I’m an avid Netflix user and I’ve watched almost all the Netflix Originals because, you guessed it, they do everything better. I’ve watched Netflix crime shows, historical dramas,  political dramas, comedies, primetime like shows, action, adventure etc… And they have gotten it right every single time. The only thing I’m waiting for is a Game of Thrones like show as I’m sure they’re working on one right now.

The amount of content they release and the consistency and speed is really commendable. And they have acquired such a widespread audience in such a short time that one really has to comment that they know more about consumers than the large cable companies. They have been able to make shows for children, teenagers, adults – everyone. And they deliver in a quality that is perfect.

They consistently get great actors, some unknown and some very famous (Kevin Spacey) to perform landmark performances. And they do this in a way that’s very conducive to their population (binge watching). Where all the episodes are released at once and the viewer can set their own personal pace. I think this is a great system that allows people to view shows at their own pace without the addition of a DVR. Additionally, a Netflix subscription is much cheaper than a cable subscription. And maintains the same level of diversity as traditional cable subscriptions.

I think what really makes Netflix stand out is that they not only understand viewers on a great level. They have transformed their business into that of a trendsetter. They offer Japanese anime and shows with adult animation – two things most Americans have never viewed in their entire lives. They also offer foreign movies overall and, obscure British shows many people have never heard of. But they are quality and people get hooked. They have really brought a revolution in the amount of TV shows people can watch simultaneously. It is a genius business and I hope they continue to grow and introduce new TV shows to me.

My likely unsubstantiated concern for Netflix is that their quality will go down. I have a main issue with primetime shows because they show diversity in very non-geniune ways. I think many of those shows realized that viewers complained about a lack of diversity in TV so they accomodated women, black, LGBT, Asian etc… characters to balance the diversity of the cast. But I’ve noticed that a lot of those diverse characters are given either cliche roles or their characters are corny and directly the opposite of what stereotypes would put them as. It doesn’t seem geniune. I can just imagine a bunch of executives in a board room saying “we need a black woman, but not a lazy one, one who is powerful and rules”. Then people watching eat it up because of what it suggests. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that a black woman doesn’t belong in power. But it just feels so phony when it is done on mainstream popular shows. That’s why I didn’t watch Orange is the New Black or Super 8 on Netflix. The few episodes I watched felt phony and appealed to the diverse crowd. It didn’t feel like good TV and I think it’s because the creators were trying so hard to be politically correct.

I hope one day Netflix is able to create more great shows and naturally involve diverse characters like they did House of Cards (many diversities are subtly represented there).