a Cheer for Netflix

I know Netflix has had a steady stream of advocates and haters over the last year. I myself migrated away from cable and television long ago. I began with the little red envelopes that would come in the mail and later weaned myself off them to streaming on my computer, table and finally back onto big screen at home. But after reading a very insightful article in this month's GQ magazine, I have become an even bigger endorser. Head honcho Reed Hastings has an impressive ideology on all fronts from his consumers to the very people working in his offices.

First off - he speaks that television, cable and even the film industry with its endless train of previews, season premieres and cliff hangers - leave us all in a perpetual zone of waiting - for that next episode. No one cares about prime time or Neilsen ratings anymore. Why should we not have the convenience of what we want when we want it? How easy it is to get sucked into the entire season of Ugly Betty in one huge orgy of an evening. Or the opposite; taking the needed pause when watching an epic Merchant/ Ivory film.

And now that Netflix is offering it's own slate of series, they are hoping to expand the possibilities of small screen. Attracting the visionary talent that wants to push barriers without the "box" imposed by a major network. And who is to say that an ideal episode needs to be defined in 24 or 47 minutes? Can I say that I have eagerly been waiting the reboot of fan fave Arrested Development for the last 2 years and will gladly pony up my bucks for it. Or the concept of telling us what we like based on viewing algorithms so we don't bother wasting that valuable time on some corny movie that looked much better than the preview we saw at the cineplex.

And then there is the work environment nurtured by headquarters. There is no limit of vacation time or sick pay. As long as the job is done well - no questions asked. "You don't have to give up your life to do your job incrdibly well" he says. He even flew his entire staff in for the Arrested Development wrap party where they all took pics on the Bluth mobile and ate via a taco truck & chocolate covered bananas from the Bluth banana stand. How cool is that!