When Suits, the USA legal procedural starring Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams, made its way to Netflix this past June, no one thought twice about it. The streaming giant had added plenty of similar shows over the years (The Blacklist, Manifest, and Blue Bloods, to name a few, the latter of which has since moved to Prime Video), and Suits didn’t feel any different. However, whether it be something in the zeitgeist or peak summer boredom, the response to the fast-paced show has been far greater than expected.
In the week of June 26 – July 2, the show toppled Netflix’s previous viewing time record for an acquired series. Where Manifest, the Netflix hit whose series finale aired earlier this year, previously held the record with 2.49 billion minutes, Suits clocked in with a full 3.14 billion minutes of watch time in a single week. It’s a significant jump, one which must have sent executives scrambling (in the same way reporters have been) to try to understand the cause of the show’s sudden popularity – especially given that it ended its run in 2019.
The ability to stream (and binge) TV has led to smaller, more curated seasons of television, and though some excellent shows have been created as a result, it seems viewers are starting to miss the long-form seasons of network TV’s past. While Suits’ success might partly be attributed to a certain now-royal cast member (Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, starred on the show from 2011-2017), we see it more as support for the return of the older model of television storytelling, which featured longer seasons that were significantly cheaper to make.
As the television landscape has changed over the past decade, the incentive for shorter seasons has certainly been made clear. With a shorter commitment for cast and crew, TV shows have been able to cast stars of far greater success than they used to, and as a result, drive viewers to see them in action. The switch to streaming also released production companies from the pressures of syndication: in order for a show to be available for reruns on cable networks, they would need to pass the 100-episode mark.
While shorter seasons of TV are inherently more binge-able, there is something lost when a story is told in 10 hours instead of in 20 (or 40, or 80). There is less room for character development and overarching plot points, the moments that help ground the characters, stories, and universes in which these stories take place.
In its nine years on air, Suits had slow-burn romances, breakups, and makeups. Coworkers made alliances and enemies, quit their high-stakes New York City law firm and came crawling back, had incredible wins and quite a few losses. The primary couple on the show, Mike (Patrick J. Adams) and Rachel (Markle), only got together at the end of the second season, a full 28 tension-filled episodes after the characters were introduced. The show has plenty of characters but devotes enough time to truly get to know them.
The Big Picture
Suits has unexpectedly become a massive hit on Netflix, surpassing the viewing time record for an acquired series in a single week with 3.14 billion minutes. The show’s success suggests a growing desire among viewers for longer seasons of television, allowing for more character development and sweeping plots. Short-form TV has its perks, such as attracting high-profile actors, but longer shows offer a deeper and more immersive viewing experience, fostering stronger connections between viewers and the characters.
Suits is currently available to stream on Netflix.
META DATA: {“keywords”:”Suits, Netflix, long-form TV”}
Source link