If you’ve ever wondered why certain new Netflix films and shows are starting to sound like radio dramas with how the characters keep announcing what they’re doing, there’s an explanation for that. Apparently, Netflix has a guideline for its screenwriters and scriptwriters that prioritizes viewers who are doing something else while supposedly watching a new Netflix show or film.
The insider info came from Will Tavlin of N+1 Magazine. Tavlin wrote a long feature about Netflix and claims that several of his screenwriter friends and contemporaries who worked for Netflix told him that the company’s executives are ordering writers to specifically cater to casual viewers or people who don’t usually look while “watching” Netflix.
The specific note from the Netflix executives is as follows:
“Have this character announce what they’re doing so that viewers who have this program on in the background can follow along.”
And looking at some of Netflix’s most recent films and originals, such as Lindsay Lohan‘s Irish Wish, that method of exposition checks out. However, Netflix also notifies its viewers whether this kind of script and exposition is present in the movie or show, using the tag “Casual Viewing.”
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So if you see the “Casual Viewing” tag in Netflix media, then chances are the exposition is going to look odd or elementary, with every character narrating their actions before, during, or after performing them. Supposedly, movies with the “Casual Viewing” tag are easy to digest– even for people who are not paying attention.
On top of the forced narrative exposition, Netflix also imposed a new guideline for its writers last year about ensuring that there should be enough drama in the first five minutes of a movie to ensure that the viewers keep watching.
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Of course, it’s impossible for older or imported Netflix shows and titles to have this kind of exposition– some viewers still value movies as visual media, after all. You can almost hear Martin Scorsese’s dismissive grunt at the “Casual Viewing” Netflix movies.
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