From Binge-Watching to Waiting: Why Splitting Seasons Is Netflix's Biggest Mistake

The year is 2012. You turn on the TV, getting ready to watch the newest episode of your favorite show. All across the nation, people tuned in to various cable channels every week for their shows’ weekly releases. This system was designed to ensure that viewers kept coming back and stayed engaged with their favorite programs. For example, at my house on weekend evenings, you’d likely find five-year-old me sitting on the couch, watching whatever new episodes were airing on Nickelodeon or Disney XD. Such standardized release schedules gave networks more time to produce each episode and helped integrate television programs into the daily routines of their viewers. 

Since 2012, television has changed drastically. About 10 years ago, cable television began losing popularity among consumers and was quickly replaced by the many up-and-coming streaming services we use today. Yet, many elements of the cable TV era remain. In addition to offering completed seasons of TV shows, streaming services now release new series through their own production studios and partnerships with broadcasting companies. In recent years, shows like “The Summer I Turned Pretty” on Prime Video and “9-1-1” on Hulu have gained nationwide popularity. Both use the same weekly-release technique as cable television, creating online communities on social media where fans watch, recap, and predict together week after week. 

One streaming service that continues to stay away from weekly release schedules is the number one streaming platform, Netflix. Known as the home of binge-watching, Netflix built its reputation by releasing entire seasons at once. For many, this created the ultimate TV-watching experience: no waiting, no spoilers, just hours of back-to-back episodes. However, because so many viewers finished shows in only a few days, this strategy didn’t deliver the long-term marketing results Netflix wanted. So, they switched methods. The problem? That switch turned out to be one of Netflix’s worst decisions ever. Like, ever ever. 

What’s now known as “part releases” has become Netflix’s go-to strategy for some of its most popular shows. The first major occurrence was in 2022 with the fourth season of “Stranger Things.” The season was split into two parts: Part 1 premiered on May 27, and 35 days later, Part 2 was released on July 1. While Netflix claimed this was due to additional editing time, the continued use of this model suggested otherwise. 

Since then, Netflix has used part releases for several major titles, including season three of “The Witcher,” season three of “Bridgerton,” season four of “YOU,” and season four of “Outer Banks.” The most controversial split release in recent memory, however, was the sixth and final season of “Cobra Kai.” Released in three separate parts—July, Nov., and Feb.—this marked Netflix’s longest stretch for a split season. While many fans praised the series finale, the extended gaps between releases left viewers feeling disconnected from the story by the time each new installment arrived. 

With the recent release of the first part of “Wednesday” season two and the date reveals of the weirdly spaced three-part release of “Stranger Things,” conversations have sparked about whether Netflix’s split releases really make sense for the streaming service. My opinion? No, they don’t make sense! 

As a viewer, I’d rather wait a few months longer and have the full show release at once than wait just one month for a second part. Why? Netflix seasons are short, and as a diligent binge-watcher, nine times out of ten, I finish all the episodes they release in one day. Plus, one-and-done episode drops mean no crazy cliffhangers and no rewatching episodes because I forgot what happened. 

So, while the marketing standpoint does make sense—TV shows don’t just trend once, but each time a new part is released—the viewer perspective says that part releases just aren’t the way television should be.