Amazon has committed a big mistake with its new Prime Video release, Fallout, a series based on the video game series of the same name. It has received great reviews from critics as well as audiences, however, the chatter about the series hasn’t lived up to the quality of the series. One of the major reasons for this buzzkill might be Amazon going out of its way to release all the episodes of the series in a single go.
The studio earlier faced major criticism for the delay in releasing its Invincible episodes. Fans were unhappy with the break between the episodes, which may have prompted the studio to go for a binge model, like its competitor Netflix.
Amazon’s Binge Model Release Of Fallout Episodes May Have Killed Its Hype
Amazon’s new post-apocalyptic series, Fallout, is created by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. Ella Purnell leads this series based on Bethesda’s popular video game series. Jonathan Nolan is attached as an executive producer and director for the first three episodes. The series premiered on Prime Video on April 10 and received glowing reviews.
However, no one seems to be talking about the series after three days of its release. Every cultural writer has apparently finished analyzing the Fallout episodes and the discussions seem to have come to an end. The zero chatter caught the attention of some hardcore movies/series buffs and they have identified one major mistake Amazon made regarding the release of the episodes.
Amazon is known for its TV model release of episodes, as it releases one episode per week for most of its major shows. However, in a rather rare move for a major series, the studio dropped all the episodes of Fallout in one go. The show’s viewership and lack of cultural discussions have pointed out the detrimental impact of the binge model, something Netflix has been successfully propagating for the last few years.
Fans on X discussed the issue and raised some crucial points. One fan mentioned that the binge model of release is killing the “zeitgeist” of the series. The fan shared the series’ finale recap by Vulture and couldn’t believe that the cultural conversation wrapped up in just a matter of 36 hours. Another fan shared that viewers also had a role in this decision by the studios as many continue to criticize the weekly episodes model.
Fans mentioned that the binge model is detrimental to all parties involved — creators, companies, culture writers, and audiences. One fan mentioned how Succession would have been a big flop if it were to follow a binge model of release. Several fans mentioned how weekly episodes kept the discussions alive for weeks. Some fan reactions read:
Finale recap of a TV season that premiered 36 hours ago. The cultural conversation wrapped up in two days. The binge model is killing the zeitgeist. https://t.co/1TTuE4YxbC
— Clay Keller (@claykeller) April 12, 2024
It's so bad, and yet if you make this undeniable observation, people will whine about how they want to be able to watch every episode at once. Everyone is a baby!
— Louis Peitzman (@LouisPeitzman) April 12, 2024
It's literally bad for everyone, from the creators to the companies to the culture writers to the audience. There is no discernible upside.
— Clay Keller (@claykeller) April 12, 2024
Can you imagine how little attention Succession would have received if it dropped whole seasons at a time?
— Keith Farrell (@kfarrellauthor) April 13, 2024
I need two or three episodes worth of buzz to decide based on said buzz if I even feel like watching the show
can't do that when a series becomes old news immediately
lots of shows I'm not watching because people stop talking about them and then I forget they existed
— The big throwaway (@big_throwaway) April 13, 2024
yea, and it makes it so you can't space it out if you have other things to do, you have to binge it within a day or two or else you miss the hype and conversation. One episode a week is easier to fit into daily life than a 6-8 hour binge
— kaitlynstark (@kaitlyn_stark_) April 13, 2024
Amazon recently received severe backlash for the delay in releasing Invincible episodes. While the mid-season break was the major factor, fans also criticized that the weekly wait for episodes almost killed the hype for the series. However, it should be noted that Invincible managed to keep the cultural conversation alive for weeks or even months.
TV Model Release May Help Better The Chances Of Streaming Series
While Fallout lost its charm within the first two days, Marvel’s animated series X-Men ’97 shook the internet with its weekly episodes. While the people had no major hype going into the series due to the lackluster performance of the MCU in recent times, X-Men ’97 quickly became trending with its hooking plotline. Similarly, FX’s Shōgun has also put the weekly episode format to its best use.
While Netflix has managed to achieve some success with the binge model, shows like 3 Body Problem would have received a greater buzz if they were released episode by episode. Fallout might probably receive another season from Amazon owing to the positive reviews. However, the studio’s best chance at creating conversations around the series is to adopt the TV model of release.
