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Netflix’s Best-Ever Show
How great things usually flop first time around
The original BBC version of The Office is now regarded as one of the high points of British comedy, a classic, and a ground-breaking inspirational work. When it first aired, however, it bombed, receiving the lowest-ever first night viewing figures for any BBC comedy since they started counting audience numbers.
When John Cleese, former Monty Python team member, released the first series of Fawlty Towers it garnered low viewing figures and was panned by the critics who opined that outside of Python, Cleese was clearly a no-hoper. Today, of course, Fawlty Towers is one of the most-repeated, most-watched, and most-loved series the BBC has ever screened.
When the pop group Queen released Bohemian Rhapsody everybody including their own record label hated it, calling it dull, confused, and derivative. Today there’s hardly anyone on Earth who can’t sing a few lines and it remains one of the most listened-to tracks anywhere.
These are three examples out of literally hundreds of similar examples. It seems most people mostly want what they’re already familiar with, soothing mental baby-food that won’t disturb them as they slump on the sofa consuming whatever junk food happens to be around at the time. Only later, as the initially disliked becomes familiar…
