Only Netflix’s Tudum Could Put Lady Gaga, ‘Stranger Things,’ Ben Affleck and ‘Love Is Blind’ on the Same Stage. It Was Exhausting

by

Lady Gaga is here!” And with that, the audience erupted in cheers.

As Tudum kicked off, the Forum began to fill up (though it didn’t quite reach full capacity), and the audience showed genuine excitement as celebrities such as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Daniel Craig, Adam Sandler, and Jenna Ortega made their appearances, along with popular shows like “Squid Game”, “One Piece”, and “Wednesday”. However, nothing compared to the raw enthusiasm that Lady Gaga, who is appearing as a guest in Season 2 of “Wednesday”, generated during her two-song performance that concluded the event.

Ever since its debut as a virtual fan gathering in 2020, Tudum has been one of the most intriguing marketing strategies of the streaming era. While numerous Netflix productions have cultivated dedicated fan bases, the underlying assumption behind Tudum seems to be that there exists an enormous community of die-hard Netflix enthusiasts who crave updates about every single show. It’s puzzling to consider how else this could be the case, given the mental jolt experienced when moving from Q&A sessions with the casts of “Outer Banks,” “Ginny & Georgia,” “Forever” and “My Life With the Walter Boys,” answering pre-selected fan questions, to wrestlers from “Monday Night Raw” discussing the reality series “WWE Unreal,” to the cast of “One Piece” appearing alongside descriptions that even avid fans would consider unnecessary.

It’s not unreasonable to assume that some individuals worldwide have a diverse Netflix taste, ranging from young adult dramas, professional wrestling, and live-action anime. However, it might be a bit of a reach to suppose that these very same people are deeply invested in the Netflix fandom, eagerly anticipating trailers for upcoming movies like “Wake Up Dead Man” (the sequel to “Knives Out”) and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” featuring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, not to mention the appeal of seeing Affleck and Damon as LAPD officers in the original crime thriller “The Rip.” But wait, there’s more! These dedicated viewers are also looking forward to the return of Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) in “Happy Gilmore 2.” What a fascinating blend of interests!

Some of the individual segments featuring these titles were quite appealing on their own. Many members of the “Wake Up Dead Man” crew, such as Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, and Josh Brolin, took part in an extended conversation led by writer-director Rian Johnson about dramatic turns in murder mysteries. The stars of “Happy Gilmore 2”, Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, and Julie Bowen, answered questions (which were actually posed by their fellow actors) moderated by sportscaster Rich Eisen. Affleck and his “The Rip” co-star Teyana Taylor playfully bantered about needing glasses to read the teleprompter.

Experiencing all these diverse titles in a single event felt overwhelming, diluting the power each project could have had individually. As a dedicated fan, it was heartwarming to witness Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, and Finn Wolfhard during one of the most touching presentations. They reminisced about their cherished early days on “Stranger Things” when they were still innocent pre-adolescents, before revealing a gripping, fleeting glimpse into their fifth and final season.

Right after the tantalizing “Stranger Things” sneak peek, I found myself captivated as Vanessa Lachey continued the show by beaming lovey-dovey kiss-cam snippets from couples hailing from “Love Is Blind” and “Love on the Spectrum,” who were lucky enough to be present in the audience.

Netflix maintains its leading role in the entertainment industry through a business strategy based on universality, offering an endless array of content for all audiences, and Tudum fits perfectly with this message. Similarly, Disney has embraced a comparable approach with its D23 Expo, last year hosting a three-hour presentation at the Honda Center in Anaheim that showcased various aspects of their production output. This strategy aims to astonish consumers, making them perceive one’s content as indispensable.

However, it contradicts the true essence of fan engagement, which thrives on a deep bond and genuine camaraderie – an aspect that Lady Gaga has skillfully nurtured for close to two decades. It’s not surprising that she was the main attraction at Tudum.

Read More

2025-06-01 19:17