Indeed, I’m sure the cancellations aren’t for any one reason, but a coinciding of circumstance, such as Disney’s own streaming options.
But for me it’s disturbing if Netflix are using web monitoring to rate their shows, as reports like this suggest could be the case:
…“Consumer-insights” company called Crimson Hexagon (via Business Insider) that points to some more social media stats that could highlight just how Netflix makes its decisions regarding renewing or canceling a series.
The report states that the difference in social media chatter on Twitter and Instagram declined dramatically between seasons 1 and 2 of both “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist.” The first series that was canceled,
If these are credible stats and if streaming platforms take such figures seriously, then would Marvel/Disney really want to exclusively take on production and streaming of these dwindling shows?
The fans may be holding out for a Disney rescue, but it’s far from guaranteed.
My point was that if these stats are indeed the new way of judging a show’s success, then we’re about to see a decline in writing, with producers pandering to social media with stories that revolve around millennial flashpoint topics, rather than character; even more burden placed upon the writer to include everything scoring high on social media at any given time.
Hopefully the likes of HBO and Showtime resist this form of monitoring.