2 days ago
Netflix's split season strategy is ruining my favorite shows — and ‘Wednesday' is the latest victim
I would have laughed if you told me I'd one day look back fondly on the summer hiatus angst after one of Dean Winchester's 400 'Supernatural' deaths. Back then, waiting through seasonal breaks felt like torture; now, it feels almost quaint. These 22-episode seasons, split neatly by winter and summer, created a rhythm that made missing an episode almost unbearable.
Fast forward to today, and Netflix's split seasons have taken that suffering to a whole new, infuriating level. Take "Wednesday" season 2: Four episodes dropped, ending with a massive cliffhanger until next month. These short, split seasons leave fans dangling instead of letting us fully immerse ourselves in the story. This release strategy has turned what should be entertainment into a test of patience.
Let's be real: Most of us barely have one-minute Insta-reel attention spans. Expecting fans to follow this split-season format is cruel — especially now that Netflix has gone from $7.99 in 2011 to $17.99 in 2025.
Netflix needs to pick a lane: episodic releases or full-season drops. Both approaches have merits: Episodic keeps fans coming back weekly while full-season drops satisfy instant-gratification cravings that made early streaming so appealing. I could even tolerate an initial two-to-four episode drop followed by consistent weekly releases (which Netflix does with some of its reality shows, like "Love Is Blind"). What I can't stand is giving us breadcrumbs, then forcing another month or more of waiting. For eight-to-10 episode seasons, it's maddening.
The hype fizzles during the wait, viewers get distracted, and even clever Easter eggs can't save a fractured storytelling experience. Other Netflix shows — "Bridgerton," "Cobra Kai," "Stranger Things" — have fallen into the same trap, stretching short seasons across months instead of being delivered as a cohesive story.
The frequency of steep hikes in monthly costs makes it feel like Netflix users are getting less for more money. Many have already dropped the streamer from their ever-expanding roster of subscriptions. Jerking fans around with transparent bait-and-switch release schedules isn't going to do much to retain their already wavering loyalty.
This fractured approach hurts Netflix too. Originals once followed a reliable one-season-per-year model; now, we're lucky to see one every two or three. Short seasons split into multiple drops make it hard to maintain excitement, and viewers increasingly grow jaded. Meanwhile, subscription prices keep rising, alienating fans just as their patience is being tested.
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I sometimes find myself nostalgic for the old-school episodic rhythm — weekly anticipation, fan theories and discussions all added a layer of charm. If Netflix wants to have it both ways — a binge release in batches — it could split seasons over two weeks instead of two months. But their current release schedule? Sorry, Netflix, but it's just not it.
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