Being an avid watcher of Netflix, I have always enjoyed its original shows and movies. However, as the number of original productions has increased, the quality of the original productions has decreased.

Netflix has been spending a great deal of money to create new and excessive series and movies. According to Variety.com, Netflix released around 700 originals in 2018 and spent around $8 billion on them. Netflix’s original titles such as “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “Stranger Things” and “13 Reasons Why” have attracted many subscribers. But, while there are many Netflix originals that are popular, there are also many more original shows and movies that are rarely heard of.

Recently, Netflix has been focusing more on the quantity of originals and less on the quality of the content that it produces. As someone who does not have the time to watch every single Netflix original, I have noticed it is becoming harder to come across a high quality show. Additionally, Netflix has canceled well-known shows, such as “Orange is the New Black,” due to its budget and licensing only to create more originals. Now, not only do shows get canceled, but also the new originals detract attention from the better titles.

Granted, there are benefits to the increasing number of Netflix Originals, such as the variety offered to viewers. The many titles guarantee that there are shows and movies suitable for each person, as Netflix has created originals for most genres and even different languages, including foreign dramas. For the company as a whole, creating all these originals is likely ben`eficial, as there are more titles to attract new subscribers; however, for individual subscribers, it can diminish Netflix’s value as it could take resources away from more popular shows. For subscribers like me, the number of shows does not matter as much as the quality of each show.

Considering the quality of all the Netflix originals, subscribers should consider whether or not their membership is actually necessary. Additionally, Netflix should stop creating so many originals so that they can put more time and money into creating a few high quality shows rather than many of mediocre quality.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Calina He at [email protected].