When Netflix first started releasing its own original scripted content, the streamer did so with the revolutionary concept of binge-watching. Every episode was released all at once! We didn't have to wait a week in between new episodes! We could watch at our own pace! It was great, and still is, but Netflix has introduced a new release pattern for some of its shows: the split season.
Netflix introduced the two-part release strategy for its shows long before the actors' and writers' strikes impacted the film and television industry in 2023. Money Heist released its seasons in parts, as did comedies The Ranch and Fuller House, but those instances of split seasons were nothing compared to those we're seeing now.
The decision to divide Stranger Things season 4 into two parts in the summer of 2022 seemed to ignite the idea and put it into practice in a major way.The Witcher season 3, You season 4, and The Crown season 6 followed in 2023, quickly starting a pattern that has left a bitter taste in the mouths of millions of binge-watchers. We've reached peak split-season exhaustion.
Whether its to pad the release calendar with more of the biggest shows (without in fact having more) or an actual creative device to best serve the series and the audience, split seasons are a nuisance to viewers and sometimes a disservice to the show itself. Let's look back at four of the most popular Netflix shows with seasons that should not have been released in parts!
You season 4
You is an easy addition to the list of Netflix seasons that shouldn’t have been split. Of course, I’m referring to You season 4, which premiered on Feb. 9, 2024. The first five episodes dropped on that date, while the second batch was added one month later on March 9. Overall, the split season totally killed the momentum of the story. The break did not feel natural. Had the writers planned for a split season, they could have worked the story in a different way that didn’t feel like a cheap cliffhanger to keep subscribers around for another month.
And, you know what? I think I’m right, too, because You season 5, which will be the final season of the series, premieres on Netflix on April 24, 2025. Guess what? Netflix is NOT splitting You season 5 into two parts. You get to watch all 10 episodes of the final season on that day if you want. If that doesn’t prove to you that splitting You season 4 was a mistake, I don’t know what will. (Bryce Olin)
Bridgerton season 3
Bridgerton season 3 was the first in the series to have a split, right down the middle. The first four episodes premiered first, followed by the final four about a month later. Look, I can understand why Netflix likes to do this with its bigger releases. You keep the excitement going and fans will be talking about the season for longer. However, it just doesn't work for some shows. Including the Regency-set romance.
Sure, season 3 episode 4 left us on a great cliffhanger with Penelope and Colin's very hot make out sesh. Though the story was finally starting to pick up, and then that momentum gets lost with a split season. It's clear if you watch all 8 episodes back-to-back that Bridgerton season 3 was never made to be released in two parts. It throws it all off and the story doesn't feel as connected. I really wish the streamer didn't go this route and hopefully correct their mistake for season 4. (Aysha Ashley Househ)
Emily in Paris season 4
Compared to the rest of the shows featured on this list, Emily in Paris season 4 being split into two parts was a little bit more natural. In retrospect, part 1 and part 2 feel like distinct entities, with part 1 building up Emily's relationship with Gabriel and part 2 tearing it down as she then finds her way to Rome. Still, even though the two-part drop worked on paper, that doesn't mean that the viewer's experience was as natural as the narrative split. We're too used to 10 episodes at once.
If the dual strikes hit hadn't Hollywood so hard in 2023, Emily in Paris season 4 probably wouldn't have been so delayed or released in two parts. But out of necessity for spreading out its biggest shows, Netflix went the two part route for Emily and others. Sure, it wasn't an egregious split with a long wait in between, but this is a show designed with binge-watching in mind. The thrill of its pacing was a bit lost with just five episodes a pop in season 4. Let's hope season 5 doesn't make the same mistake. (Reed Gaudens)
Outer Banks season 4
After dropping each of the first three successful seasons of Outer Banks on the respective premiere dates, Netflix chose to split Outer Banks season 4 into two parts. From a story perspective, Outer Banks season 4 worked out having the two, five-episode parts. We didn’t get a cheap cliffhanger like we’ve seen for other shows. There was a more natural break, but it still didn’t make sense to make fans wait a month in the middle of an unresolved mystery.
Outer Banks is a show, historically, that builds on each episode and basically forces viewers to keep watching with how each episode ends. There are so many good, cliffhanger endings for Outer Banks episodes. That worked for three seasons. Then, in Outer Banks season 4, Netflix changed things up, and I don’t think season 4 hit nearly as hard as it would have had Netflix dropped all 10 episodes on the premiere date, especially with that season 4 ending. It would have broken the internet!
Hopefully, for Outer Banks season 5, which is also the final season of the series, Netflix will drop the season on the premiere. It’s only right for OBX to end how it began. (Bryce Olin)