TV shows should release all of the episodes of a new season all at once. This idea began with Netflix releasing every episode at one time, compared to the traditional practice of releasing one episode a week.
This change meant people could watch each season at their own pace. Some people are able to watch every episode in one sitting, while others can only watch one episode at a time.
This created the idea of binge-watching, or in other words, watching the same TV show for multiple hours straight. This can create excitement because the viewer doesn’t have to wait long periods to view the next episode.
In shows where episodes come out once a week, the viewer may lose interest in the show because of the wait. This can also lead to unneeded anticipation when viewers shouldn’t have to wait.
Some may argue that dropping the entire season at once may lead to spoilers. This argument is incorrect because it is extremely easy to avoid spoilers, especially when the viewer is watching at an average pace.
Usually, when something gets spoiled for a person, it is because that person is far behind on the show, which is no one’s fault but their own. People should be able to avoid spoilers by watching even only a few episodes a week.
It may also be argued that when releasing one episode a week, shows are actually more prone to spoilers because everyone’s attention is on that episode. Anyone who misses that one episode could have a plot twist ruined for them by everyone discussing that week’s episode.
While Netflix is the main streaming service that does this, others like Amazon and Hulu do it depending on the show.
Whether someone binge-watches or watches one episode a day, it is better to have every episode of a season available to give them the freedom to watch how they want.
TV networks should release multiple episodes of a series at once – but not the entire season. Netflix has been doing this well with shows such as Cobra Kai and Outer Banks.
Some people might view this as a problem, especially if they are bored one day and don’t want to end on a cliffhanger. However, watching the whole season in one sitting takes away the fun of people discussing it together.
One person could watch a whole series at once while the other could only watch three episodes. This makes discussing it impossible and often spoils the show for someone.
Keeping everyone on the same page, however, allows viewers to discuss certain episodes.
It could be argued that releasing half of a season at a time may confuse viewers, as they could forget what had happened in the first half prior to watching the second half. While this could happen, it is not a big problem, as streaming services like Netflix have recap options that cover the main points of what happened previously in the show.
Netflix also provides a release date for the different sections of the season, so viewers can easily re-watch episodes if they are confused prior to new ones coming out.
Also, releasing an entire season of episodes at once is a problem because many people have busy schedules and don’t have the time to watch everything at once to avoid spoilers.
Services like HBO Max and Disney Plus initially followed Netflix’s full-season release, but have more recently gone back to weekly episode releases.
Limiting the release to weekly makes it easier to stay on track with a show, because people only have to watch one episode per week to stay on track with their peers.
