Netflix has made something of a habit out of splitting new seasons of its popular shows into multiple parts. If you recall, the fourth installment of Stranger Things was released in two batches, keeping the energy for the series going a bit longer than the usual all-at-once release. The same strategy was applied to hit thriller series You, starring Penn Badgley. This time, the season was split straight down the middle, with five episodes coming out at a time.
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This is clearly a strategy Netflix is trying for its biggest shows, but the creative team behind You did have some say in the matter. During an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Top 5 podcast, You showrunner Sera Gamble explained that Netflix asked the team if they would like to split the season, and their writing style fit the idea perfectly.
“They certainly didn’t force it on us,” Gamble said. “They were just like, ‘We were thinking about this for your season, and we know you have this mystery structure, and do you feel like this would work?’ And it just so happened that the structure split cleanly down the center of the season, probably ’cause Greg Berlanti and I have written many a midseason cliffhanger for old-school television. I can’t help it. I need to, proverbially, burn something really big down in episode five of 10.”
Badgley, the star of You, said this week that the fourth season wasn’t always intended to be split into two parts, but that he was okay with how it all shook out.
“I think that’s just Netflix’s economic reality,” Badgley told GQ. “And I think it makes sense, generally, to release things in installments. I like that. When I found out, I was like, ‘We’re going to leave a month between [episodes] five and six? That’s a big old diversion.’ Because, to me, it doesn’t all come home until you finally see the cage.”
Now that both halves have debuted, You Season 4 is available on Netflix in its entirety.
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Image courtesy of Lucasfilm
