I believe one of the greatest disappointments of the last decade in television is the trend of binge releases, huge delays between seasons, and a lower episode count. At first, it was new and exciting. BingingHouse of CardsandStranger ThingsonNetflixcaused explosions of hype and fueled cultural phenomena where shows such as these took over the zeitgeist. Even the wait and reduced season length built the excitement to a fever pitch forGame of Thrones' seventh and eighth seasons. However, the cost of this has been an over-saturation of content, mainly made up of mediocre media and shows failing to live up to the promise that the long build-up created. Theweek-to-week streaming model and annual releases of 10-22-episode seasons haven’t been completely lost, but it certainly isn’t the favored pathof most studios at the moment.
However, a recent statement in an interview withThe Hollywood Reportermarked a different approach from what we normally see from one of the biggest studios for releasing TV shows, Marvel. Thehead of Marvel television and animation,Brad Winderbaum, gave his support for the annual release modelregardingDaredevil: Born Again, bringing us full circle with the week-to-week release schedule and full season lengths thatBorn Againalready possessed. There are certainly risks that come with this due to the nature of the superhero genre and past effects that a rushed slate has had on the quality of programs released, but it may be a risk worth taking currently.
During his interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Winderbaum explained how the positive feedback ofDaredevil: Born Againhad given them the “confidence” to release seasons “annually.” Akey aspect to this was seemingly the fact that “people were watching it as a season four, not at as a first season.“Considering how big of a shift the reshoots were in makingBorn Againmore of a continuation of the Netflix original, by bringing back characters such as Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) andKaren (Deborah Ann Woll), it appears to be this that is mainly to thank for this success, and likely giving the creatives at Marvel far more confidence.
According to Winderbaum, this is also part of Marvel’s shift away from their strategy of limited releases. These have made it “really challenging to produce second seasons” due to the “marquee names” involved. A focus on consistency and quality over grabbing attention with big actors is certainly something more expected within TV, where the budgets are typically smaller and, as Winderbaum said, “the margins are smaller.” When we look at the other shows releasing this year for Marvel, such asIronheartandWonder Man, these also seem tomaintain a smaller scale that focuses on the individual narrative, rather than the wider MCU, asBorn Againdid too.
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The potential upside of this decision should benefit Marvel hugely compared to their limited releases or other studios’ long gaps between seasons. Seeing a show annually keeps the momentum high year upon year, and it means fans don’t have to go on massive rewatch binges to remember what they have already seen. When keeping a show in the zeitgeist (A.K.A. relevant) is the number one priority of most studios, an annual release greatly assists this. Furthermore, this means that, even if one season isn’t the most impactful or well-received, it can be rectified relatively quickly. This is part of what we are already seeing withBorn Again, aswhile the first season was arguably only a set up for Season 2, the biggest news coming out right now is all about the future, with set photos greatly helping this as, rather than critiquing what we got, people only care about what it means moving forward. When we compare this toHouse of the Dragon, people were arguably far more critical of the anti-climax because they knew how long the wait would be until the next time we saw these characters.
However, just because there is a lot to love about this announcement doesn’t mean there are no downsides to the annual model. Wecertainly shouldn’t ignore the dangers that come with a more compact schedule.Born Againis not a show akin to a soap opera, such asEastenders,or a sitcom, such asBig Bang Theoryand2 Broke Girls.These Marvel shows require complex VFX work, and while Winderbaum admitted he did not want the team to feel “rushed” in telling the best story, a poor post-production can derail the project’s tone if the visual aspects look amateurish.Recently in Marvel, there has been an issue of this kind withShe-HulkandSecret Invasion,where key aspects of the show, such as Jennifer Walters' (Tatiana Maslany) hulked-out design, look too smooth and produce an uncanny valley effect.
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Sometimes you don’t want to wait three years between seasons.
A Better Planned Multi-Year Slate Should Help to Keep Marvel Productions Lean
I don’t want to be too negative on these risks, so I’ll leave you with a more hopeful tone. While an annual release schedule will mean tighter turnarounds for writers, actors, andVFX artists, if they are able to give their complete focus to one project, rather than being spread thin, these small margins should be fine. Recently, it was announced that Kevin Feige had a new 10-year plan for Marvel, which feels like a return to the first three phases of the MCU, where each project is building towards a specific narrative event or character arc. Thebiggest issue with the packed schedule seemed to be that animators weren’t given notice for moving deadlinesbecause everything was such a mess, but sticking to one vision should prevent this from happening again.
Overall, while Winderbaum’s comments should be met with excitement, there are definitely risks with this approach. However, since its beginning with casting a supposedly washed-upRobert Downey Jr., Marvel has been defined by the success of the risks it has taken. Whether this joins that illustrious history of chances taken is yet to be seen, butconsidering it focuses on speed and consistent releases, it won’t be too long before we find out.
Daredevil: Born Again
