When Netflix first announced its original series Blockbuster back in November 2021, hopes were high about the show’s potential. Nostalgic desperate audiences were ready for something to dive into. However, they seemingly ignored that the show’s premise was about the last Blockbuster rather than when the company reigned as king in the late ’90s and early aughts. This was the first red flag for the series.
The show premiered in November 2022, and the streaming platform officially canceled the show just a month later. As soon as it was available to stream, interest in the show quickly died. Given its plot, the show never had a chance for any kind of longevity.
Despite the initial buzz surrounding the series, as soon as the first episode of Blockbuster began, it was obvious the Netflix show was doomed for failure. Despite its name, it lacked any real nostalgia. The show had no real sense of direction or self-awareness, and its pop culture references were all over the place, which made it feel extremely awkward. In a show that should have been a cash cow of nostalgia, it fell wildly short and turned out to be just another drab workplace comedy.
The Setting Was All Wrong
Netflix
While making a show about the last Blockbuster could have worked given the right circumstances, Netflix was unable to pull it off. The streaming platform made a workplace comedy that really didn’t need to take place at a Blockbuster. The characters in the show manage to work well together given the casting, but the same dynamic would’ve played out without the backdrop of the video rental company. Put these employees in any situation where a regular store is going out of business and the concept would have worked a lot better.
In a series named Blockbuster, the Blockbuster store served no real purpose in the storytelling of the characters. The other businesses in the strip mall surrounding the Blockbuster store would have served as a better backdrop for the quirky, awkward characters. Simply put, the setting of the series made no sense and brought nothing of value to the show overall. At the end of the day, the show was about a failing business trying to stay relevant and bring in customers, which could have been applied to so many other stores. So, why use a Blockbuster?
It Should Have Been About Younger Characters
Why a show about the last Blockbuster in the present day came to fruition before a sitcom about Blockbuster in its prime is nothing short of a mystery. Given the pop culture impact of Blockbuster in its heyday, Netflix should have centered the show around a group of movie-savvy college kids in the late ’90s and early aughts. The idea already sounds better than what Blockbuster turned out to be. With younger characters, the show could have become the Empire Records of video rental with endless shenanigans and nostalgia.
Younger characters from 25 years ago would have provided quality comedic storytelling while serving up the kind of nostalgia viewers were hoping to see in the first place. With college-aged kids as the focus, characters of all ages could have been included throughout the series in more natural ways. Their families could have been included, their bosses would have been included, corporate Blockbuster could have been a part of it, etc. The possible storylines with characters of all ages would have been endless. However, how Netflix framed the show managed to box them into very limited and boring story ideas, which ultimately led to its demise.
Audiences Want to See Blockbuster at Its Peak
Blockbuster takes place in the present when it should have explored events at the company’s stores about two and a half decades ago. Everyone knows what happened to Blockbuster, and watching characters attempt to save the last one via weird block parties at the strip mall in a world where social media exists is nothing short of cringe. The company was such a huge part of how Americans existed 25 years ago, which should have been a part of the series. So many people fondly remember visiting a Blockbuster store every weekend, so watching the last one fizzle out in such a boring and awkward way isn’t something anyone wants to see. No one wants to watch the fictional last Blockbuster struggle for relevancy in a world of endless streaming services.
In a perfect world, Netflix could still salvage the concept of a Blockbuster sitcom if it utilized the right elements. The buzz surrounding the show before it premiered is a big indicator of what viewers want to see, and Netflix would be wise to capitalize on that. With just a few key changes, a Blockbuster series with the right kind of storytelling could be wildly popular and worth exploring.
