After crunching the numbers for more than 100 serialized TV shows from over 190 countries between October 2015 and May 2016, Netflix has determined which genres you finish faster, and which you “savor.” The data is based on how fast accounts would finish the first season of shows, which on average were viewed for about two hours a day. In the end, they found we watch thrillers and horror shows the quickest, which makes sense, since they’re of course designed to create sustained suspense.
Political dramas came surprisingly low in the binging scale, even below historical dramas. Still, it’s important to take some of the classifications with a grain of salt. Certain historical dramas, like the underrated Marco Polo and Vikings were counted as “action and adventure,” and political dramas like House of Cards and How To Get Away With Murder certainly have a lot of thriller elements to them. The line between “irreverent” and “dramatic” comedies seems kind of murky too. Bojack Horseman stole some of its best moments when characters would take a serious, inward look at their pain, while Orange Is The New Black is just as famous for its killer one-liners.
Though traditionally Netflix has prided itself on not being beholden to their (secret) ratings, it seems they’re slowly letting us in where it’s beneficial. Anyway, maybe we’ll see the company produce more thrillers soon? Probably they’ll keep making whatever, and we will soak it up like TV morphine.
See how Netflix ranked all of their genres below:
