Written By: Polina Olhovska (33661919)

Mareike explores the ontological reinvention of television, questioning what TV is in the modern age. She examines television through the lens of “three eras,” identifying how its perception and role have evolved over time. Netflix serves as a “specter” in her analysis, representing a transformative force that challenges and redefines traditional understandings of television. Mareike theorises that Netflix embodies a convergence of media, incorporating characteristics of cinema and theatre while simultaneously altering television’s foundational principles. This raises the critical question: should Netflix be judged solely within the framework of traditional TV, or should new criteria be developed to account for its hybrid nature?

Netflix fundamentally disrupts the norms of linear television. Traditional television often relies on concepts of “liveness,” a characteristic that Netflix lacks. Instead, Netflix is compared to DVDs or home video due to its on-demand format. Mareike highlights this shift, observing that “Netflix also shifts established models of release schedules, on the one hand by making entire seasons of content available at once,” a practice that challenges the episodic and time-bound nature of traditional television.

Netflix operates with fewer limitations regarding censorship and scheduling, enabling it to produce original content that pushes boundaries in storytelling and representation. Love, Death + Robots (LDR), released in 2019, is a good example of this. The series blends a variety of genres, visual styles, and narratives. Each episode, produced by different animation studios, features standalone stories. The decentralised format and thematic diversity reflect Netflix’s embrace of non-linear and on-demand viewing, further challenging traditional television norms.

Season 1, Episode “The Witness” exemplifies Netflix’s hybridity. Its cyberpunk aesthetic, rapid pacing, and hyper-realistic 3D animation evoke qualities commonly associated with video games rather than traditional television or cinema. The episode also includes explicit depictions of nudity and violence, content that would likely be censored on traditional television. By removing such constraints, Netflix allows creators to explore themes and formats that stretch beyond television’s conventional boundaries.

The anthology format of Love, Death + Robots reflects Netflix’s rejection of linear storytelling. With no overarching narrative or required viewing sequence, episodes can be consumed independently, much like short films. This freedom of choice and fragmented structure aligns with the flexibility Netflix offers as a platform, distancing it further from the episodic and scheduled conventions of television.

While Mareike focuses on Netflix’s convergence with established media forms such as cinema and theatre, Netflix’s hybridity extends beyond these comparisons. It interacts with elements from other media, including video game aesthetics and experimental formats. This makes Netflix a new and evolving media form that demands its own evaluative criteria, one that transcends traditional television.

Bibliography:

Love, Death + Robots. (2019). Produced by: David Fincher, Tim Miller. Distributed by Netflix .

tomorrow man (2020). Love, Death & Robots The Witness [AMV]. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsTql9JKIVs [Accessed 16 Jun. 2021].

Mareike Jenner (2018). Netflix and the Re-invention of Television. Cham Springer International Publishing Palgrave Macmillan.