The streaming giant is trying to corner the market in ‘elder entertainment’ – and with shows packed with sex toys and jaw-dropping Danny DeVito scenes, they’re having a blast doing it
The return of Grace and Frankie this week is heartening for fans, not least those who might expect them to be dead. After all, the Netflix series (now number five) follows the travails of two elderly chalk-and-cheese women, who have been lumped together after they discover their husbands were locked in a decades-long gay affair. But this cruel assumption would be to misunderstand one of the key aspects of modern old age – namely, that it seems to go on for ever – as well as the power of the show, its stars, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and indeed its distributor. Age has not withered them, and they are sustained by Netflix’s infinite variety.
At the start of 2019, we can tentatively say that the streaming service’s appeal to older viewers is bearing fruit. It must be pointed out that Netflix’s general aim seems to be to appeal to absolutely everyone, but those golden oldies are a premium target. They have a lot of time and money. It’s almost surprising there isn’t a deluge of Poirot reruns on the home screen, but it seems to have decided to approach the situation with care. It is picking well: The Kominsky Method, another sitcom it has produced starring another elderly duo – this time Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin – just won the Golden Globe for best TV comedy or musical (Douglas won best actor in the category too). Then we are due a third instalment of The Crown, the stately Windsor saga that seems to have mostly been conceived to hook in a juicy older Poldark market. In short, only a fool would bet against more of this content creeping in, among the cutesy teen comedies, woke dramas and shock documentaries. Netflix and dyspepsia pill?
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2FstK5Y
