In 2025, there were various television shows that came out periodically, releasing a set amount of episodes weekly or even monthly, intended to keep viewers interested instead of releasing all the episodes together. As a result, audiences could not binge watch the shows all at once and were required to wait for the next release. Some believe that this method is a waste of time and causes viewers to lose interest, while others think it is a great way to keep fans entertained over a longer period. Generally, this tactic by producers has proven by audiences to be very effective in increasing the popularity of a show.
A popular show that has released its episodes periodically is “Stranger Things.” Over the course of 10 years, “Stranger Things” has released five seasons, each consisting of eight to nine episodes. The first two seasons were released to Netflix altogether in 2016 and 2017; however, as the show gained popularity around Season 3, they started releasing the show in different parts. Three years after the third season, in 2022, the fourth season was released in two parts with about a month in between the launches. Leaving the fans on this month-long cliff-hanger established communities of people who theorized about what might happen next as they anticipated the arrival of new episodes. In 2025, another three years later, “Stranger Things” launched the first of three parts of Season 5. The awaited arrival kept fans engaged with the series for about two months. Although a majority of fans continued to pay attention to the series over the decade, many lost interest. Additionally, many of the viewers had started watching “Stranger Things” when they were younger and as they grew up, they could find it harder to relate to the show, causing the audience to lose interest in the series.
Another show that has released its episodes periodically is “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” This popular series consists of three seasons, based off of the book series by Jenny Han. The show premiered its first three episodes on June 17, 2022, then released the rest of the episodes weekly. “The Summer I Turned Pretty” quickly gained traction and became admired by people around the world. After the success of the first season, two more seasons were launched and a movie is currently being filmed. Over the past summer, a new episode would be released every Wednesday, which would leave the viewers something to look forward to each week. However, viewers would easily get annoyed and give up on actually watching the show because of the way that the episodes would end with big cliffhangers.
Furthermore, series like “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “Bridgerton” and “The Last of Us” have all released their episodes weekly. They all premiere their episodes periodically in order to gradually gain attention. This common tactic is used to allow the viewers to discuss the show in between releases and form new hypotheses about what will happen in the following week. It gives the fans time to talk about each episode and spread the show to a larger audience.
In comparison, series like “Emily in Paris,” “Gossip Girl” and “Never Have I Ever” launched their episodes all at once. While these shows are still very popular, their fame is limited. For instance, “Never Have I Ever” spent less than three weeks in Netflix’s top ten television shows list; meanwhile, the latest season of “Stranger Things” spent about six weeks in Netflix’s top ten list when it came out. Despite being in the top ten, the fame of “Never Have I Ever” was very short-lived in contrast to a series that released its episodes periodically. The shows that launch all of their episodes at once tend to be forgotten by their audience shortly after the release.
Although releasing episodes of a show periodically could cause a loss of interest among fans, it has proven to be more beneficial than launching a season all at once. If released over the course of a few weeks or months, the series typically gains more and more popularity and viewers in comparison to shows that are launched in full. Revealing episodes periodically also gives fans something to look forward to after they get caught up with the newest release. While some viewers could be impatient and stop watching the series, launching episodes at separate times is what keeps the audience engaged.
