"So in a way Netflix had to learn how to push slop. Because they can't make their own Star Wars or MCU or Friends or whatever. It's just not easy to build a catalog of reliably-profitable franchises. Especially when many of those franchises were born decades before Netflix even existed."
They could try. The budget for the first seasons of Friends was the same as any other sitcom of that era.
Sitcoms would be perfect for streaming companies but non of them seem to get that for some reason.
> Sitcoms would be perfect for streaming companies but non of them seem to get that for some reason.
The second longest (by episode count) non-animated, scripted original series at Netflix is a sitcom, The Upshaws. I’m not aware of any streaming service that doesn't do original sitcoms.
I’m not convinced, though, that sitcoms are all that great a fit for streaming—I don't think any genre other than maybe talk shows has been more dependent for initial launch on pre-streaming broadcast/cable viewership habits and viewing block placement to catch people already watching already-successful similarly targeted shows.
The problem is that you can't parasitically launch a sitcom off on streaming by placing it in a subsequent timeslot to an establish sitcom with similar audience targeting. At least not with the present streaming model, though I suppose if streamers would bother to make more advanced autoplay viewing models than by-series you could do something similar.
They could try. The budget for the first seasons of Friends was the same as any other sitcom of that era.
Sitcoms would be perfect for streaming companies but non of them seem to get that for some reason.