Netflix released a new season of Arrested Development earlier this week, and it was widely assumed that mass binge-watching ensued. My wife managed to stay up past midnight to download the season, and we did watch the first episode.
But then we remembered how lame we really are and went to bed.
We've only made it through the second episode so far, but I'm sure once we get rolling, we'll crank through the season in no time.
This new season of Arrested Development has sparked a lot of conversation about the merits of binge-watching. I personally love binge-watching. I hate waiting a week to watch a new episode of a favorite show. I don't know about you, but my attention is easily lost. If I like a show, I don't want to stop after one episode. Quite frankly, I can't anymore. If I don't have access to that next episode, right now, I'm gone. Life is too busy man.
It seems to me that the only reason I have to wait for my TV shows is advertising, and I'm sorry, that's a 20th century construct I can gladly do without.
I want to consume my television like a good book. At my own pace. I mean, think about having to wait for that next chapter of a book you're loving. If I want to set a show aside for a while, fine, but let me make that choice.
So I applaud Netflix for letting viewers decide how we want to watch a show. I hope we have this choice with more and more shows.
What do you think? Will the Netflix model become the norm or is it just a gimmick?
