Renegade Nell Likely Another Casualty of the Binge-Watch Model

I know a lot of people love the binge-watch model as a consumer. It sucks having to wait a week for a new episode, especially if you’ve grown up with streaming platforms. However, the cancellation of Renegade Nell continues to show that the binge-watch model isn’t working for the shows.

Disney+ has decided not to renew Renegade Nell for a second season. It’s highly likely that it’s linked to financial reasons. There probably weren’t enough subscribers watching to justify the cost of producing another season. Historical fiction is expensive to produce, and when you add magic into that, the costs add up.

This was a great show, though. It was one of those that worked for the whole family, and it’s a shame that it has not been renewed. I do put the blame on the binge-release model.

One of the issues with the binge model is that it relies on people knowing that the shows are coming out. This is great for the likes of a Star Wars show or something like House of the Dragon, where there is already a lot of hype around it. But take a look at those shows. They’re still weekly releases. When it comes to the biggest shows, the streaming platforms aren’t opting for the binge release all that often.

Renegade Nell’s drop was quiet. It’s a huge issue with streaming platforms. If people don’t know a show is coming, they’re not going to know to check it out! With the first weekend being the most important time for a binge-watch show to gain its audience, it means that knowing it’s out is even more important. Once the show has been available for a few weeks or months, people have completely forgotten about it.

At least with the weekly release, there is a new episode each week. People chat with friends or they take to social media to share their thoughts. This leads to more people learning about the show. There aren’t too many episodes to catch up on, meaning that they will then quickly watch and then wait for the next episodes to air. With the attention during the airing of the show, it’s more likely to be renewed.

No, this doesn’t always work. However, it works more than a binge-release does. Take a look at recent shows that have been canceled. Outer Range and American Rust were recently canceled by Amazon, and American Born Chinese and The Brothers Sun canceled by Disney+ and Netflix respectively. Even in recent years, we’ve seen The Wild, Daybreak, With Love, and much more canceled.

While some weekly shows have been canceled as well, this doesn’t happen as often. It shows that if people have more time to catch up, they’re likely to watch.

So, Renegade Nell has become another victim of the binge-watch model. And streaming services wonder why people don’t give new shows a chance. What’s the point in getting invested when they’re just canceled on us?

Source: TVLine