Ted Sarandos says Netflix season-two drop-off is getting better
Netflix’s co-CEO said second seasons remain within expectations after several returning shows opened below their first-season numbers.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Netflix is pushing back on talk that its returning originals are running into a second-season wall.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the issue during the company’s second-quarter earnings call, saying the streamer’s overall season-two performance has improved slightly compared with last year, even as several recent shows returned with lower viewing than their first runs.
The question has been hovering around Netflix after second seasons of Beef, The Four Seasons and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder came back below their debut-season levels, according to Deadline.
Deadline reported that Beef was down nearly 60% in its first week back compared with season one. The Four Seasons was down 63%, while A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder fell by more than 76%.
Sarandos said on the earnings call that Netflix is not seeing a major shift in second-season viewing compared with first seasons. He said the company’s second seasons are landing “well within” its expected range.
He also framed the decline from debut season to follow-up as a broader TV business pattern, saying it is “very common in the industry.” For Netflix, he said, the effect can look more pronounced because the platform launches shows at a large scale from the start.
Looking beyond individual examples, Sarandos said Netflix’s internal read is better than the recent headlines suggest. Across regions and categories, he said, the company’s season-two drop-off is “slightly improved” this year versus last year.
He also warned against building a sweeping argument from a handful of titles, saying on the call that “you can pick any five data points to tell any story you want.”
The company is not planning to change one of its most recognizable habits: dropping full seasons at once. Sarandos said Netflix will stick with its current release strategy rather than move those shows to a weekly schedule.
His comments line up with remarks made last week by Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of UCAN scripted series, in an interview with Deadline. Howe said the so-called sophomore slump was not something Netflix necessarily sees as true of its own shows.
Howe pointed to Bridgerton as a counterexample, saying one of its later seasons ranked among Netflix’s biggest. She said Netflix has been able to grow later seasons of some shows and is not overly concerned or focused on the phenomenon.
The debate comes at a delicate moment for streaming platforms, where returning seasons are expected to justify renewals while new series are still being pushed to break through fast. Netflix’s message from the top is clear: a few sharp drops have not shaken its confidence in the model.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.