The current state of the “show of the summer” competition

Stranger Things

I thought it “would win” due to the momentum it built over its first two seasons, its talented young cast and its presence on the wide-reaching Netflix platform. I thought it “wouldn’t win” since I felt season two wasn’t received as well as season one. Additionally, I thought releasing all episodes at once (rather than doing weekly releases) could limit the conversation around the show.

What’s happened: I thought season three was arguably the show’s strongest season. With most characters and plot background already established, the showrunners were able to flex their creative muscles. The compelling plot and wide range of characters produced some entertaining television.

Takeaway: I was surprised to see that season three hasn’t fared quite as well on Rotten Tomatoes as prior seasons. Overall, however, I think it’s fair to say season’s three reception has been quite strong.

Rotten Tomatoes Scores:

Season 1: Tomatometer 96%, Audience score 96%

Season 2: Tomatometer 94%, Audience score 90%

Season 3: Tomatometer 89%, Audience score 84%

Conclusion

No TV show has clearly emerged above the rest, but there still has to be a winner. I think Stranger Things has had the best season of any show thus far, but I also think releasing the entire season at once really limited how much (and for how long) the show was discussed. It’s difficult to quantify this, but it’s just my perception.

The Big Little Lies season has been a little up-and-down, but it’s still been high quality television. Maybe more importantly, it’s generated conversation for weeks on end due to its Sunday night episode releases. If the finale is received well, I think it’s the favorite to claim the title of “show of the summer.”