Pulse Portmortem

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Back in February 2024, Netflix revealed that they were producing the soap opera Pulse, marking their entry into medical procedural shows. The press release emphasized this innovation, placing it ahead of details about the show’s cast and creators. It was clear that Netflix executives aimed to emulate the success of Grey’s Anatomy with this production. This move signified another bold step for a platform known for breaking traditional norms.

It appears that “Pulse” will not be renewed for another season, as Netflix recently announced its cancellation. This decision, made during a long holiday weekend when many in the industry were away, was not unexpected given the show’s lackluster performance. Despite a ten-episode season, “Pulse” failed to crack Nielsen’s weekly list of most-watched streaming shows and quickly disappeared after only two weeks. Critical reviews were also split.

Interestingly, Netflix also announced it was ending production on “The Residence,” a Shonda Rhimes production that premiered around the same time, had a more well-known cast, and performed significantly better in Nielsen’s public rankings. The competition for a second season on Netflix is fierce these days, and it’s challenging to make a case that “Pulse” attracted enough viewership to merit another season on the world’s largest subscription streaming service.

Although it might be defensible that Netflix decided to cancel Pulse based on data, there’s a more profound lesson here than merely “some productions don’t succeed.” The rigid method Netflix employs when creating and releasing scripted shows, combined with an overconfidence in its platform’s influence, played a substantial role in the limited appeal of Pulse. In retrospect, Netflix committed three significant blunders:

1. Adhering too strictly to their production and release strategies without considering the unique requirements of medical procedurals.
2. Overestimating the allure of its platform, which may have hindered the show’s ability to attract a broader audience.
3. Failing to effectively market and promote Pulse as the first medical procedural on their streaming service, which could have helped it find its footing with viewers.

Instead of airing one episode per week like traditional television shows, Pulse dropped all ten episodes of its first season simultaneously on Netflix. This was a departure from Netflix’s usual approach of releasing eight or ten episodes at once as part of a continuous narrative, as seen in series such as Department Q, which I binge-watched over the weekend. Unlike these shows, Pulse had a more episodic structure where each episode largely started fresh after the initial hurricane plotline was resolved within a few hours. This made it feel like a network TV show and could have benefited from a release pattern that allowed viewers to spend months getting to know the characters and storylines rather than consuming them all in one go.

Indeed, I’ll be discussing “The Pitt” now. The primary factor contributing to Max’s show’s success, recent Television Critics Association nominations, and anticipated Emmy recognition next week lies in its exceptional quality. Moreover, its pedigree, being created by the masterminds behind “ER” and featuring one of its stars, has also played a significant role. However, if you speak with John Wells, the co-creator of “The Pitt”, or anyone at HBO Max, they will emphasize that the weekly release of new episodes was crucial. The increasing buzz around “The Pitt” on social media platforms like Occupied Twitter and BlueSky last winter is a testament to this. For almost four months, these platforms were flooded with posts expressing affection for the series and its characters, as well as their surprise at the plot twists. While “The Pitt” didn’t have the Netflix algorithm, it did benefit from social media algorithms that directed positive reactions towards the show into people’s feeds. Shows like Netflix can achieve similar results even with a binge model; however, “Pulse” is not the same kind of large-scale event series as “Wednesday”, “Squid Game”, or “Department Q”. Instead, it’s more routine, and perhaps would have had a better chance of resonating if Netflix had made it part of viewers’ weekly routines. As an executive with extensive experience in both linear and streaming platforms explained to me, releasing an episodic procedural all at once can be detrimental to the show.

It turned out to be unfortunate timing for Pulse’s launch date, as the massive success of The Pitt in January overshadowed it. This was unexpected, given that the show was scheduled for a March release before the impact of The Pitt became clear. Furthermore, around this time, Netflix became aware that Fox was planning a strong promotional campaign for its new medical drama (Doc), and ABC and NBC were preparing to air new episodes of their long-running series Grey’s Anatomy and Chicago Med, respectively.

Usually, Netflix doesn’t need to concern itself much with what others are doing, especially traditional broadcast networks. However, a show like Pulse isn’t typically the type of program Netflix produces. Despite its ability to transform and thrive in various genres on its platform, launching a new medical procedural so soon after two other popular shows in the same genre left very little space for Pulse in the cultural zeitgeist. As an industry insider explained this week, it’s not ideal to be the third or fourth entrant with a new product. If January wasn’t an option for Pulse’s premiere, Netflix might have benefited from postponing its release until summer or fall when competition from similar shows would be less intense.

The show didn’t produce enough episodes. However, Pulse, unlike most Netflix dramas today, was initially given a longer season – 10 hours. This is similar to the weekly release of shows like The Pitt. By providing 15 episodes in its first season, Pulse had a significant advantage. The additional episodes allowed for better audience engagement, as well as giving writers more time to develop complex storylines for a large cast, experiment with various episode types, and understand the strengths of each actor.

In essence, Wells and the Pitt team successfully managed to produce an extended episode count for streaming at relatively low costs, which is not typically a strength of Netflix shows. However, Pulse, despite appearing expensive (with numerous location shoots in Miami), was likely more cost-effective than many streaming series but not as efficient as The Pitt. Since the co-showrunner of Pulse, Carlton Cuse, is a broadcast veteran, he and creator Zoe Robyn could have possibly devised a more economical version of their series for additional episodes if Netflix had prioritized it. However, this would have required following the linear-TV model, something Netflix seems reluctant to do with scripted series.

Will Netflix Learn From Its Mistakes?

The problem with Netflix’s rigid approach towards producing and premiering scripted shows lies in its contradiction with their flexibility in other aspects. For instance, they were firm against incorporating ads on the platform but eventually changed their stance. Similarly, they initially supported members sharing passwords but later discouraged it. Even their criticism of spending billions by legacy networks on sports was silenced when Netflix themselves began investing in NFL and WWE. Industry insiders believe that Pulse might mark the beginning of Netflix learning the ropes for procedurals. I’m not optimistic about Netflix adopting a weekly release for U.S. original scripted shows, but perhaps the next time they attempt an episodic procedural, they could emulate the John Wells approach by maintaining a modest budget and committing to 16 episodes, releasing them in two batches of eight within a single year, which would make it financially feasible.

It’s worth noting that Netflix has demonstrated flexibility regarding the binge-drop model. For instance, reality series like “Building the Band,” which premiered recently, are released in smaller installments over a few weeks, similar to how mini-batches of episodes are released for this type of show. On the other hand, Netflix now frequently splits seasons of its most popular shows into two parts, releasing them with a gap of a few weeks between each part, as will be the case with the second season of “Wednesday.” Additionally, when Netflix had an international streaming deal with the CW, it often released new episodes on a weekly basis. Next year, Netflix France plans to distribute that country’s largest linear network, providing subscribers with a steady stream of French procedurals that will air on a weekly basis.

Instead of just jumping straight into releasing all episodes of the next “Pulse” at once, perhaps we could consider following a similar strategy as Netflix did with shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Lucifer”. These shows had already built up a large audience and had numerous episodes available for binge-watching. However, “Pulse” is an entirely new show without any established fanbase or well-known stars. Releasing all ten episodes at once might not be as effective in attracting viewers. A better approach could be to release the episodes one by one, giving people a chance to catch up and develop interest in the series before committing to a full binge. This way, we can mimic the success Netflix had with shows they rescued from cancellation like “Lucifer”.

It’s plausible that Pulse could have been a success if it had received reviews similar to The Pitt, starred Noah Wyle, and was released with a weekly episode schedule. However, even with these factors, The Pitt took some time to become a hit in Nielsen’s top ten rankings. Releasing all episodes at once in January might not have helped it reach its audience as effectively. On the contrary, releasing episodes on a weekly basis likely boosted The Pitt’s popularity and possibly would have done the same for Pulse.

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2025-07-11 15:54