Tuesday, May 14, 2013

My First Experience with Netlfix Original Content


I recently finished the Netflix original series House of Cards.  I've watched full series on Netflix before but this was my first foray in to original content on a platform like this.  The pros of this kind of programming roll out are obvious.

Even though the full season was released on February 1st, I didn't start watching it until early April.  Normally, if I plan on watching a television series, I'll be there from the beginning.  Not necessarily because I'm really looking forward to it, but I don't like to have anything spoiled for me.  My daily magazine and Internet reading material has the potential to spoil things for me if I fall too far behind.  Or if it becomes a buzz worthy show, my friends might accidentally clue me in on something I may not know.  I guess I have an unnatural desire to be caught up.  But this is where the biggest con comes in.  I did watch the season yet I feel like if I did want to talk about it, I'm on an island.  Even the one person who I thought would watch it if it was on regular television doesn't have Netflix and has no urgency to subscribe.  He figured he'll just "Free Trial" it when Arrested Development Season 4 gets released and plow through them both then.  (Without being spoilery) Luckily, House of Cards isn't a water cooler show.  It was entertaining but there isn't really a lot I would want to text a friend about after watching a new episode.  It actually felt like I was watching a show that aired on basic cable last year and I was just catching up.

With Arrested Development on the other hand, I'm actually worried about how that whole viewing experience is going to go.  That was a show me and my friends would talk about and quote for the whole week before the next one aired.  What if everyone I know doesn't devour at least half the season on May 26th?  How will I know which quotes and can throw in to conversations and when it's okay to do it so?  First world problems I guess.