STREAMING SATURDAY: Netflix Originals

I’m taking the reins this week as Jake Buckler enjoys a well-deserved break with his family.

I may not like it… but Netflix is fast moving away from being a source for movies and into being a production powerhouse. The company is on track to release a ton of original content, and it’s possible that by the end of 2016 they could be the largest producer of scripted TV in the world. They started small, but they’ve managed to build a stable of very reliable and well-reviewed programs like Orange is the New Black, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Stranger Things and Daredevil. Not only that, they’ve far surpassed traditional powerhouses like HBO, Comedy Central and Showtime with their comedy concerts from top names like Amy Schumer and Gabriel Iglesias.

After a disjointed attempt in 2012 to spin off its disc business and name it “Qwikster,” Netflix got back on track and refocussed. The stock tanked back in ’12 but it’s come back nicely, and Netflix, while not ridding itself of discs completely, has rebranded its disc service as “DVD.com” and while they’re more than happy to take your money, it’s not the primary focus of the business.

The primary focus seems to be original content. They’re more than happy to lose literally thousands of streaming catalog titles (estimates range at about 5,000 fewer titles in 2016 than in 2012) and put that money toward original programming that isn’t going anywhere. It’s smart, I suppose, because there are plenty of other places you can get that catalog content, but back in the day it sure was nice to think that you didn’t need any other service but Netflix to get the movies you want.

Even in the stinker summer movie season of 2016, most summer movies still aren’t available for streaming, and the obvious answer is that Netflix doesn’t want to pay the extra money to get them. Most will show there eventually I suppose, once they get old enough that they command low rates. In the meantime many can be found on HBO GO, Starz, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming services.

My personal feeling is that Netflix is emphasizing quantity over quality right now. There certainly are some good, high quality shows, but at the moment Netflix seems content providing a huge selection, a set of shows so overarching that certainly something must appeal to you, even if you’re a suburban cannibal. (Yes, that’s one of their shows.) In that vein, I present to you, courtesy of our friends at Cord Cutters News, every single original series debut for the rest of the year. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the list, which seems a bit suspect in places.