Ryan McGee worries about Netflix releasing an entire season of Arrested Development on Sunday:
The intensity in and out of the industry means this show will essentially blind everything else around it for a few days. Of that, we can be certain. Everyone will be talking about it. But they may not necessarily be discussing it.
He zooms out:
If social media/social energy is a deciding factor in which shows live or die above and beyond the increasingly irrelevant Nielsen ratings, then harnessing that energy rather than dissipating it seems like a smart business move. Releasing everything all at once results in a very loud, very short burst of interest. But it also potentially scatters that interest the nanosecond after creating it. The week between episodes isn’t just a time for people to sit on their hands and passively wait for a new episode. It’s time to analyze, criticize, and proselytize. Telling everyone about a great show you just finished is fine. Telling everyone about a great show they could share with you in real time is even better. People love watching TV, but they love talking about it even more. The Netflix model cuts off that conversation, and thus cuts off a central part of what makes the medium so great. It’s not just about what’s onscreen. It’s about those on the other side of it.
The Dish 