From 'You' to '13 Reasons Why': A look at surprising trend of Netflix shows turning into murder mysteries in later seasons
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Murder Mysteries have always amazed the audience as there is more depth in the plot. The stories covered with blood lead to a bizarre conclusion, and revealing the killer grabs the attention of people. These genres can hook the audience, and for that, television shows have favored murder mysteries. Netflix is a streaming giant that always tries to bring out unique content for the audience. It has been producing successful shows left and right, so it is the perfect place to start investigating the growing pattern of shows veering sharply toward the murder mystery genre in later seasons.
The streaming giant has had some successful murder mystery shows like 'Who Killed Sara?', 'One of Us Is Lying', and 'Riverdale'. Netflix's '13 Reasons Why', which debuted in 2017, also suddenly turned its plot into a murder mystery by the end of the second season. This enigma was further examined in the third and fourth seasons, which largely revolved around it. Another popular shift to this genre was 'You', which dropped its fourth season focusing on a string of murders in London. But why is the streaming giant taking a road toward murder mystery for its shows? Let's find out.
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A fascination for true crime
While watching a murder mystery, the audience looks for a connection in the real world. Knowing that a series is based on a true crime story, it becomes an exciting part for many. They crave to know more about the crime, and that is given through the show. In recent years, true crime has gained popularity. Netflix is likely attempting to take advantage of people's interest in crime and the psychology underlying it by including murder mysteries in its programming.
Successful shows from the genre
Netflix is popular to take insights from various shows and their success among the audience. It might be one of the reasons for the giant to shift its shows to the murder mystery genre. There have been many successful shows that have gained the eye of the audience due to their compelling storyline involving murder mysteries. The streamer might take inspiration from shows like 'Breaking Bad', 'True Detective', and 'The Killing' as they are critically acclaimed and have developed passionate fan bases. Showrunners may be adding a murder mystery element to their shows to capitalize on the same degree of interest and excitement
The boring factor
The audience tends to get bored by the original plotline after a few seasons. Since murder mysteries add intensity and interest to the storyline, it can be a factor to remove the boring factor. Shifting to the genre may be helpful in captivating the attention of the audience by adding a different and exciting plot.
As Netflix has a "binge-watch" culture, people complete a show in one sitting and they might not carve a similar plotline throughout the show. A murder mystery might be an interesting change and a way to hook the audience on the show.
This trend of moving toward murder mysteries may only be the beginning. Whatever the cause, it is obvious that this tendency won't stop anytime soon. While some fans might be let down by a show's departure from its original idea, others might find it to be a refreshing change.