I read Tomi Adeyemi's outstanding novel "Children of Blood and Bone" in one day this weekend (seriously, it is that good.) When I finished, I was there looking for more when I discover that the sequel does not yet have a publication date, so I will need to be patient.
Which has never been a strength of mine. However, I think it has gotten worse, and I think Netflix and other streaming services are partly to blame. I am losing my ability to wait for installments.
For instance, years ago, back when Netflix was only DVDs through the mail, my parents gave me the West Wing box set of DVDs. It remains one of my favorite gifts of all time. (West Wing is the greatest tv show ever.) I remain going crazy during the two minutes it took to change the dvd from the end of season 1 and beginning of season 2--no spoilers, but major cliffhanger. My fingers were practically shaking in anticipation during that under five minute wait. I remember remarking how if this was back in the year 2000, we would have had to wait all summer.
Now, online streaming has made even those 2 minutes to change DVDs obsolete. Arguably, this has changed the way we consume stories. During the time in between we theorize, imagine ream. I binge watched This is Us this summer, and then spent a great deal of time reading fan theories and critical commentaries about what happened to Jack, and other thoughts about what could be coming in season 2. That said, when season 3 of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt came out, my friends and I watched the entire season in one day--and it was a great day (I regret nothing) but I didn't spend any additional time thinking over possible theories.
Now as streaming become more popular, there becomes less time for space between sequels. When Gilmore Girls returned, the entire season was put up at once. I wonder if this will eventually affect publishing-if there will be shorter or nonexistent time between sequels in series as audiences become less accustomed to not immediately go into the next chapter?
What do you think? Or what new series are worth the wait?