Genre Microdosing: Genre for the Netflix Era of Television

• Published in: The journal of communication and media studies (Champaign) 2021, Vol.6 (1), p.57-67
• Main Author: Isaac, Alexis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Genre; Popular culture; Semiotics; Streaming media; Streaming services; Television
• ISSN: 2470-9247; 2470-9255; 2470-9255
• DOI: 10.18848/2470-9247/CGP/v06i01/57-67

The question of how genre is used in relation to television has been widely debated within the study of popular culture with voices like Jason Mitchell arguing that “every aspect of television exhibits a reliance on genre.” While his argument was largely correct for the time and his methodical approach to the study of genre indicates a broad definition, it was published before the widespread use of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Therefore, his argument fails to address the ways streaming services have changed the use of genre in television. This article addresses the issue of how genre is changing with special attention to the emerging use as algorithms and their ebbing use as an analytical framework. Specifically, in this project, I will be looking at the Netflix original show “The End of the F×××ing World” to illustrate how shows created for streaming services play with genre in ways that create television that appears without genre altogether. I will do a semiotic genre analysis, using the first season of “The End of the F×××ing World,” to show how adhering to one (or even two genres) is no longer the norm, but rather streaming service original shows participate in what I call genre microdosing. This is a process by which shows integrate five to seven genres to create product that appears without genre when observed wholly. In conclusion, this project, by closely examining genre within “The End of the F×××ing World,” sheds new light on the neglected issue of the changing use of genre in streaming services.