It seems like every other week, networks are making it harder for audiences to get good content on their streaming platforms.
Last week, Starz announced that “Power Book II: Ghost” will end after its upcoming fourth season. The “Power” spinoff’s final season will air in two parts on June 7 and Sept. 6.
Days ahead of the announcement, Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch revealed the network’s plans to cut costs by developing new shows instead of investing in existing shows in their third and fourth seasons because it’s more expensive.
“You look at the [‘Power’] map and say, ‘OK, if I take one of those characters out and spin one of those out, I can bring that on to replace the Power show at half the cost,’” he explained of the “Power” franchise during a media conference, according to Deadline. “Now I’m putting a lot of money right to the bottom line. And I’m really not losing anything in terms of acquisition costs and subscriber viewership, because we know what those demos want. And we know how to line those up.”
Shortly after, the network announced “Origin,” a “Power” prequel spinoff exploring Ghost and Tommy’s relationship.
Nobody asked for that.
On this week’s episode of “I Know That’s Right,” I discuss the issues with not only Starz but all streamers.
The decision behind canceling “Ghost” is rooted in greed and laziness, if we’re being honest. It makes Starz’s decision to cancel “Run the World,” “Blindspotting” and “Heels” even more frustrating, and moves like this impact more than Starz shows.
Fans are still recovering from spontaneous show cancellations on Max in recent years, including “Rap Sh!t,” “South Side” and “Love Life.” And there’s no way in hell “Love Is Blind” is the pinnacle of Netflix’s original content when the price keeps going up each year and a premium account costs $22.99.
A lot of original content sucks right now, and it makes it hard to justify paying hundreds of dollars a month to keep a handful of streaming subscriptions that were supposed to be an alternative to cable. Especially when inflation keeps rising and password sharing becomes impossible on some platforms.
It’s really unfortunate when you consider the original stories we’ll never see because studio execs don’t believe they’re profitable. That’s frustrating as a viewer flipping through the TV and seeing more of the same. It makes you feel like you might as well just get cable again.
If you want more interviews, pop culture rundowns and conversations too layered for a social media thread to tackle, subscribe to “I Know That’s Right.” With new episodes dropping each week, this show is sure to keep you entertained, informed and shouting “I know that’s right” every now and then.