of the kind of audience they want - the opinion leaders who bring in everyone else.

 

[cylkoth]

I noticed something interesting, the "Popular on Netflix" ribbon of about 40 or so titles now includes the original House of Cards, so that's getting a big bump too. I also noticed that every series of Star Trek except poor ENT is on the list. That must be a general list since there's a different one telling me what I'd like (apparently I'm not much of a Trekkie after all according to Netflix).

What gets displayed varies from subscriber to subscriber, according to what you've watched, rated, and set your 'taste' preferences to.
The new ''Cards'' appears in my Popular line, but no Treks (all 5 of which, are in my queue).

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Well that makes no sense if "Recommended for Me" is the same as "Popular on Netflix" (even though I see different content in each).

There should be a separate ribbon that specifically isn't geared towards a person's taste preferences because it can be oppressive to have every frikken thing be linked to my tastes.

Sometimes I want to see other stuff to see if I'm missing something, or if there is something in a category I usually dislike that I might want to check out. Netflix should not assume that their algorithms are better at scoping out what I like than the algorithms in my own noggin.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

...and a bit more on how HoC is playing out on social media.

The season has the same profile as a big Hollywood movie, a big bump and then a steep drop to a low baseline. But the solution is not to dole out viewing - Netflix has gotten a big PR boost from turning over viewing to users and giving them the power to binge or not, as they see fit - but rather giving customers better social viewing tools, such as a way to have per-episode conversations. If those tools were available thru Netflix, so much the better. It would increase the value of Netflix and make it even harder for viewers to cancel.

 

[od0_ital]

My roommate says he's gonna start it now that he's finished The West Wing.

I'm thinkin' of watchin' the original BBC miniseries that's also on Netflix Instant.

 

[Jax]

I'm thinkin' of watchin' the original BBC miniseries that's also on Netflix Instant.

Just started it, a little dated but good.

 

[od0_ital]

I'm thinkin' of watchin' the original BBC miniseries that's also on Netflix Instant.

Just started it, a little dated but good.

Netflix says that I should watch House of Cards because I watched House of Cards...

I just think that's funny.

 

[Maestro]

I liked House of Cards. Therefore, I should watch House of Cards. Now, which witch is which.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Watched the entire series over the weekend and absolutely loved it. Kevin Spacey killed, literally and figuratively.

Gotta get me some ribs on Tuesday. A full rack.

As for Netflix's model, I love it. I like that they release all the episode at once, commercial free. That's how I prefer to watch TV shows. And about the supposedly low numbers, I don't know if it's worth worrying about. Not everyone will watch the show the day it's released and I'm sure more people will catch it eventually, thus adding to the "ratings". It's also worth noting that Netflix is new and it'll take time for people to sign up and get used to it. I only signed up less than two weeks ago myself. I thought the service would be a hassle with poor selections, a lot of freezing and that it would be a bandwidth hog. Boy was I wrong.

It also got a fairly mediocre review in the Globe & Mail yesterday. The review put much of the blame on the production side due to the involvement of people with no tv experience. Being good in movies production the article argues doesn't make one suitable for the small screen.

I loved that it felt more like the kind of political thriller you'd get with a motion picture than just another TV show.

 

[Amaris]

I've been a loyal Netflix subscriber for 8 years. It would take a lot for me to give up my subscription.

 

[stj]

Tried watching the Spacey version. FU supposedly placed the new Secretary of State by planting a news story. I couldn't believe there wouldn't be more politicos doing exactly the same thing. Nor could I believe that the President/Chief of Staff would pay any attention to the news on this. Nor could I believe that FU was the only one who knew about Russo's problems.

In England, the Speaker of the House is by our standards a ceremonial position, expected to be conducted nonpartisan. The Whip is therefore in many respects number two man in a much more hierarchical party organization where the leadership is more like the boss. US parties are more like franchising corporations, selling a brand name to independently owned and operated (political) businesses.

And, a national teachers' strike? Called by the one political lobbyist for AFT and NEA? Lurid twaddle.

Got too boring for words. When I found out that Raines was available on Hulu Plus, I was done.

 

[Guy Gardener]

So you didn't stay till the little red head took her top off?