"The genre of radio drama": Fans react hilariously to Netflix's latest guidelines for screenwriters 

Netflix has implemented new standards that recommend characters proclaim their activities aloud—just in case viewers are multitasking while watching—a move that has left both screenwriters and fans perplexed. Yes, you read correctly. In order to appeal to the distracted masses who might be folding laundry, scrolling through their phones, or, in a typical 2024 manner, doing anything other than looking at the screen, screenwriters are reportedly being instructed to make their characters describe what they are doing.

Netflix maintains that this is a strategy to keep viewers interested, but it hasn't taken long for online fans to transform the news into viral content, raising concerns about whether radio plays are making a comeback in the visual age. One user sarcastically declared,

“And, with that, the genre of radio drama was back.”

The internet is going crazy over Netflix's new strategy, from supporters complaining about the loss of good writing to sarcastic tweets about conversations sounding like NPCs (non-player characters). However, are these rules truly as absurd as they seem, or is Netflix taking advantage of something we've all been doing in private—that is, barely watching episodes in the background? Let's explore the topic that has everyone talking.

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Fans react to Netflix's new guidelines for screenwriters

The internet wasted no time in roasting Netflix’s latest move, with fans expressing their frustrations, disbelief, and of course, humor, in the most Gen Z fashion. The idea of characters stating the obvious, as if they were narrating their own lives, struck a hilarious chord with others, with one tweet remarking,

“No wonder some shows have truly awful dialogue 💀.”

It’s no secret that Netflix’s content output has been a mixed bag over the past few years, and many viewers are concerned that these new guidelines could lead to even more lazy writing.

“This is the type of stuff that ruins writing, character development, and storytelling. These Execs man 😑,” said another user,

frustrated by the prospect of even more watered-down dialogue. And the comparisons to video games weren’t far behind,

“Netflix characters about to sound like NPCs narrating their every move. ‘I am opening the fridge now!’”

tweeted one person, perfectly capturing the absurdity of what these new scripts might look like. Another fan took it even further with an example that could easily be mistaken for a poorly written-crime drama:

“‘I will now pick up my cup of coffee to take a sip. Taking a sip now! Mmm, that’s good. I am now putting down the cup of coffee.. Anyways, what do you mean we have no leads on suspects?’” The cringe factor is real.

Other fans pointed out that audio description already exists for people who might not be able to focus fully on the screen, so this new mandate seems unnecessary.

“But #AudioDescription exists for this very reason,”one user observed,

adding to the growing chorus of confusion.

Perhaps the best summation of this entire ordeal came from a user who simply said,

“Interesting strategy! Guess Netflix is catering to multitaskers now 📺🤔.”

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Netflix’s strategy or writing catastrophe?

Netflix has long been at the forefront of the binge-viewing culture, in which consumers frequently multitask while watching shows. The truth is that modern audiences are rarely hooked to their screens for the whole of a show, whether they are using TikTok, grabbing a snack, or sending a brief text. This could be the reason the execs feel compelled to ensure that, even in the event of a brief distraction, viewers don't miss important plot moments.

Nonetheless, detractors contend that pushing screenwriters to transform speech into a detailed description of what's happening on-screen runs the risk of lowering the caliber of the writing itself. Characters may spoon-feed viewers every event in real-time, making shows too simple to allow for subtext, nuance, and emotional depth.

Maintaining audience engagement while producing a high-quality story is a tough balance, and these new rules appear to be making people question whether Netflix is going too far in favor of convenience over originality. The internet has made it clear that we are not yet prepared for a return to radio dramas, but only time will tell if this strategy is successful.

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A step backward or a sign of the times?

Fans are both amused and alarmed by these new rules for screenwriters. An audience hooked to their phones may find it natural to recount every move, but doing so runs the risk of oversimplifying the art of storytelling. It's unclear if this is a fad or the way of the future for TV writers, but one thing is certain: fans aren't keeping their thoughts to themselves.

With so much content competing for our attention, is the streaming platform onto something, or have they simply misunderstood the value of good writing?