Did Netflix’s surprise release of The Cloverfield Paradox overshadow Altered Carbon?

The A.V. Club

“There’s only room for one big streaming release in the average media cycle,” says Alex McLevy. And the surprise release of the sci-fi movie The Cloverfield Paradox during the Super bowl seemed to come at the expense of the release of the sci-fi series Altered Carbon, which was released two days earlier. “This is merely the most glaring example of a flawed business model that can’t see the forest for the trees,” says McLevy. “Netflix has poured truly staggering amounts of money into its programming, but is building a system where almost none of those shows and movies have room to thrive.” He adds: "That method of doing business—of sacrificing awareness of numerous other programs on the alter of carefully selected potential blockbusters—is the real tragedy of the service’s business plan. As Netflix rushes more and more shows, comedy specials, documentaries, and films onto its site every week, many of these promising forms of entertainment are falling victim to the streaming service’s chosen few highlights. Sure, it makes sense on a certain level to program a romantic comedy for fans of that genre, an action movie for the adrenaline junkies, and a thoughtful period piece for those seeking more highbrow fare, but in terms of actual attention—or opportunity to be introduced to these programs in a way that engages our attention more than just the next still image of some new series we’ve never heard of, as we idly scroll through the list of options on the home screen like bored Tinder users—that chance to make an impression disappears.”

ALSO:

• Altered Carbon’s visual effects supervisor on Blade Runner: “We knew going into this that we would be compared to it, so we tried to embrace it, but not be a copy; to try and give it our own spin”
• Altered Carbon’s costume designer: “I think we fit probably over 2,000 costumes over the course of the show, and then custom-made somewhere in the realm of 500 pieces or more”