One Day's longer episode count should be the start of a trend on Netflix

Between One Day's beautiful storytelling of two lovers who were right for one another but simply met at the wrong time and the Netflix series' amazing way of captivating us with a story that started heartwarming yet ended in the most soul-crushing way, there's no doubt in our mind that One Day is quite literally one of the best Netflix titles the site has released thus far.

While we think that the story is what truly made the show thrive and become popular amongst many fans, another unique aspect of the show that we believe makes it a must-watch is the episode count.

The 2024 series had more episodes than Netflix subscribers are used to, which we thought would somehow hinder the show's popularity, or, at the very least, its "watchability". But, oddly enough, it seems One Day's episode count of fourteen added to the reason why fans can't get enough of this show.

Was One Day's success that came with having more episodes in a single season a once-in-a-lifetime moment? Or could this be the start of something new? Here's what we think!

More episodes may be more successful for Netflix in the long run

Most of Netflix's new titles range from having eight to ten episodes a season. On one hand, this model works for the newer generation of Netflix subscribers. However, if you have had Netflix for a while or are familiar with cable TV's old way of releasing episodes, you know better than anyone that the less is more model isn't the best way things can be for the streaming site.

Case in point, Orange is the New Black.

When Orange is the New Black was first released, it was nothing short of an absolute riot. Fans were in love with this show, as it not only told a very good story but also did so in a manner that made it easily digestible and didn't leave fans hungry. The Netflix series did this by releasing 13 episodes a season, a number that seems arbitrary at first glance, but makes so much sense in the long run.

(Other widely successful Netflix shows with similar episode counts include The Blacklist, House of Cards, and BoJack Horseman.)

In a single season, there are about 12 to 13 weeks before the next one comes in. Having said this, a viewer could opt to watch one episode a week, so that they have something to watch for the entire Winter or Summer season. This also gave viewers a chance to savor each episode without being burdened with the panic of having little to no episodes left.

Although One Day wasn't released weekly, its high episode count gives Netflix viewers more to work with and leaves it up to them to decide how to watch whereas other shows with fewer episodes give fans a limited number of ways to watch. Shows such as these include Stranger Things, Ginny & Georgia, and Wednesday since these shows are Netflix originals that people often complain about being too easy to watch in a single sitting.

The number of episodes depends solely on the show, but also on how frequently it releases

Needless to say, all the aforementioned Netflix originals are immensely popular despite having different episode counts. Still, we can't help but notice that fans are demanding more than eight episodes a season to be the new norm for really popular shows that are off the air for much longer than expected. (Stranger Things is guilty of this.)

A subreddit (r/Television) recently reflected on this topic and had this to say.

"10-13 as long as it’s yearly. The 6-8 every two or three years that’s become standard is f---g ridiculous," one Reddit user stated.

Another held similar sentiments, expressing, "My magic number is about 12-15 [episodes]. 20+ was too many and led to filler and not-so-stellar episodes, but the current trend of 6-8 is just not enough, especially considering many shows don't even follow the yearly schedule, many shows have the second season like 18 months or more after the first."

However, some felt like the genre also has a say in how many episodes a show receives.

"20+ for sitcoms. 10-16 for dramas, depending on the show. TWD [The Walking Dead] benefitted from 16, most HBO dramas seem to do well with 10."

While we somewhat agree with the above sentiments, it seems that Netflix follows the 6/8/10 episode model regardless of the genre. Perhaps if the site did keep genres in mind, we may have a bit more leeway with how many episodes a show receives a season.

Could budget costs influence Netflix's episode count?

One final thing to consider when thinking about episode counts is, of course, the cost in which it takes to produce one episode.

As it stands, some of the most popular series take millions of dollars to create a single episode. For example, an episode of Stranger Things allegedly cost nearly 30 million dollars, a price that the site can't necessarily afford to pour into every single show otherwise it would face bankruptcy much sooner than later. Even so, Stranger Things is an anomaly, as other shows don't take 30 million dollars to make yet still have so few episodes.

Bridgerton season 1 reportedly cost about 7 million dollars an episode, while the first two seasons of The Crown cost about the same. While the price is still somewhat high to fathom, both shows are much cheaper to make than Stranger Things and yet only have ten episodes a season.

During its early seasons, each episode of Orange is the New Black cost around 4 million to make. With Orange is the New Black being similar to One Day in that there is no element of fantasy, we can say that a cheaper show can be made for the sake of having more episodes. Also, the show looked incredible from our end, so it can't be said that a cheaper show means cheaper quality.

On most counts, a Netflix title with more than 6 to 10 episodes a season is preferred. Whether or not Netflix producers are taking note of this remains to be seen. But until then, all we can do is hope more and more shows fall back in love with releasing 12 to 14 episodes a season.