New Data Suggests Long Waits Between Seasons Are Hurting Viewership on Netflix Hits

[Anwar]

Yeah, one thing was made Netflix stand out (at first) was how professional and expensive every series they put out, no matter how short, looked.

I mean, look at how low budget a Showtime series like "Masters of Horror" looked in 2005 and you'll see what a cheap production really looked like.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I would say there are variables. If a foreign show, then that will obviously vary in quality; even if it is the best they can do, often the budgets are much smaller than the average Hollywood budget.

Just for example, Canadian domestic productions, for a long time were criticized by Canadians for having a decidedly low-budget feel, and among Canadians, it has carried a social stigma. This has improved dramatically over the last decade, but you can imagine the the allure of higher-budget productions across the border making domestic productions harder to compete.

And then there's the fact that in Canadian productions, the pool of actors is much smaller, so you might see actors guest star on multiple shows.

 

[Anwar]

I would say there are variables. If a foreign show, then that will obviously vary in quality; even if it is the best they can do, often the budgets are much smaller than the average Hollywood budget.

Just for example, Canadian domestic productions, for a long time were criticized by Canadians for having a decidedly low-budget feel, and among Canadians, it has carried a social stigma. This has improved dramatically over the last decade, but you can imagine the the allure of higher-budget productions across the border making domestic productions harder to compete.

And then there's the fact that in Canadian productions, the pool of actors is much smaller, so you might see actors guest star on multiple shows.

I'm remembering when Ty Olsson was on "Hell on Wheels" (Alberta) and Once Upon a Time (Vancouver) within a week....and in both episodes he wound up decapitated.

Gotta be some kind of record for that.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I'm remembering when Ty Olsson was on "Hell on Wheels" (Alberta) and Once Upon a Time (Vancouver) within a week....and in both episodes he wound up decapitated.

Gotta be some kind of record for that.

Both of those are American productions on Canadian soil, hiring Canadian crews, which is a bit different as they generally have higher budgets. Just had to point that out.

Unfortunate timing for that actor though, which is kind of funny given they would have had completely different shooting schedules.

 

[Anwar]

Both of those are American productions on Canadian soil, hiring Canadian crews, which is a bit different as they generally have higher budgets. Just had to point that out.

Unfortunate timing for that actor though, which is kind of funny given they would have had completely different shooting schedules.

Oh I know what you mean. I was watching "Jason X" for the first time in like 20 years and that was like 100% Canadian except for Kane Hodder...the production values made it look like some Kids show from the mid to late 90s.

 

[Owain Taggart]

^ Exactly! We more than make it up via the writing though. I did watch Made in Canada/The Industry a few years ago, which is an early 2000's sitcom and it was quite rough.

 

[Harper3.0]

Oh I know what you mean. I was watching "Jason X" for the first time in like 20 years and that was like 100% Canadian except for Kane Hodder...the production values made it look like some Kids show from the mid to late 90s.

I love that one. The fact that they recognized they whole thing was stale, and they went ahead and made a parody/comedy out of it is fantastic. And come on, it's got David Cronenberg, Lisa Ryder, and Lexa Doig.

 

[Anwar]

^ Exactly! We more than make it up via the writing though. I did watch Made in Canada/The Industry a few years ago, which is an early 2000's sitcom and it was quite rough.

I started watching one of the only times Teletoon tried to make a live action series, "Majority Rules" from 2009....looks like a wannabe Nickelodeon show like they were trying to copy iCarly.

I love that one. The fact that they recognized they whole thing was stale, and they went ahead and made a parody/comedy out of it is fantastic. And come on, it's got David Cronenberg, Lisa Ryder, and Lexa Doig.

And the Professor in charge of the future students was Link from the Legend of Zelda cartoon!

Plus the Persian Ambassador from 300!

 

[Owain Taggart]

I started watching one of the only times Teletoon tried to make a live action series, "Majority Rules" from 2009....looks like a wannabe Nickelodeon show like they were trying to copy iCarly.

Somehow, I'm not surprised. At one point, everyone seemed to want to want their own live-action teen drama after the success of iCarly and Hannah Montanah. And Canadian shows from the early 2000's were just really rough, although there were exceptions like Corner Gas.

 

[Anwar]

Somehow, I'm not surprised. At one point, everyone seemed to want to want their own live-action teen drama after the success of iCarly and Hannah Montanah. And Canadian shows from the early 2000's were just really rough, although there were exceptions like Corner Gas.

Corner Gas, Degrassi TNG.

Instant Star wasn't bad, but the age stuff between the lead and her love interest was icky.

Dark Oracle was pretty good, from what I remember.

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

 

[Smiley]

I used to watch classic doctor who on demand on Pluto TV before the BBC uploaded all the serials to youtube.

Thank you for mentioning this. It's going to save me so much time compared to checking out DVDs from the library. They even have subtitles that are pretty good.

When it comes to Season 2 and beyond for streaming shows, people are going to want to watch them when it is convenient for them, not necessarily right when they drop. That is why people are on streaming platforms to begin with (plus it being much cheaper than standard cable packages).

 

[Owain Taggart]

Corner Gas, Degrassi TNG.

Instant Star wasn't bad, but the age stuff between the lead and her love interest was icky.

Dark Oracle was pretty good, from what I remember.

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

Yeah, every once in a while, you get a show that punches above its weight. It's quite rare though in our industry. I actually can't remember the last Canadian domestic show to do that.

 

[Anwar]

Yeah, every once in a while, you get a show that punches above its weight. It's quite rare though in our industry. I actually can't remember the last Canadian domestic show to do that.

Schitt's Creek?

 

[Owain Taggart]

Oh yeah, don't know why but I had a mind blank on that. Definitely the latest success story, and it's great when our shows end up being international successes as well.

 

[Steve Roby]

Letterkenny has had some success outside of Canada. Murdoch Mysteries is being shown in over a hundred countries.

 

[oktay]

Schitt's Creek?

Oh yeah, don't know why but I had a mind blank on that. Definitely the latest success story, and it's great when our shows end up being international successes as well.

*Heated Rivalry*—one of the most talked-about shows of recent years—premiered on a Canadian streaming platform and was subsequently licensed to HBO Max in most territories, with the notable exceptions of the MENA region, Turkey, and a few other countries. Meanwhile, *yaga*—another series from that same Canadian platform starring Hudson Williams and Carrie-Anne Moss—is set to launch next month; it will air on the original Canadian platform, as well as on Sky in the UK and Ireland, HBO Max across the rest of Europe (including Turkey), AMC+ in the US, Foxtel in Australia, and Sky New Zealand in New Zealand.

 

[Anwar]

There's also Sullivan's Crossing and Son of a Critch.

 

[Harper3.0]

Letterkenny has had some success outside of Canada. Murdoch Mysteries is being shown in over a hundred countries.

Yeah, Letterkenny got a decent amount of attention in the US. Trailer Park Boys, too, although I never understood that one. A lot of folks asked would ask me about those, knowing I'm Canadian.

Da Vinci's Inquest was shown down here for a while on some stations, as was Corner Gas.

 

[Owain Taggart]

*Heated Rivalry*—one of the most talked-about shows of recent years—premiered on a Canadian streaming platform and was subsequently licensed to HBO Max in most territories, with the notable exceptions of the MENA region, Turkey, and a few other countries.

Oh yes, Heated Rivalry. Forgot that one because well, I'm not really into the subject matter.

Letterkenny has had some success outside of Canada. Murdoch Mysteries is being shown in over a hundred countries.

Yes, Letterkenny is definitely a popular one. Coincidentally, it's shot in my area, and the spinoff Shoresy uses even more of my city's landmarks. There is a local restaurant that is owned by one of the actors.

I also believe Heartland is a popular export.

 

[oktay]

I came across a comment on Twitter regarding film projects involving the cast of *Off Campus*—a Prime Video hockey series that achieved massive overnight success last May. It turns out that, unlike the new *Star Trek* shows—which include clauses such as non-compete agreements—many series incorporate a "right of first priority" clause into actors' contracts; under this provision, while actors are permitted to work on other films and series, their shooting schedules must align with the primary series in question. In other words, actors participating in other projects is not the reason for the long gaps between seasons. The actual reasons are likely high production costs, the fact that filming a single season takes a year or longer, or external factors such as the pandemic and strikes.