Marvel’s Inhumans has had a rough start. Critics haven’t responded well to early previews, photos from the set reveal a host of costumed characters that frankly take a lot for Joe-MCU to wrap their heads around, and the numbers from the Labor Day weekend IMAX showing are just low enough to make some question the future of the industry with the fervor one usually reserves for accusing Millennials of killing yet another thing.
And now, some are arguing that ABC seems to be bracing for impact.
In teaser language provided by ABC, the first season of Inhumans is now being presented as the “Complete Series” rather than Season One. Many have conjectured that this means that the future of Season Two is in doubt.
Certainly. Practically every show’s second season is in doubt until the first does well. And while it doesn’t look particularly good for Inhumans, there are other potential explanations.
Network television is at war with on-demand streaming services, and the rush is on to compete. Many traditional network and cable television studios have begun experimenting with airing their series in their entirety and all at once to lure in the binge-watching crowd, a style of viewing that may be here to stay. Shows like TBS’s Search Party, and Angie Tribeca and even CBS’s newest show, Star Trek: Discovery are all courting the digital couch potato. Calling your first season a “Complete Season” might just be another way of luring in that same group, hungry for a packaged deal and wary of making long-term commitments to their entertainment options in today’s crowded landscape.
Wow, now it does sound like I’m talking about Millennials.
Anyways, time will tell if this is yet another series of reactionary hand-wringing, like those that have dogged Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD since the start, or if this time the fears have merit. What do you think? Let us know by screaming into the comment box below.