Netflix, which recently had abysmal subscription changes, has introduced a new He-Man show to their streaming service. In spite of efforts by outlets like Variety to spin the fan reaction, it looks like Kevin Smith’s new cartoon is about as unpopular as one show can be.
Led by YouTube channels like “The Critical Drinker”, criticism of the show has reached a fevered pitch. Not since The Last Jedi has a major media entry been this disliked. To give an idea of the disdain many fans feel for this particular show, look no further than the Rotten Tomatoes score of 30% for Audience ratings. This is score comes in despite the effort of companies like Rotten Tomatoes to limit the ability of fans (or non-fans) to review bomb movies and shows. When compared to a 94% Critic Rating, its easy to see the chasm that lies between the access media reviews and the thoughts of the average person.
Part of the criticism for the show comes from a perceived destruction of male characters. While I have not yet seen the show to make a judgment myself, this criticism appears to run across much of the negative reviews. It does seem odd to have a show called “He-man” become a female-led property… sort of like if Spice Girls was reconstructed as a band of lumberjack men. I’m not sure that would be well-received, and perhaps that’s why Kevin Smith has found himself in a tragedy of errors. It would also seem that the choice to emphasize certain characters more than other characters has been… shall we say… divisive. Based on the spoilers I’ve seen, consider that a strong understatement.
List of murdered franchises in order of severity
1) Doctor Who
2) Star Wars
3) He-Man
4) Star Trek #Franchisicide— Nerdrotic (@Nerdrotics) July 24, 2021
I just saw the new he-man animation thing, I only have one word
why pic.twitter.com/KJNFtNICas
— Shizu (@BepDelta) July 24, 2021
As for the planned second season, it would be shocking if Netflix actually goes ahead with such a thing. After having lost nearly a half million subscribers in North America, it’s hard to imagine Netflix throwing money at a series that seems to be irritating North American viewers. Netflix needs series that will take off, a la a new Stranger Things, and they’ve been bereft of that sort of breakout property as of late. If they spend time and money on a series that is being eviscerated, it’s easy to see how other streaming services might begin catching up.
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