Netflix analyst delivers bad news for fans of medical drama Pulse

If you have watched the first English-language medical drama that Netflix has ever produced, Pulse, you might need to ask your friends if they have done the same. The number of viewers has not been awful, but the series has only hovered in the top 5 of weekly most-seen series, which isn't a great sign for the streamer's new concept.

What has not helped is that professional critics have not raved about the show that revolves around a Miami trauma center after a hurricane has just hit the area. That premise sounds like something that might have been more interesting in later seasons than season one. Maybe the series creators just tried to do too much too soon.

While Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert.com has raved about the show, she is one of the few. There are more reviews, such as the one Judy Berman of Time wrote. She said, "...the execution is even shoddier than the premise."

Netflix's new drama series, Pulse, could be done after one season

Pulse's overall score on Metacritic is a 48 among professional critics, but the general audience only gives the show a 5.3. Mediocre is not what a new series aims for.

The ending of the first season does seem to set up the beginning of a second, but will we get that? Forbes' Paul Tassi does not believe so. Of course, Tassi is not a decision-maker at Netflix, but he has been around long enough to have a pretty good idea of what will work long-term and what isn't.

Tassi points out the series' reviews and number of viewers, but also rightfully points out that Pulse came out the same year as Max's The Pitt. The Noah Wyle-led show is booming with viewers, but has received fantastic reviews. Does Netflix want to pour money into a series that failed to have the impact the streamer hoped for?

Tassi believes that it is unlikely. The cost of making the show is surprisingly low (medical dramas do not cost as much as thrillers, for instance, because the special effects are often far less), so maybe the streaming giant will give Pulse one more chance. But you are not missing much if you, like many others, have not seen the show.

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