After nearly as many years in development hell as Morpheus spent in Roderick Burgess' basement, The Sandman is finally streaming in live action. However, the expensive series has not yet earned a renewal from Netflix, because people aren't binge-watching The Sandman. Which is all the more reason it should get a Season 2.

The creator of The Sandman, Neil Gaiman, has been very public about the quest for Season 2. In his latest update, he reveals that Netflix hasn't yet analyzed the viewership data because people were not consuming the series in one day or weekend. Instead, viewers were consciously denying themselves the next episode of the show, in order to sit with the one they just watched. While Netflix has been all about the binge, even more than it needs its own franchises, it needs shows that viewers prefer getting week-to-week rather than all at once. The streamer already has the infrastructure to do it, releasing some licensed series weekly outside the United States. Switching to a weekly release model would help Netflix gain ground in the ongoing Dance of the Streaming Services.

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Corinthian Teeth Sandman

When Netflix first started releasing their own series, first the co-production Lillyhammer and then House of Cards, dropping the entire season at once was unheard of. Rather than competing with the other TV each week, the discourse around the new Netflix series dominated a weekend or even an entire week. Now that they aren't the only game in town, their binge-releases get lost in the discourse about the newest Marvel Cinematic Universe show or Star Wars series, all on weekly release schedules. Even Prime Video serves as an example, dropping the entire season of the delightful Paper Girls versus weekly Rings of Power episodes. Releasing The Sandman week-to-week would allow each very expensive episode to naturally bleed into the zeitgeist. Yet, even if it wasn't a good business decision, it's clear this is what some viewers want.

Given the choice between streaming the entire series or including self-induced breaks, viewers almost often always choose the latter. Even when trying to space out a show, they end up watching a few episodes instead of just one. So, that viewers are themselves taking time away from each episode of The Sandman reveals that it's a dense, powerful story that people want to think about before moving to the next chapter. This doesn't mean the series lacks tension nor doesn't drive the audience through the story. Rather, it means that there is enough in each episode to capture the hearts and imaginations of fans for at least seven days.

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The Sandman Johanna Constantine Exorcism

Netflix is on the back foot in the streaming conflict, if only because if they don't stay at the top they've lost the game. HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock, and even Hulu are all just part of a larger media framework for their parent studios. Netflix just has the streaming game, and that's it. Since they are already including an ad-supported subscription model, they should adopt other legacy media practices like releasing one episode per week of the series that can sustain it.

The Sandman delivers a satisfying story in each individual episode, while also crafting a larger narrative that feels as epic as it did in the landmark comics 30 years ago. If Netflix passes on the show, another streaming service will likely pick it up immediately given the show's popularity and performance. Netflix will be in serious trouble if the legacy media practice it does adopt is canceling beloved series only for some streaming service to "rescue" it.

Netflix's The Sandman took a long time to come to fruition, but it was worth the wait. From mind-bending visual effects to everything wonderful about the story surviving the adaptation, Netflix needs the show more than the show needs Netflix.

The entire first season of The Sandman, complete with a bonus episode, is currently streaming on Netflix.