To be fair, it's a definite truth that shows get more chance of funding based on what is popular and how it fits into that perceived potential popularity.
So TBBT is a part of the overall zeitgeist, an example of a show of its type that was very successful.
You bet if a sci-fi show was number 1, than other sci-fi shows would be being made and better funded.
Uk is going through a comedy golden age last decades. I attribute it to bbc doing an excellent job giving chances to younger comedians on gameshows like mock the week, qi, 9 out of 10 cats, im sorry i havent a clue etc... as well as the prominence of edinburgh fringe
I think this sort of talent development really is just about giving chances to new folks, its the risk averse large networks only re-hiring the same older folks that stifles an artistic sector, be it movies, shows, music, games, comedy etc
I don't see anything on Netflix that is trying to compete with TBBT, which is a CBS show firmly targeted at Middle America.
If anything, Netflix comedies are the opposite of TBBT, there's no audience laughter, it's all single-camera like Arrested Development, The Office and other 2000s-era neo-sitcoms.
The more people watch TBBT, the more Netflix is motivated to maintain the license to keep it in the library (and while I'm not positive about this, I thiiiiink the more they have to pay to maintain that license).
Money they take out of their budget to keep TBBT in their library is money they can no longer spend to keep shows that I, personally, care for alive.
It's the same thing as cable: by paying for a Netflix subscription, I'm partially paying for them to keep TBBT on their network, and I don't think it's a stretch to say if they didn't have TBBT they'd have a (or more than one) different show instead, that I might be more interested in.
TBBT isn't specifically the problem. But it's pretty emblematic of the lowest-common-denominator chaff that's currently clogging up streaming services. I don't even think it's a bad show, necessarily, in of that people do get joy from it. But I think broad-appeal, low risk, low effort content is horrendously overvalued in our society compared to more interesting, creative work, which is honestly not that hot of a take.
Tl;dr I want more people to like the sorts of things I like so that they get more financial support and become more prevalent compared to the sorts of things I care for less. This is not an unusual take.
> Money they take out of their budget to keep TBBT in their library is money they can no longer spend to keep shows that I, personally, care for alive.
On the same token, money spent keeping TBBT on the network reduces customer churn and increases earnings, which can be invested in other shows.
TBBT is the symptom, not the problem. Netflix would be delighted to not pay CBS a fortune every year. The problem is that Netflix doesn't have enough customers whose tastes skew towards your own.
