Netflix is making more mediocre dramas than ever, and its best series aren’t as good as they used to be.
When Netflix started taking its originals game seriously — a.k.a. when it started commissioning productions by itself — the surging streaming service quickly earned a prestigious reputation. On the backs of “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black,” the over-the-top platform became an immediate awards contender and critical darling.
But over the last 12 months, as Netflix releases more and more original content, there’s been a noticeable dip in the quality of its dramas; a dip that precedes a changing of the guard for the service when it comes to TV’s kingmaker: the Emmys.
The Good News
Let’s start with what’s working: At this time last year, “Stranger Things” was about to set the summer on fire with a surprisingly addictive and widely beloved first season. Matt and Ross Duffer’s homage to ’80s family fright films earned respectable reviews,…
