There used to be a time where a good TV show was a cultural happening. Whenever it was on, people would gather around the apparatus, eyes glued to the screen. A good series stood out because the medium was dominated by mediocre programmes, so it was obvious what could not be missed.

Those days are over. Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus have replaced TV as a provider of entertainment – and there, mediocrity is few and far between. New series are usually superb, the writing, the production, the acting. Back in the nineties, each of these shows would have been a cultural happening of their own. Now we have an abundance of them at our fingertips.

Since everything is amazing, nothing stands out any more. It’s not obvious which show is the one to see. There is no cultural happening, everybody just picks something to follow. Also, no synchronicity: Most seasons are released at once so everyone can watch at their own pace.

This is too bad, since I like cultural happenings. I want be part of the talk of the town. I like to check out books, music, movies and shows that I read about and that people recommend to me. I write them down and vow to check them out. The list is ever growing longer. Squid Game. Succession. The Handmaid’s Tale. La casa del papel.

This leads to quite a bit of stress, since I don’t feel like spending too much on Netflix, plus there are other things I want and have to do. Still, there is this feeling of obligation to keep up.

Then I had a realisation: I don’t need to do that. I don’t need to see all the good things. It’s impossible anyway, there are too many. Plus, Netflix is really what TV used to be: entertainment – good, but ultimately mostly shallow entertainment. So I will turn on Netflix only when I want to be entertained.

I will never get to the bottom of my list – and I don’t intend to. I declare Netflix bankruptcy.

PS: The reference I’m using is from one of the funniest moments of TV history.