When Netflix announced it was reviving the cult hit FOX comedy “Arrested Development” back in 2011, the company changed the industry forever.
After an extensive marketing campaign and years of anticipation, season four of the comedy debuted in its entirety on May 26, 2013, and followers of the show eagerly binge-watched. While hardcore fans may still bicker over the quality of the fourth season, the experiment worked and the “Arrested Development” revival is considered a rousing success — as Netflix no doubt expected considering how much people were already streaming the first three seasons.
Netflix doesn’t get specific in regards to ratings and numbers, but according to Variety 36% of all devices connected to Netflix were watching at least part of one episode of “Arrested Development” during the weekend of its return, which is staggering when you factor in that Netflix accounts for about one-third of total Internet traffic.
Since the return of “Arrested Development,” Netflix and its competitors have scrambled to replicate its success.
Take “The Killing,” a show AMC dumped after its second season only to pick it back up again following uproar from fans. When AMC scrapped the show again following season three, Netflix wasted no time and picked it up for a fourth season, which is set to debut next month.
Amazon Prime picked up drama "Ripper Street" for a third season after it was dropped by the BBC earlier this year.
Saving fan favorites doesn't work all the time.
Hulu attempted reviving two of ABC's beloved soap operas, "All My Children" and "One Life to Live" after they received the ax; however, a lawsuit between the network and the series' new owner Prospect Park turned ugly resulting in the two shows getting canceled again after one season.
Recently, news broke that Yahoo! Screen, Yahoo!’s on-demand streaming service intended to rival Netflix, made a huge leap from obscurity by picking up “Community,” which was finally dumped by NBC after five seasons and multiple time slots.
“Community” is another example of a TV show with a dedicated and loyal fan base (much like “Arrested Development”) that couldn’t scrounge up the ratings to remain on air.
Last week, it was announced that Yahoo! Screen is “in talks” to revive FOX’s “Enlisted,” another low-rated fan favorite that was recently canceled after only one season.
What makes these canceled shows so attractive is that they have built-in fan bases. Why take a gamble on new, original content when material with an established audience already exists and is readily available?
In its current incarnation, Yahoo! Screen is nothing more than an aggregate for already accessible online content. Adding exclusive content like “Community” and “Enlisted” to the roster will bring millions of people to the website that likely would not have visited otherwise.
Netflix’s subscription-based, binge-watch encouraged model has given viewers flexibility that was previously unheard of, and Yahoo! Screen seeks to echo their success when they release the show this fall though it will most likely roll out episodes one at a time instead of all at once.
SEE ALSO: Why no one is watching NBC's best-reviewed show, "Hannibal"