How will we do that, one big thread for the entire season? One per 10 episodes? If everything drops at once, I don't think there will be much interest/active participation in individual threads per episode?Fun will then commence in 20 simultaneous threads
S2 apparently on Netflix June 30
- Thread starter NCC-73515
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20 individual threads, then spoiler warning individual topics.
Oh good.
I was wondering if they will dribble it one episode at a time (which would be painful) or dropping all 20 episodes together.
In all honesty, in the age of streaming, there is 0 point in releasing shows on a weekly basis anymore.
It's been proven to keep interest alive in the show for an extended period of time. IE, shows that run for eight episodes can stay trending for eight weeks, or two months, whereas shows which dump the entire season all at once only have the spotlight for a week or so and then fade away. And weekly episode releases guarantees people stay subscribed to that particular streaming service for at least as long as it takes for the season to run.
That didn't stop Prodigy S1 from trending on Netflix for extended period of time despite the entire season being dumped there.
My guess Netflix chose this date to release Prodigy as a courtesy of not competing with Discovery in any way and to coincide with kids being out of school in July. Yes Kids would be doing summer stuff but with steaming being a 24/7 medium, I still think you maximize eyeballs with this timing . I can see parents putting it on for thei kids on rainy summer days or road trips.. Also factor in the trekkies that are looking for a trek fix post Discovery may circle back to Prodigy. Makes sense from a marketing perspective.
I meant trending among the Gen Pop. IE, how long does a show stay in the public perception. Shows which do weekly episode releases are able to maintain social media presence and be an active topic of discussion on things like the late night talk shows for up to two months, whereas the shows which release their entire season all at once only enjoy that kind of attention for a few weeks, if that.
And ultimately, the biggest argument in favor of weekly episode releases in the streaming era is because it works. There's a reason why many streaming services despite have gradually adopted that method again.
I think it depends on Strategy and the type of show . Personally, I find it fun discussing theories on what's going to happen next with others on this forum. I don't think it's black and white that all shows made today should drop at once. I kinda like both for different reasons.
IMO something like Picard, is better suited to drop at once because they are basically 10 hour movies. Some episodes are like chapters of a book and are exposition heavy. The episode to episode payoffs are not always super big. Serialzed shows with self contained pay offs each episode I think generally work better in a weekly fotmat. I felt that way for Shogun for example.
With Prodigy, I think all at once probably makes sense. Kids are not as patient and can lose interest faster between weeks. Having them all avaliable to binge on rainy days or long road trips makes sense.
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Wow, I fundamentally disagree. A Prodigy episode is around a half hour, so twenty episodes is ten hours. I'm afraid I don't have ten hours so completely empty I can binge-watch it for that long. However, I enjoy being able to discuss what I've seen with people. In a "vomit-all-the-episodes-at-once" system, I can't go anywhere Trek-related online until I've seen all twenty episodes, because some people will have watched all of them and expect, reasonably, to be able to talk about what's been released. It's an idiotic system designed to cover for weak episodes by allowing people to immediately get to the next one (nobody would have minded Threshold if they could immediately watch Meld, a much stronger episode), but it's cynical and bad for fan engagement.
That doesn't always work. I was planning to watch one episode a week of resident alien, but that is impossible. I have watched almost the whole last season in a week.
For me personally, I just find a weekly release of the episodes helps me get through the week by giving me something to look forward to each week. When the entire season is dumped all at once, I have the day of release to look forward to, and in the event I do get to watch all on premiere day, than what? I have to wait possibly another year or more for the next season.
Yup.
Had France not released the season early, I would've preferred week to week. But you have the release baked in, people might get tired of short, serialized episodes dribbling out week to week and seek out a gray market solution to jump ahead, so all in one it is.
All in one go also increases the chances of trending in the Nielsen numbers, which depend on total watch hours.
All in one go also increases the chances of trending in the Nielsen numbers, which depend on total watch hours.
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When is Lower Decks S5 supposed to air?
What worries me on top of the "dump it all at once" strategy is that I've yet to see an actual trailer for the new season. All we have is an unceremonious 'we found the date randomly on the website' type of announcement. Plus, even TrekCore's reporting has been little more than "we don't know much more than you, but here's the date."
So far, Netflix isn't doing a damn thing to advertise the show - not even reaching out to the main Trek news sites for press releases. It just reeks of them burning it off in one go, which will result in it quickly passing out of the public eye, and crash hopes of a third season.
I hate being all doom-and-gloom about it, but this is a known process that Netflix has done year after year that's killed off shows and movies. I can only hope that Paramount still has home video rights to release the season on blu-ray so it's not locked in Netflix jail until they purge it from the site like Paramount+ did.
I would have preferred release in blocks of 5 or 10 episodes, but you make good points.
This article contains episode names (hopefully the official ones for the original, English-spoken version) along with directors and writers: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/star-trek-prodigy-season-2-confirms-july-2024-netflix-return/
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