Last Thursday, Netflix released part one of Bridgerton’s hotly anticipated third season. Hours later, impatient fans who had already binged all four episodes were anguished over waiting a month for the final four to be released. They were annoyed, but the month-long wait has undeniably created anticipation for part two.
The two-part drop is a model the streamer has increasingly used for some of its biggest shows since season four of Stranger Things in 2022. Not only does it attempt to put an end to fans who sign up for one month and then cancel, but it’s also a tactic that extends the hype around a successful show. Instead of Bridgerton dominating headlines for a week and then exiting the cultural conversation for another year, Netflix gets at least a month of publicity, marketing, online forum discussion and delirious group WhatsApp messages about The Carriage Scene (if you know, you know).
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More split season drops are on the way. Season four of Emily in Paris will be released in two parts, and season six of Cobra Kai will be split into three. It’s a clear acknowledgment that the binge model allows too short a window of cultural relevance for the big-ticket items. What’s the point in months of promotion, if it can all be over in just one weekend?
Netflix knows it’s onto a good thing by splitting seasons. They need to take things further and go back to weekly episode drops. They’ve already brought back ads, live talk shows and live sporting events – why not continue the slow inexorable march into just being cable television all over again?
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Again, a binge isn’t inherently bad. Sometimes it’s a great way to spend a weekend. But Netflix is increasingly showing signs that they’ve recognised the limitations of forcing that model on their audience. It’s time that they – and others like them – returned to the weekly drop.
