The resurgence of weekly episode releases

Patience is a virtue, so they say. But it's hard to remember when you're bingeing "Severance" and "The White Lotus" and just want to find out what happens. Here's my take on the trend.

If you are a part of the fandoms streaming “Severance” season 2 and “The White Lotus” season 3, then you know the frustrations of new episodes releasing weekly.

Alright I get it, I sound so young when I say that. “Back in the good ‘ole day, we had to wait around the TV every week for a new episode of anything,” you quickly rebuttal. However, this is the generation of Netflix bingeing and television entitlement; we are not used to waiting.

But as I wait around all week, analyzing the plot of the previous episode, connecting dots through online conspiracy theories, and discussing my favorite show with friends, I recognize the enjoyment that is a weekly episode release and why streaming platforms are bringing it back.

Shows on my rotation

For a little insight into the shows currently keeping me around, here are some quick takes on “Severance” and “The White Lotus.”

Severance

The first show I have been waiting around each week for is the Apple TV+ series “Severance.” In this show, some employees of the biotechnology company Lumon work on the “severed” floor of fellow employees who underwent the procedure called severance. In this procedure, personal and work memories are separated through a chip implantation in one’s brain. Your “innie” can only remember being at work and your “outie” can only remember being outside of work — there’s no communication between the two allowed and no way to access the other’s memories.

The show follows Mark Scout, or just Mark S. at work, who has an interaction with a coworker outside of the office and the truth about what he and his three department coworkers are doing starts to unravel.

Season one of “Severance” aired in 2022 and the second season began its weekly releases on Jan. 17, 2025. This show has captivated so much of my attention recently and I cannot stop hooking my friends on the show. I do have to warn many of my friends the first three episodes of season one are slow and all about context, but they are so worth the season one finale.

I did not watch season one when it first came out, I actually started watching it after season two came out because of all the hype the new season was getting. When I reflect on bingeing the entire first season in a day, my experience with season two is very different and I think I like it more this way. I am allowed to sit with each episode longer and not just fly through, more on that later.

The White Lotus

“The White Lotus” just started releasing its third season of the Max series set in Thailand. In this show, privileged elites retreat to The White Lotus hotel for a week in hopes of connection, vacation or something unknown. The previous seasons took place in Maui and then Sicily and featured some large names like Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Alexandra Daddario and Theo James.

This season follows the trip experiences of a North Carolina family, three “lifelong friends” reuniting and a moody new couple. Viewers also recognize the return character Belinda Lindsey, played by Natasha Rothwell, who has visited Thailand to take knowledge back to her job as spa manager of The White Lotus hotel in Maui.

As a huge fan of this series, I have been waiting in anticipation for the season’s release and the first episode was captivating. Throughout the week, I find myself thinking back to quotes, plots and characters I wasn’t locked in on when streaming. Without giving too much away, my favorite character so far is Victoria Ratliff, played by Parker Posey, who is a fellow Tar Heel with a southern drawl.

Online discourse

Perhaps my favorite reason for enjoying the resurgence of weekly released episodes is the amount of online discourse it produces. Because viewers are only watching 45ish minutes of content a week, they are forced to deeply reflect and analyze the limited content available.

Instead of just flying through a series without a moment of individual thought when bingeing, you are forced to think about what you just watched and digest it. When I binged season one of “Severance,” I was not thinking deeply about anything. While I thought some storylines were weird and I had some questions, I didn’t allow myself to fully develop theories about what was happening. I relied on clicking the “Play next episode” button to receive the answers.

While watching this second season of “Severance” I have been consumed by conspiracy theories on TikTok by fans. There are so many people watching with such in-depth reviews and analysis of the episodes I am loving! A drawback to being on “Severance Tok” or searching for theories is it can be an accidental spoiler. I would suggest not looking into the show’s theories until you are caught up because things are always spoiled. As an avid show streamer, “The White Lotus” season 3 spoilers came across my feed before I ever had a chance to look them up and some arcs were exposed before my first time viewing.

Devoted fandom

With the longer waiting times between episodes, I believe more devoted viewers will develop. It is a commitment to dedicate weeks to watching the series and thinking about it in between episodes. But with the longer waits and cliff endings, fans are dying to know more and become bigger “hype people” for the series. As I am itching for a new episode of “Severance,” I’m promoting the show to all of my friends so we can hopefully all have a watch party for the next episode release.

I also think there is a promotion of rewatching content when there is no new content to watch, but viewers want to be in the world of “The White Lotus” or “Severance.” I watched “Severance” by myself, but jumped at the opportunity to watch it with anyone who wanted to start it. I also found myself rewatching the first episode of season one of “The White Lotus” because I wanted to put myself back into these crazy worlds of the unknown.

Since people are forced to spend time reflecting on the singular episode releases, I believe deeper messages are able to be produced by directors and felt by audiences. When you binge a series, you forget and don’t notice all the small details. In these weekly series, viewers appreciate the shots and frames more.

Building up hype

Finally, the weekly drops of episodes allows for the show to have a longer time in the spotlight and reach higher viewership levels. Streaming platforms and the show’s social media accounts are allowed to remind us weekly for months about this great show and why we should watch it without it already having its moment.

The show is able to grow beyond its limited reach in dropping all at once because it can slowly find its way to new viewers organically and inorganically. Sure, Apple TV+ did a lot of promotion for season two of “Severance,” like the in-person office display at Grand Central station, but the word of mouth marketing (I obviously participated in) was also beneficial. With the slow release of the series, everyone has time to hear about the series and catch up before the next episode comes out — building a larger and more devoted community of viewers.

Overall, I am all for the resurgence of weekly releases, even though it may be annoying in the moment to just wish you had the next episode and the answer. I think this will allow for better TV series production and more attuned TV streamers.