Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Renew Daredevil!

We here at Cinema Analytica were saddened to hear the news that Netflix was not going to pick up Daredevil for a 4th season, especially considering that season 3 was arguably the best season of a Marvel show that the streaming service has produced. Netflix doesn't share ratings data, but we can confirm that Daredevil does indeed have a large and passionate fan base who have taken to social media to express their anger.

If it were any other studio or network that made this decision, I would be more sympathetic. The amount of money that Netflix has been throwing at original content over the past few years has been mind boggling, estimated to be 12 billion dollars for just 2018 alone. This past weekend Saturday Night Live did a sketch about Netflix approving every idea they're pitched and throwing money at anything and everything. I'd say they spend like drunken sailors, except sailors don't have that kind of cash. This is a whole new level of content spending unparalleled in entertainment history.



So, despite a 13-billion-dollar spending budget, Netflix has started pulling the plug on its Marvel properties, which seems extra strange when Marvel is at the apex of its popularity. Cancelling Iron Fist made sense. That show was garbage. The fact that it got renewed for a second season made less sense than the cancellation. Luke Cage getting canned was a bit of a surprise, but season 2 was weak so I could rationalize that in my brain. Daredevil season 3 was fantastic, so hearing about the cancellation was an unexpected gut punch.

We haven't heard Netflix announce any drastic cut in program spending for 2019. By all accounts they will continue to spray billions of dollars on Hollywood for the foreseeable future, just not on Charlie Cox and friends. They just spent another $100M for another year of friends re-runs. We are going to get at least one more season of Jessica Jones and the Punisher, but after that, it's anyone's guess. The future is now in doubt. Jessica had a fantastic season 1, but a less than inspiring season 2 (Krysten Ritter was great but I had big problems with the Trish character). Fans are worried about the future.

Marvel still retains the rights to all these characters and could revive any of them on their new Walt Disney streaming service if they so desired. Sure, they may have to pay some money to Netflix or start the story lines over from scratch, but it's technically possible. Rumors have started circulating that these cancelled shows will be picked up by Disney +. The problem is that most of Disney's content is family friendly, so making new PG seasons of these cancelled shows will fall short of their full glory. Disney is not going to put R-rated shows or movies on their streaming service.

If Netflix decides to cancel Punisher after season 2, there is no way that Disney is picking up that franchise. Nobody wants to watch a PG version of the Punisher. Fans would be outraged. These characters can't be done justice in that Universe. Netflix did a phenomenal job with the brutality of Daredevil and the Punisher. Look no further than the prison fight in Daredevil or the final fight between Frank Castle and Billy Russo in Punisher season 1 when Billy's face was dragged across a shattered mirror. Quite truly, pain redefined. These two scenes in particular represent the pinnacle of violence in a hero-based action sequence. There is no place for the Punisher on Disney. 

There is no moral remedy for the cancelling Daredevil. Even if Marvel re-acquires it, allowing Matt Murdoch to interact with the other heroes of the MCU, there would be a tonal imbalance between the characters. Daredevil might work better than Punisher in a PG environment, but that doesn't make it better. If Disney assumes control of the Netflix shows, they will only be shadows of their former selves. Kevin Feige probably knows this, which is why it won't happen. The only hope is for Netflix to reverse their decision under pressure from angry fans. 

My suspicion is that Netflix would like to terminate their relationship with Marvel studios. That seems counter-intuitive on the surface because of Marvel's popularity and Netflix thirst for content. It does seem like Kevin Feige and friends haven't exactly been cooperative business partners since the Disney streaming service was announced. As TV critic Alan Sepinwall explains it "The Marvel shows for Disney+ are being produced by Marvel movie execs, who do not like or get along with the Marvel TV execs who made Daredevil et al." The MCU has mostly shunned all the TV properties, which basically ruined Agents of Shield. Despite all of that, Daredevil season 3 was incredible television.

There may be more to this cancellation story than is currently being reported, regarding the larger relationship between Netflix and Marvel. We don't know the details of their contract, which could provide clues as to why Netflix would make the strange decision to cancel popular shows when it's spending crazy amounts of money on all the content it can acquire. In the absence of a contractual explanation for these cancellations, it opens the door for speculation that the fractious relationship between TV executives may have played a role. 

I can't tell you what is going to happen next, I just know that I want these rated M for Mature Marvel TV properties to be nurtured and allowed to grow. The last thing I want to see is for the future of Marvel to be PG. That's what saddens me the most in this whole ordeal. I can't completely wrap my brain around Netflix reasons for doing this given their content spending spree. Something doesn't add up.

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