Have you heard the news? Netflix is out, and other streaming platforms are in. While it can be said that Netflix is the platform that jump-started the norm of indulging in television at home, the platform has recently faded out into a pool of mediocre content. 

Evenings at home used to be spent sitting on the couch, flipping through Netflix to watch our favorite mainstream shows and movies. However, when we now browse through Netflix we run into “Netflix Originals.” What exactly are Netflix Originals? They are commissioned shows produced and distributed only by Netflix — arguably, they have oversaturated the Netflix library.

However, some admirable outliers have skyrocketed in watchability. Shows such as “Squid Game,” “Dark,” “Stranger Things” and more recently, “Wednesday,” have drawn hundreds of hours of viewership. Netflix has even stepped into producing films, with titles such as “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” “Marriage Story” and “The Power of the Dog.”

At best, the vast majority of originals that don’t break the internet are B-grade attempts at a cash grab for the service, therefore crowding an already packed library of content. One could argue that Netflix is filling the space of losing the licensing rights to popular shows like “The Office” or “The Vampire Diaries.” However, most of the originals in the library are mediocre.  

As interest in Netflix’s content declines, people have ventured out to other streaming platforms such as Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. While these platforms have their original content, they are not being flooded by them. Instead, these platforms leave space for nostalgic classics in mainstream media that audiences get excited to watch again like “Home Alone” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” 

Netflix needs to chill out with the overproduction and marketing of original content that is simply made for the money; the internet will flock to what they want to watch. Focus on developing new, fresh ideas that elevate filmmakers and showrunners.