Posted in: Amazon Studios, Disney+, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: binge, Fallout, opinion, streaming, X-Men '97

"Fallout" Fallout? X-Men '97 X-Poses Our Need to Dump "Binge-Dropping"

Prime Video's Fallout. Disney+'s X-Men '97. Two excellent streaming series on opposite sides of the ongoing "binge-dropping" debate.

I was trying to come up with some fancy, highly intellectual way to kick off this piece – but at this point, why beat around the bush? In terms of television and serialized storytelling goes, "binge-dropping" shows sucks. It always has. It always will. Want proof? Look no further than the current tale of two streaming series playing out in front of us right now. With Prime Video's Fallout, we have the second-best video game adaptation that's come across our screens (with HBO's The Last of Us sitting atop that list), dropping its eight-episode season on April 10th. While the series has been getting rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, that buzz that the show is experiencing is effectively on a timer – one that has nothing to do with the show itself. Because with all episodes out, what else is there to start promoting once we hit the one-week mark? Maybe a rewatch party? Possibly new featurettes? That also doesn't factor in that other series – on Prime Video and other services – will be competing with it for headline space and viewers' attention.

Also, on April 10th, Marvel Studios dropped X-Men '97 S01E05: "Remember It" on Disney+, and fans on social media are still losing their collective shit over it four days later – calling it some of the best Marvel storytelling in years. We've seen the show's writers, producers, and cast members (like Lenore Zann, aka Rogue) reaching out to fans on social media and having dialogues with them. Head on over to YouTube and check out the number of review & reaction videos there are – for just this one episode (and the show still has five more episodes to go). What's one of the biggest reasons why Marvel Studios is seeing one of its biggest hits ever? The viewers have been given the time to watch, process & appreciate the storytelling taking place in every chapter – and to be able to speak with others (fans, professionals associated with the show, and others) about what it all means.

Now, do I think this is going to impact Fallout getting a second season? Nope, not at all – but I will be shocked if Prime Video doesn't release the second season of Fallout like it does The Boys: 3 episodes upfront and weekly drops after that. Everybody gets a little something out of the deal – and those who only want "binge-drops" should be thankful for even getting that. Why? Because now that Netflix has pretty much won "The Streaming Wars" (for now), we're going to be seeing a lot less money being spent on content – not a bad thing when you consider how much quality programming got lost in the mix as streamers were pumping out shows left and right. But that also means that the shows that are being produced will have to have longer "shelf lives" – so the days of dropping $250M series in one day are slowly dying on the streaming vine.

But we've been seeing it coming for some time, haven't we? Along with Prime Video, we've seen Hulu, Disney+, Max, and others experiment with different release schedules. Even Netflix – which still acts like it's "ride or die" with "binge-dropping" – has been playing fast & loose with its previously rigid release policy, utilizing split-season approaches and even daily releases. And does anyone really believe that the second seasons of The Sandman and Wednesday are going to drop all at once? So maybe it's time to tell the impatient folks out there that Television isn't Film and that it's the serialized journey that makes the television-viewing experience unique. If studios & streamers are worried about the pushback, here's something for them to remember. You once thought viewers would never accept a television season of less than 20 episodes or would be willing to wait over a year for a new season.

But let's not leave out the studios & streamers from all of this because there's a heavy responsibility that comes with releasing weekly – keeping your viewers engaged during that week from one episode to the next. There are a number of shows that have done – and continue to do – excellent jobs at keeping the viewers engaged. STARZ's "Power" series and Max's Peacemaker are just two off the top of my head – but there are many more that would serve as "role models" on how to do it right. That means that there needs to be a steady flow of things like watch parties, featurette videos, trailers/images for upcoming episodes, and more to make those six days between episodes feel like six hours. Sure, that's extra work stretched out over a longer period of time – but the kind of following that a show like X-Men '97 has over only a half-season is current streaming proof that the hard work can pay off ten-fold.

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