Why the streaming age needs watercooler shows
Last week, we saw a few muchdiscussed shows end, including Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and HBO’s “Succession” and “Barry.” Each of these series was on a weekly release schedule, rather than the full-season dump schedule pioneered by Netflix, so their viewers were always more or less on the same episode.
I love the experience of sharing a show with fans, which is largely only possible when it’s coming out weekly, like in the old days. When something significant happens during a season — that death episode on “Succession,” for example — we can all talk about it in unison. We can “process” it, discuss what led to it, and theorize about what might come next.
I was afraid that when “Game of Thrones” ended in 2019, so did the era of watercooler TV shows. But since the HBO blockbuster wrapped, full-season releases have become less common on most of the streamers and the watercooler phenomenon is still alive. Apple TV+’s “Severance” and HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” “The White Lotus,” and “The Last of Us” are among the shows that have struck victories for linear viewing since 2019, as the days between episode releases have enabled fans to interact. The conversation around the “Long Long Time” episode of “The Last of Us” was lovely during the week after it aired.
Talking about a binge show is much less satisfying. “What did you think of the death of so-andso?” “Wait, so-and-so dies? I haven’t reached that episode yet.” For this reason, I was surprised to see that Hulu is releasing the entire 10-episode season of the popular series “The Bear” when it returns for season two on June 22.
So what will the next new watercooler show be?
I love the experience of sharing a show with fans, which is largely only possible when it’s coming out weekly, like in the old days.