Once-A-Week Maisel Is It Marvelous?
Or, In The Incomparable Words Of Veruca Salt, "Don't Care How, I want It Now!"
I am behind on a lot of series -- you know because, life.
And, one thing I love about modern media consumption is the ability to enjoy a full series in as much time as you need.
Binge a comedy in a day? Sure.
String a drama out over the course of several weeks? Also fine.
The point is you have choices over when, where and how you watch these programs.
Except when you don't.
I still have actual cable television with networks and commercials and mid-season breaks. I accept the parameters enforced by traditional media. I understand network shows come out once a week.
I can’t, however, extend the same understanding to streaming platforms. Netflix et al built themselves on the promise of (seemingly) unlimited, readily available content. They were serving us an all-you-can-eat buffet of comedies, documentaries, dramas and more.
Then, next thing you know, they scrap the buffet, and you got to order off of the prix fixe menu, and there are no substitutions.
To keep the food theme going, I can “stomache" a service like Disney+, who established early on that it would release episodes slowly. I appreciated their approach, and thought it built a lot of buzz over series like The Mandolorian.
However, there has been a broader trend to move away from the early days of bingeable series at our disposal, and other platforms seem to be forgoing the older model and embracing the slow release of new episodes.
Which brings me to the subject of this post. I knew the fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel premiered last week. As we were still finishing another series, my husband and I missed out on this occasion.
Finally, tonight, we had the chance to watch the new season, and I was looking forward to watching one or two episodes, and however many more we chose in the coming days.
To my surprise, when I clicked on the new season, I only noticed two episodes available. I was, unlike my assumption, not a full season behind. Instead, I had just missed the only two new episodes to drop last week. My husband and I (who just watched one episode) could very easily catch up with everyone else, when the new episode is released on February 25.
I mean, there is something magical about waiting for new episodes to come put, especially for epic series like Game Of Thrones.
But, Maisel isn't Thrones, and I am not convinced this model is best for comedies.
All that said, my expectations are going to be even higher.
If you're going to make me wait, it better be worth it.