Summary

The author of the web content expresses disappointment with Netflix's original science fiction programming, citing issues with execution, reliance on violence against women, and lack of entertainment value despite the genre's potential and Netflix's substantial investment in content.

Abstract

The article "Why is Netflix So Bad at Creating Sci-Fi Programming?" reflects on Netflix's struggles with producing quality science fiction content. Despite Netflix's financial resources and the author's love for sci-fi in all its forms, from the sublime to the ridiculous, the platform's original sci-fi offerings often fall short. The author criticizes Netflix's sci-fi programming for being boring and lacking in compelling storytelling, pointing out the poor execution in shows like "Altered Carbon" and films like "The Titan" and "Extinction." The article highlights the overuse of gratuitous violence towards women in "Altered Carbon" as particularly problematic and indicative of unimaginative writing. Although Netflix has successfully distributed international sci-fi series like "The Rain" and "Dark," and offers a selection of classic sci-fi films, the author argues that the platform has yet to consistently produce entertaining or memorable sci-fi content.

Opinions

The author is a self-professed science fiction enthusiast who enjoys a wide range of sci-fi media.
Netflix's sci-fi programming is seen as generally poor in quality, with shows and movies often being boring and failing to engage the audience.
"Altered Carbon," despite its promising premise, is criticized for its poor execution, including the lead actor's limited emotional range and the use of severe violence against women as a narrative device.
The article suggests that Netflix's sci-fi films either have unsatisfying conclusions or are too derivative of better sci-fi works.
Netflix's successful distribution of high-quality international sci-fi series and its inclusion of classic sci-fi films in its catalog are acknowledged positively.
The author calls for Netflix to produce sci-fi content that is either exceptionally good or enjoyably bad, emphasizing that the current offerings often miss the mark by being dull.

Why is Netflix So Bad at Creating Sci-Fi Programming?

I love science fiction.

Movies, tv, books, you name it I’m into it. I like good sci-fi. I like bad sci-fi. I’m a person who will watch a movie like SyFy’s Sharktopus (2010) and not only enjoy it but laugh loudly at its utter ridiculousness.

So it pains me to say, while I appreciate Netflix’s commitment to making sci-fi programming, they are horrendously bad at it. I can’t, for the life of me, understand why Netflix, with all the money at its disposal, can’t make good or even so-bad-it’s-good sci-fi tv shows and movies.

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It is one thing to be bad. Bad programming can still be entertaining; the aforementioned Sharktopus is an example of that. But Netflix can’t even get that right. Netflix commits the cardinal sin of creating sci-fi content, something worse than being bad — being boring.

Let’s take a look at Netflix’s shiny big-budget original Altered Carbon. Now, this type of show is right up my ally, original sci-fi content with a compelling story and world-building. If you don’t know what Altered Carbon is about here is Netflix description of the series:

More than 300 years in the future, society has been transformed by new technology, leading to human bodies being interchangeable and death no longer being permanent. Takeshi Kovacs is the only surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order.

His mind was imprisoned for centuries until impossibly wealthy businessman Laurens Bancroft offers him the chance to live again. Kovacs will have to do something for Bancroft, though, if he wants to be resurrected. Bancroft’s request of Kovacs is to solve a murder — Bancroft’s. “Altered Carbon” is based on Richard K. Morgan’s cyberpunk noir novel of the same name.

All sounds great, sign me up! The problem, while the idea was excellent, the execution left something to be desired.

First, while I like looking at Joel Kinnaman, his ability to emote anything besides snarky anger leaves a lot to be desired from his acting.

Next, the show relied heavily on severe violence against women as a major plot point, which at best seems like lazy, uninspired storytelling and at worst an excuse for someone to indulge their violent female-centric fantasies and perversions. And, finally, the story had so many extra storylines that it felt like it could have been broken up into several different tv-shows.

Even with all of that, the biggest sin was that it was boring. The best part of the series was Will Yun Lee’s original Takeshi Kovacs and Dichen Lachman as the cold, calculating and deliciously evil Reileen Kawahara, Kovacs sister.

It took me three tries to finish the series and that’s better than I did with Lost In Space, the big-budget remake of the 1960’s show of the same name. I couldn’t even finish that series because it was so dull, so uninspiring that it literally put me to sleep.

And Netflix’s original sci-fi films don’t fare too much better. They either plod along to a pointless end that leaves you wishing you could get your two hours back ( The Titan and Extinction), or they’re so derivative that you can create a drinking game off of all the other good sci-fi films they rip off ( Spectral and How It Ends ).

I get sci-fi is a difficult genre to do well. For every Matrix (1999), you have…well…the other two Matrixes, but with how well Netflix has done with other genres (romantic comedies, animation) and the sheer amount of money they invest in new content ($8 billion in 2018), you’d think they could make entertaining sci-fi programming at least some of the time.

It’s not all bad for Netflix’s sci-fi programming, however. They have the rights to some fantastic international tv shows such as the Danish dystopian drama The Rain and time travel series Dark. And their movie offerings are pretty varied with excellent films such as A.I Artificial Intelligence (2001), Ex Machina (2014) and her (2013) available to stream.

In the end, I want Netflix to create sci-fi movies and tv shows I can enjoy. Whether they are Matrix level excellent or so-bad-it’s-good like Deep Blue Sea (1999) or the Sharknado series, give me something I can enjoy and, most of all, don’t be boring.