Following the release of House of Cards, Netflix has changed the landscape of television production in the age of streaming. Since then, Netflix has gone on to produce countless original series, with viewership data kept under wraps. But not every one of the streaming service's original programming has been met with acclaim. Bloodline was cancelled after three seasons, and Will Arnett's Flaked was met with poor critical reception, and was renewed with a shorter episode count for its second season. But apparently Arnett is actually quite pleased with the length of Season 2.
I recently had the change to speak with Will Arnett at Netflix's press junket in New York City. It was here that he revealed why the shorter episode count was actually perfect for Season 2, saying:
Certainly from a workload perspective, doing six made it easier for us. Because we do a lot... Six episodes ended up being kind of, actually, just about right. For where we were, and what we wanted to do for this season.
Will Arnett's attitude towards Flaked's second season going from eight episodes to six is actually a positive one. And for more than one reason.
To start, Will Arnett had a sense of relief regarding Flaked's shorter episode count, since he's working quite hard on the series. Arnett wears a few hats in Flaked; in addition to starring as the series protagonist, he's also working behind the scenes. Will Arnett and Mark Chappell have written every episode of the series themselves, rather than optioning episodes out to guest writers. Additionally, Arnett is the show's creator an executive producer, so homeboy really works his ass of for Flaked. Therefore, it makes sense that having two less episodes to create was a relief.
Additionally, it appears that six episodes actually functioned properly for Season 2's narrative. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see how successful it is when Season 2 is released in its entirety by Netflix. But considering Flaked's concept and common criticism, it does make sense. Flaked follows a pretty unlikeable protagonist, who is constantly messing up and causing cringe worthy moments for the audience. Season 1 caught some flack for this choice, so maybe having just six episodes of Chip's debauchery will ensure that the audience doesn't grow tired or annoyed with the character(s).
I'm eager to see if the changes with Season 2 of Flaked will help the series become more critically applauded. At the time of writing, Flaked's first season currently sits at a mere 42% on Rotten Tomatoes which is noticeably low for Netflix's original programming. But now that the characters and world building have been completed, perhaps the characters will become more lovable in Season 2.
Flaked's second season will be released in its entirety on June 2, 2017. Be sure to check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
