Virgin River Is Not A Sexy Success Story For Netflix, But Who Cares?
It's fair to say that Virgin River is not the kind of success story Netflix will shout about, but the platform needs more of that, and fewer Stranger Things-like shows. Virgin River is far from a sexy tentpole release, aimed more at the Grey's Anatomy audience, with more than a slight soap opera feel to it, but it is a legitimate phenomenon. And fundamentally, Virgin River should be the future of Netflix, or at least a significant part of it. Sadly, right now, it doesn't feel like that would be heeded.
Whenever it is quietly released, Virgin River hits the top of the Netflix chart immediately, with season 4 dethroning both Stranger Things and Resident Evil — shows with comparatively massive marketing power behind them. And Virgin River's success is all the more impressive because both of those shows weren't just hoped to hit the top, they were expected to. While there are 111 search results for Stranger Things on Netflix's press site, Virgin River pulls back only 9 (and just 3 mention it in the title). Both are hugely popular, both are four seasons deep, but they're not treated the same. There is no Virgin River Day, no panel dedicated during Geeked Week, no prime focus in TUDUM!
Related: The Best Netflix Shows Of 2021
It's clear thatVirgin River is fighting a battle to be considered alongside Stranger Things, even if fans don't need the marketing push or the celebration. When Stranger Things season 4 passed a billion hours viewed, the news was everywhere, because Netflix released the information in celebration. In contrast, during the week of Loki's finale release on Disney+, the first 3 seasons of Virgin River pulled in 2.1 billion minutes watched according to Nielsen stats. That stat is dwarfed by Stranger Things
Read more on screenrant.com
