Netflix started its move into original programming with dark and broody dramas such as Lilyhammer, House of Cards and Narcos.
Over the years, it has expanded into multi-camera sitcoms, reality programming and live sporting events, leading many to suggest that the streamer has been looking to shed its image in the boutique space.
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In fact, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos told the New York Times last year that he wish he could take back a 2012 comment where he said he wanted Netflix “to become HBO before HBO could become us” and instead say he wanted the streamer to become HBO, CBS and the BBC. “Prestige elite programming plays a very important role in culture. But it’s very small. It’s a boutique business,” he told the NYT.
However, his Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria wants you to know that Netflix is still in the prestige TV space, even if a definition is hard to come by.
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At yesterday’s Next on Netflix event at the Egyptian Theater, she said, “Those of you who know me know that I love myth-busting. And one of the biggest myths about Netflix is that we don’t do ‘prestige TV’ — or we don’t do as much of it as we used to.”
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“Now, the most annoying thing about this myth — besides the fact that it’s not true — is that nobody knows what ‘prestige TV’ actually is. Is it a critically acclaimed show? Does it win awards? Is it a show audiences love? Is it one that people at your dinner parties in New York and L.A. talk about? Like I said, no one knows. The only thing we do know is that a lot of people who brag about making prestige TV have a very narrow audience.”
She pointed out that when it was making House of Cards (launched in February 2013), it was also making Fuller House (launched in February 2016) and when it branched out into unscripted programming like Queer Eye, it was also making Ozark and Dark.
“Today, we’re making more prestige TV than ever. Last year, we had more Emmy and Golden Globe nominations than any other network — and don’t forget about the Oscar noms. This year, we’ve got some beautiful, powerful shows that meet any definition of prestige TV’,” she added.
On its 2025 slate, Bajaria highlighted series such as Benioff and Weiss’ Death by Lightning, a historical drama about the relationship between James Garfield and the man who would eventually kill him, starring Matthew Macfadyen and Michael Shannon, The Beast In Me, a psychological thriller that stars Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, Zero Day starring Robert De Niro as a former US President and Black Rabbit, a crime drama starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law as brothers.
The event opened with WWE’s CM Punk and Rhea Ripley and also included The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, Tina Fey, who was promoting The Four Seasons, John Mulaney talking up his new live variety talk show and Guillermo Del Toro sharing Frankenstein stories.
Bajaria also pushed back on the idea that entertainment has all become the same.
She called out a New York Times article – Is Creativity Dead? by filmmaker Kirby Ferguson, who argued that “Everything is thirst traps, and smash the likes, and hit subscribe, and thumbnails that all look the same, and clickbaity text that all reads the same. It feels like there’s been a dimming of our imagination and even of possibility.”
“I know some people say you can’t make quality TV or film if you do more than four titles a year. But we can, and we do — plus a whole lot more. Some people also think that everything out there looks the same,” she said. “I get it. Last year, the 15 highest-grossing films were all sequels, reboots or spinoffs. But underneath all the sameness in mainstream culture, there’s a whole lot of really interesting, creative work that people don’t always see.”
She said that’s why Netflix is continuing to invest in shows and films that “other people think are too specific, or too quirky, or too local” as well as doing “crazy ass things” such as a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. “Creativity is not dead — not on Netflix, and not for the creators we work with. They’re always coming up with amazing, original ideas we can’t stop thinking about,” she said. “And they’re the reason 2025 is going to be the most surprising, most unique, most entertaining year yet.”
interesting take ‘nobody knows what prestige tv is, but we’re making it!’
No, Netflix does not make prestige TV, and in fact almost no one does anymore because of the effect Netflix has had on the industry.
When you put a focus on algorithms and on first month viewing numbers, you kill prestige tv and pivot to easily digestible junk.
I know what prestige TV is. Apple makes a lot of it. Max and Hulu make some. Netflix makes none.
When I subscribe to Netflix (I give them maybe 1 month every year) I end up rejecting most of what I sample that has the red N, the scarlet letter of mediocrity. I watch the shows and movies they get from other sources.
Mediocrity? Apparently you skipped One Hundred Years of Solitude, which is a masterpiece. Also Emilia Perez, up for more Academy Awards than any other film. And say what you will about Squid Game — it’s groundbreaking and original. Perhaps you just don’t know what to look for on the Netflix Slate. Sure, they have a lot of shows I don’t watch. But they also have true prestige television, and the best selection of foreign language films and TV. Take a look at the terrific German shows — Kleo, The Empress, etc.
Na, prestige television is now AppleTV+. Between Shrinking, Slow Horses, and Severance that’s three of the best 10 TV shows on any network right now. And between Silo (which had a bit of a down year, but still quality), Dark Matter, and Foundation – they are some of the best sci-fi on TV. Netflix is the place to be for leave your brain at the door action thrillers like Jack Ryan, Reacher, Black Doves, The Recruit, Night Agent etc.
“The only thing we do know is that a lot of people who brag about making prestige TV have a very narrow audience.”
Personally I think most apple shows are overrated. Beautiful wide shots and snail paced plotting does not equal “prestige” to me.
Apple keeps trying to make prestige series and yes, they often fail. Monarch, Constellation, Wolfs, The Morning Show, Dark Matter, Loot, Invasion – all bad. Or they create something watchable but only just barely. Silo, Bad Monkey, Masters of the Air.
But the effort results in a winner like Severance or Blackbird every so often. So they should keep it up.
Compared with Netflix, which is almost entirely junk now, Apple is doing great.
Which seems to be okay for Apple. They’re making stuff for higher-income, educated customers (something to with selling more pricey hardware?) There are fewer people around with taste, so that explains why their audience is smaller.
Netflix churns out video wallpaper on an assembly line for the world. The world is full of people whose attention span, intelligence and taste have been ruined by social media. It’s a great business for Netflix.
I own Netflix stock but I don’t bother to watch Netflix much. That’s what Netflix is good for: making me money.