Netflix is No Longer for Chilling

Do you know that feeling when it’s pouring outside, the leaves are falling, and you turn on the TV for Netflix? Or that feeling when there’s a blizzard outside and it’s time for hot chocolate and Netflix? How relaxing it is. With shows from your parents childhood and brand new movies at the click of a button, Netflix creates an enjoyable viewing experience for all.  

You can binge watch a show, watch every Disney movie that exists, or watch a typical new romantic comedy. While this sounds great, Netflix has failed its subscribers: the shameful presentation of its original movies and shows have caused its downfall.  Not to mention the uprising of television networks making their own streaming services. 

Original shows have received a varying array of reactions.  Stranger Things is “the most popular show in the world” according to The Observer. Other original shows loved worldwide include Lucifer, The Crown, Black Mirror, You, and Daredevil. While these shows are enjoyed, most of Netflix’s original shows are disliked or not known. For example, Girl Boss, Fuller House, Haters Back Off, and Insatiable were among the top worst original shows according to Screenrant. 

 Insatiable is the most demented of all original shows due to the storyline: teen girl loses extreme amount of weight, becomes a beauty queen, ruins everyone’s lives, and kills her ex boyfriend. The end. It is stressful to watch and makes no sense. The quality and storylines of original shows are lacking—especially compared to ABC, Fox, and NBC television companies which take up 35% of Netflix’s content. The remaining 60% are other production companies and the last 10% are originals (Multichannel News).

Why focus on just 10%? Because Netflix has degraded itself through its originals. Of course, there are some decent movies. The top among the rank include Set It Up, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Bird Box, and Roma.  Roma has won three Oscars and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before won multiple MTV awards, as it is geared towards teens. The worst original films turn out to be teen movies as well—specifically romcoms. The Perfect Date, Sierra Burgess is a Loser, and The Kissing Booth are the most obscure, unrealistic and overall plain ridiculous romantic comedies—not just on Netflix, but ever made! 

 The actors in the films are from Disney Channel and existing original shows. Noah Centineo ironically stars in one of the best and two of the worst original films, proving that the actors may not be the problem, rather, the writing and storyline is the issue. In The Perfect Date, a high school student creates a dating app to escort teen girls to dances for money, but ends up falling in love. He escorts the same girl to three different high school dances in a matter of weeks. It is impractical and predictable, providing for another typical silly movie. Sierra Burgess is a Loser tells the story of an insecure girl who ruins everyone’s lives and gets what she wants in the end—friends, a great college offer, and the ideal man. The lead actress is Shannon Purser, who also plays a character in Stranger Things. How is it that the same actress could be in such a substandard movie, yet such a celebrated show?  It is the writing. 

 Last to examine is The Kissing Booth; a backstabbing film about a teen named Elle breaking the friend code and going after her beloved friend’s brother. The victim is never quite alright with Elle dating his brother, yet she does it anyway and ends up with him. There is an immense amount of screaming and crying and it is definitely not a movie you can “chill out” to.  

So what if 10% of Netflix’s content is abysmal? Now that HBO, Hulu, Amazon, Starz, and Disney+ are on the rise, 90% of Netflix’s films and shows are at risk of removal.  All that will be left are the originals! Anxious, or are you still chilling?