Netflix: The Sears of video streaming?

Chris

Chris

Administrator
Staff Member
Ride of the Month Winner
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Messages
71,085
Location
Gillette, WY
Maybe it's just me, but I've found that the quality of Netflix originals has gone downhill drastically.

It seems that everything they pump out today (and there's a shit ton of it) is mediocre at best.

In the early days, I remember a number of good shows, but now it all seems like it's mindless shows geared towards a predominantly teen and tween audience.

Anyways, just thinking out loud here.

I'd mentioned to my wife that if it wasn't for our kids and the cartoons they watch on Netflix, I'd cancel it altogether and only reactivate it when they had a new show worth watching.

Seems like Netflix is becoming the Sears or Payless Shoes of streaming.
 
💯 % agree - I wish my wife was open to canceling it. Amazon Prime video now has probably just as many, if not better, shows for the kids - and is nothing beyond the basic membership for the shipping perks we definitely get our money’s worth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
rasband said:
💯 % agree - I wish my wife was open to canceling it. Amazon Prime video now has probably just as many, if not better, shows for the kids - and is nothing beyond the basic membership for the shipping perks we definitely get our money’s worth.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing as well. I've noticed Amazon Prime has a ton of kid shows, the original content they create these days is better (Jack Ryan was a good one), and since I already pay for Amazon Prime, it's a win-win.

Netflix raised the price again, but I don't see anything on there I want to watch anymore, honestly. The last show I streamed on there that I liked was Travelers (which they recently cancelled), the Punisher (which they also cancelled today), and Altered Carbon... on and Mind Hunter.

But with a year in between new seasons, why not just cancel it, wait until the new season comes out in another year, pay for one month to binge the new season, then just cancel it again?

It's just endless garbage on there these days.
 
Netflix has definitely gone downhill. I cancelled my subscription last year and haven't missed it. I have Amazon Prime and watch shows there if I feel like it. I've always enjoyed reading and I find even more enjoyable as I get older. Some of that is online, but nothing beats a good old book on printed paper. I have a Kindle that I use when I travel and my local public library has TONS of free ebooks in every topic imaginable.

I used to watch every Cricket match when I was growing up in India and I missed that a lot when I moved to the US 15 years ago for graduate school. Then I gradually lost interest in the sport. But these days, YouTube has everything and all I want is a simple 10-20 min recap anyway. A good number of my friends are crazy about NFL/NBA and when the season starts it's hard to peel them from the TV. This year I got invited to a couple Superbowl parties but I was traveling and thankfully escaped those.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Nah, I'm still pretty happy with Netflix. It's seen better days, but the only thing I'd ever drop it for is probably Hulu, but that would just be to catch up on some comedy series like Brooklyn 99 or Superstore.

There's not a ton of TV series that I watch overall, but I'm still looking forward to the next season of Stranger Things and there's a lot of stuff on Netflix that still appeals to both my tastes and those of my better half, such as nature documentaries, Parks and Rec, Jeopardy, Star Trek, etc.

I'm sure Netflix is going to be hurting once big fish like Disney start wading in the waters, but as it is now, there's nothing I really ever watch from the free stuff on my Prime account and the only reason I ever seem to have to stream from anywhere but Netflix is to just rent something specifically that's not available to stream for free.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JeepZilla380
It's hit or miss now, I have a few shows I watch and can usually find a decent movie to watch. I really got into Mindhunter, the main character's attitude/personality is awesome and the general topic of the show is interesting. They throw so many garbage shows/movies at you that it's hard to find the good stuff without a painful search.
If you haven't watched the Santa Clarita diet, it is a good show to watch with the spouse, absolutely hilarious, Timothy Oliphant is funny, a side you rarely see.
 
ErikOffroad said:
Prepare for the world we are about to enter when you need 15 subscription services to get all the content that you want to watch.
#put road kill back on YouTube
Click to expand...

Trust me, I am! Now that Disney is launching their streaming service this year, it's going to be endless choices.

S.McArthur said:
It's hit or miss now, I have a few shows I watch and can usually find a decent movie to watch. I really got into Mindhunter, the main character's attitude/personality is awesome and the general topic of the show is interesting. They throw so many garbage shows/movies at you that it's hard to find the good stuff without a painful search.
If you haven't watched the Santa Clarita diet, it is a good show to watch with the spouse, absolutely hilarious, Timothy Oliphant is funny, a side you rarely see.
Click to expand...

Mindhunter is fantastic! But, you've got to wait another year or so for another season, which is why I always think about just cancelling my plan and paying for a month again when the new season comes out.

Timothy Olyphant is great. I particularly loved him in the show "Justified".
 
I really saw the content of Netflix originals go up in the last couple years. Lots of good comedy shows. Some good series. Peaky Blinders is now a Netflix show. One of my favorites. SOme good foreign movies and tv. Good war docs. Although I've watched them all. lol. I tried Amazon for a while. We still have it for prime. But so much stuff is premium I don't watch it alot. I don't like getting hit with "Oh that looks good! Oh. We have to pay more for that.". Seems like everything I came across on Amazon was a premium fee.

Netflix needs more outdoor shows IMHO. They have Life Below Zero. But that's about it. I'm big into the Alaska shows. But I just watch them on Directv. Or use Popcorn Time. (shhhh. don't tell anybody.)

Be sure to keep your own profile on Netflix tho. And separate the kids into their own profile. It will give you better suggestions that way. And keep your list from the kids list.

It is becoming a world of half a dozen $5+ fees for different streaming services. I'm about to ditch UFC Fightpass. But the alternative now is ESPN+ - which is TERRIBLE to watch fights on. Then there is consumer reports. Which I use. But not every month. And it automatically renews you unless you stop the service. Then all the Itunes crap for my son and wifes phones. I'm still cringing at the $300+ on 3 cellphones. And the $200+ for Directv and DSL. I just saw an ad from ATT for fiber with huge speeds. But it's probably only for new customers. My internets not bad. But I would love to have fiber.

All in all I'm pretty happy with Netflix. But I watch alot of reruns too. Especially series that have been on for a long time. But they're coming out with new stuff all the time. And seem to be winning some critical acclaim for them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Equilibrium31
Oh. And if you haven't watched Peaky Blinders on Netflix. Your missing out on one of the best shows out now. Just do yourself a favor and turn the subtitles on. They've got thick British accents. But it's worth it. Trust me. SOOO worth it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Peaky Blinders is one I've been meaning to watch, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I wasn't sure how good it would be.
 
BigWheel88 said:
It's like a cross between Sons of Anarchy and Downton Abbey. I enjoyed it for what it was.
Click to expand...

Ok. Did you just admit to watching Downton Abbey? ;) Kidding.

IMHO Peaky Blinders is so much better than either of those shows. Don't get me wrong. I liked SOA and watched the entire series. But it's not one I would watch a second time. Peaky Blinders I would.

Just do yourself a favor and turn the subtitles on like I mentioned. It's a BBC series. And the period accent is thick. But very worth it IMHO. ALot of people get turned off by that and turn it off. The lead actor is great. And it's got Tom Hardy in one of his most impressive roles to date. He plays a gangster like you've never seen before. shutting up now. So I don't ruin it for you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
Is Peaky Blinders still airing, or did they cancel it after X seasons?
 
moab said:
Ok. Did you just admit to watching Downton Abbey?
Click to expand...

I totally did and totally enjoyed that show. :)

agree peaky is better than both. just gave those examples of plot/theme, 1 a show about a gang/bad guys and 2. a look at how things were in the early 1900s.


Is Peaky Blinders still airing, or did they cancel it after X seasons?
Click to expand...

I think i read somewhere there will be one more season to wrap things up
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chris
The way I understand it, Netflix’ business model, which made them so successful, was basically a shotgun approach to projects. They rarely turned people down who came to them for funding to make original content.

That’s how Stranger Things came about. No one would fund it but Netflix did because they weren’t turning anyone down who had an original idea. When you look at it statistically, eventually you’ll have some winners that bring the masses and the misses just sorta go away.

The downside to the model, however, is that you can run into a string of misses, which may be their current situation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Jack72 said:
The way I understand it, Netflix’ business model, which made them so successful, was basically a shotgun approach to projects. They rarely turned people down who came to them for funding to make original content.

That’s how Stranger Things came about. No one would fund it but Netflix did because they weren’t turning anyone down who had an original idea. When you look at it statistically, eventually you’ll have some winners that bring the masses and the misses just sorta go away.

The downside to the model, however, is that you can run into a string of misses, which may be their current situation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Makes a lot of sense, and I agree, this is their business model (I've heard this from other sources as well).

I think one of my issues it that there is SO MUCH content, that it's hard to filter through the majority of it, which is just teen / tween b.s.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jack72
Jack72 said:
The way I understand it, Netflix’ business model, which made them so successful, was basically a shotgun approach to projects. They rarely turned people down who came to them for funding to make original content.

That’s how Stranger Things came about. No one would fund it but Netflix did because they weren’t turning anyone down who had an original idea. When you look at it statistically, eventually you’ll have some winners that bring the masses and the misses just sorta go away.

The downside to the model, however, is that you can run into a string of misses, which may be their current situation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

This reminds me of a recent South Park... While the show is crass, the commentary on the current US environment is often quite good.

 
Top Bottom
Back