Back in 2011 I was angry with Netflix for raising the cost of their DVD shipping service in an apparent attempt to get users to discontinue it and opt into their streaming service. The streaming service had such a limited selection at the time. The poor way they executed their changes seemed to have greatly annoyed me at the time, and for a while, we discontinued our account. I swore I would never stream movies.
Never say never! One would think I would have learned that lesson by now.
Someone more insightful than I at the time suggested that the name of the company had always spoken of their long term goal to stream movies. He suggested their DVD delivery service was merely a way to raise revenue to that end. I hated the whole streaming idea!
How could they ever gain the rights to stream enough Hollywood content to make the service interesting—something more than another HBO? At the time of their initial streaming start up, so little was available in their streaming catalogue!
Well, today, I am glad to say that I was wrong—totally wrong. Netflix is absolutely one of my favorite services e.v.e.r! They have single-handedly reshaped the TV landscape. They knew they would never have access to enough content from other providers; so, they took the bold initiative to create their own. The Netflix Original was born. In 2016 alone, Netflix released 126 original series and movies1
And my god, what a gift those series and movies have been! I fully believe we are now living in the golden age of TV because Netflix has already and continues to produce an astonishing amount of exceptionally high quality content—mind blowingly good, including international content with stunningly talented global artists and actors I otherwise would never have encountered.
I dare not start listing all of the series I have binge watched just glued to the 4k screen. Any such effort would result in my leaving out critical, must-see TV.
One series still lingers with me; so, I must mention it: Babylon Berlin, a German period crime and political drama2 based on novels by Volker Kutscher. The series is very complex, very intense, and has gorgeous historical authenticity: the period-accurate costumes and sets, the acting, the screenplay… And the music to the series is astonishingly fresh and unique.3 It’s must-see TV!
I’m especially delighted when I can gladly admit I was wrong about something. (Since it so rarely happens! <EG>) I anticipated a rip off and instead was given a gold mine!
Thanks, #Netflix! Keep the great content coming!
1929 Germany during the Weimar Republic ↩
You can purchase the entire 34 track soundtrack at this link at iTunes. I don’t know if I happen to catch an introductory price or not, but I only paid $4.99 for 2 hours of music! ↩