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Comment by mlthoughts2018 | Hacker News Reader

mlthoughts2018

Of all the streaming services, Netflix is the one I’m most likely to cancel soon. The quality of Netflix original content is dismal. They have jumped the shark. Used to invest in serious drama, now it’s all lowest common denominator crap hidden behind a huge marketing budget to capture zeitgeisty hype.

I just watched the first episode of When They See Us today: total crap. Ridiculous over-acting, awful writing that feels at every minute like a bad attempt to modify a true story into a cinematic exaggeration (despite the content of the true story it’s based on, which needs zero punch up), choppy editing that needlessly obfuscates character development and makes various scenes feel almost comically unnatural (especially the police interrogation scenes).

It was similar with Seven Seconds. I’m tired of feeling suckered into Netflix dramas that fall apart like a wet napkin.

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> used to invest in serious drama, now it’s all lowest common denominator crap

Given that it's Netflix we're talking about here, I find this extremely depressing as it likely means the studios were right; people don't want nuanced thoughtful drama, they want mediocre predictable sitcoms and cop dramas.

HBO seems to still be producing very good dramas. Prime has had one or two offbeat gems recently. I think there’s still a strong market for it, but Netflix is clearly pursuing something else.

Netflix is pursuing everything, not just the “prestige tv” niche. The strategy makes sense as it’s trying to be the replacement for cable tv and the movie industry all in one.

What's good on HBO? I used a VPN to subscribe to HBO and Hulu and ended up canceling it because I ended up watching more Netflix than those services...

Off the top of my head: Succession, VEEP, Barry, Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects, True Detective (seasons 1 & 3), Chernobyl.

Big Little Lies was probably the worst of that bunch, and is still lightyears ahead of any recent Netflix drama.

On Prime, The Man in the High Castle is a guilty pleasure despite its flaws. The bizarre spy drama Patriot is absolutely excellent.

I like that with Prime, I can subscribe to HBO within the app, and also buy seasons of some cable shows, like FX’s Legion, Fargo, What We Do in the Shadows.

I prefer that experience much more than Netflix. With Netflix, the original content has to be so good that it offsets the lack of being able to purchase non-Netflix content, and frankly Netflix originals have just not been good enough to cut it for a while.

Succession (S01) was really good IMO. And while quality is somewhat arguable, Game of Thrones and Westworld were undeniable hits.

Deadwood, Westworld, True Detectives and The Wire are some series I like. There is also Game of Thrones.

I couldn’t get into westworld or the wire. Currently watching Dead To Me, Punisher, Bad Blood, Good Girls. Not seen deadwood or true detectives.

but you can just binge HBO for one month by recording it to watch at your leisure unless your of the type which must see episodes when released.

I think the newest on HBO is Chernobyl which is pretty good IMO.

Will check it out. Thanks.

The original content of Netflix is mediocre at best. It feels the content is analytics driven and commissioned than made out of passion.

I canceled Netflix a month or so back. I just use Hulu and Prime Video.

I replaced some popular shows with DVDs. They’re surprisingly affordable nowadays.

I used to feel like $10/month was a ridiculously good deal for Netflix. Now I feel like it’s barely worth it. I’d probably just cancel it if it wasn’t the only service that’s easily accessible outside the US.

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