Will Netflix Ever Release Scripted Original Series Weekly?

TV show fans were used to waiting weekly between episodes of their favorite shows. Then enter the streaming world and big companies like Netflix that changed the game.

Streaming services like Netflix have also changed the format of the traditional 22-24 episodes per season. Now we have shows that are limited series only, which can span five episodes with running times longer than the traditional 40 minutes.

These companies changed the TV scene and since then it doesn’t look the same as before. For some shows, the weekly release works, for others the story just feels like it’s being stretched out to allow them to reach the final episodes of a season.

Known for its ad-free platform (although it will soon offer a cheaper plan with commercials), Netflix was the real catapult into what binge-watching is today. The fact that the streamer publishes all episodes of a series at once was a new concept at the beginning. Now the company has been experimenting with splitting up seasons stranger things Season 4 and the upcoming fourth season of manifest. But will the streamer ever consider releasing weekly episodes like network TV?

Will Netflix Ever Release Scripted Original Series Weekly?

It doesn’t seem like this idea is floating around in the company. Speaking at a recent Variety-moderated panel at the HRTS Presidents Luncheon, Netflix’s head of US and Canadian scripted series shared that it’s highly unlikely that a Netflix Original Scripted Weekly will ever come out.

Variety reports that President Peter Friedlander said:

We fundamentally believe that we want to give our members choices as they see. [G]With these scripted series, giving them the ability to watch as much as they want to watch, when they watch them, is still fundamental to what we want to offer.

It’s true what he says. It’s entirely up to us how quickly we want to complete a season. The binge drop format was a real hit for the streaming giant and a popular choice with most viewers.

Maybe the super-size season of stranger things Season 4 could have been a good opportunity to test out a weekly release schedule. But I think sticking to full season releases or even splitting seasons in two works. Being a professional binge watcher myself, I don’t think I would be happy waiting between episodes for some of my favorite shows now that I’m used to this Netflix format!

Which format do you prefer? Do you think Netflix should try a weekly release schedule? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!