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On Thursday, Netflix canceled "One day at a time" after three seasons. It was a loss for fans and for television. It was a funny and funny sitcom, full of heart, which also represented groups of people who did not get enough time on the screen: Latinos, workers, gays, non-binary, military, recovery addicts, immigrants . He combined a form of conventional television – the family sitcom for studio listeners – and absolute sensitivity. It was one of the best laughs and shouts of television.
Well, as the theme song says, "This is life". And this is the television. The deserving shows were canceled because the TVs had rabbit ears. What was unusual this time around was that Netflix posted an ad on Twitter, explaining and crying its own decision.
I am not a reader of spirit. Maybe the feeling is sincere, maybe it turns out, maybe a little bit of everyone. Whatever the case may be, Netflix tries to throw away its cake and have the merit of having cooked it.
The TV sockets cancel the broadcasts all the time. But most often, they let the news go out quietly. In this case, Netflix, anticipating perhaps a violent reaction, wanted to present itself as much as a disappointed fan as a pragmatic enterprise.
So, the cancellation is considered less a decision of Netflix than something that has just happened to him."Just not enough people watched."
You could write a book about all the complications contained in this "not enough". First of all, neither you, nor I, nor anyone outside of Netflix's Fort Knox knows how many people have watched "One Day," or any other Netflix show, because Netflix – with the exception occasional example chosen as "you" – does not disclose this information.
We have an objective idea of the number of people watching "American Idol" and "The Walking Dead", as well as all non-streaming programs measured by Nielsen. With Netflix, we only have a very vague word.
And even if we knew how many people were listening to "One Day", would we know how many people were missing "enough"? We would not want to. Maybe Netflix does not do it. Netflix sells subscriptions, not advertisements. So it's not like X number of viewers translates into Y dollars for an ad. Instead, Netflix, like HBO, must perform a calculation that may be more artistic than scientific: to what extent does this show earn subscribers?
This is complicated by other unknowns. How much does the show cost? (Multi-camera sitcoms tend to be cheaper than ambitious drama.) How is the ownership of the series considered in the calculation? ("One Day" is produced by Sony and not by Netflix.)
In the end, "enough" means what it always does: a show is canceled when it is no longer worth it for the company that does it.
Netflix, like many companies nowadays, likes to present itself on social media as having a personality and a playful voice. He does not just want your patronage; he wants a relationship. He wants to be your TV friend with whom you spend time. He wants to assure you that he loves the television that you like, the best for you to transfer some of your affection to his brand.
But Netflix is not your friend, any more than ABC, HBO or the one who made your TV. No company is. This is a concern whose goal is to get money in exchange for entertainment. Hope this transaction is worth it! But this remains a transaction.
Yet, Netflix's statement – congratulating the actors and the team (rightly) for their excellent work, claiming that the series "feels like home" – makes Netflix a disappointed fan, rather than a company that made a choice.
"Do not take this as an indication that your story is not important," he says to fans who have finally figured in the show. This is good. But canceling a show is literally a judgment of importance. You decide what is more important than the money you spend on the program.
"We must continue to find ways to tell these stories," he says. Hey, I've found a way for you! Keep doing the big story you have already, using the same money you used to pay $ 100 million for reruns of "Friends"!
At a certain level, I know that I am not reasonable. I'm not entitled to more seasons of a show just because I like it. Television needs the representation provided by "One Day", but Netflix is no more at fault for having broadcast three seasons than other networks that have not broadcast, or a similar show .
Netflix is not a charity. He is well aware that appealing to diverse audiences is not just a good citizenship, but the key to a future in which he wants to be indispensable to the greatest number. He tweets about representation of women of color; he has invested in series like "Dear White People" and has been broadcasting romantic comedies.
But long-term investments sometimes mean that when you have the complex problem of creating a hit show that does not have as many viewers as you want, you stick to that. Or at least you do not cancel it for now, try to keep the goodwill of the public at the cost of a few tweets. Yes, television is a business. And one of the oldest principles of business is that talking is not expensive.
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