The Circle US Version Has a Shot at Succeeding From All the Right Changes

The Circle: US Version Has a Shot at Succeeding From All the Right Changes

Netflix’s brand new US reality TV series The Circle is premiering with some well-needed changes since its premiere season over in the UK.

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The Circle US Version Has a Shot at Succeeding From All the Right Changes

Netflix’s new US reality TV series The Circle has undergone some changes since its premiere season in the UK. The changes made are all positive ones that leave the show poised to be the next big reality TV hit.

The Circle, which premiered on January 1 on Netflix, is sure to appeal to Big Brother fans. And, while there are some similarities to the popular reality show, The Circle also has a noticeable Catfish influence. The show follows a group of contestants who move into an apartment building, but never meet face-to-face. Using only a specially-designed social media app, the contestants are able to represent themselves in any way they want. Periodically, the players all rate each other’s popularity, reminiscent of the Black Mirror episode “Nosedive.” Based on the results, the two highest-ranked players become “influencers” and get to choose who is blocked from The Circle. The person who is blocked immediately leaves the game. In the end, the highest-rated player remaining wins the prize money.

The UK version of The Circle made some significant changes between seasons 1 and 2. Netflix wisely kept the good changes and ditched the bad ones. The first large problem with season 1 was the rating system players used to rank the other players’ popularity. In season 1, they rated their fellow players 1 through 5. Savvy players soon realized they had the ability to game the system by simply rating their competition a 1 and go even further by building an alliance with others who would also rate them 1. This allowed them to control the game by determining who ranks highest and becomes influencers, who in turn decide who goes home. This deviates from the show’s goal of determining the most popular cast member. By season 2, the UK version of the show had adopted for the format familiar to fans of the TLC reality show Four Weddings, where players must rank their competitors in order from most to least popular. The Netflix version uses this new, much-improved rating system.

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They also kept the video reveal. Originally blocked players were allowed to meet one player in person before they left the game. In the newer version, this is followed up with a video reveal of the blocked player to all the remaining circle members. This is great, as fans get to see the players’ surprised reactions when a catfish is revealed or when someone they believed to be a catfish is shown to be real. So far, one thing it appears they did not adopt from season 2 is the live show format. This often felt like an interruption from the show that seemed more suited to a postseason reunion show. It just never felt quite right.

Luckily, either Netflix agreed or possibly didn’t do the live show format because it would have conflicted with the best change they made to The Circle, which is the ability to binge-watch. Knowing their audience, Netflix opted to release four episodes at a time every week. Rather than having to tune in daily or multiple times a week, fans can tune in and binge four full episodes at a time. Fans are already embracing this change, as well as the show itself. With a terrifically timed New Years Day release, viewers were able to watch just enough of the show to get them hooked. While it is so far unknown how this will impact the long term viewing stats for the show, it’s easy to imagine many people who may not have tuned in for a second episode on a different day were lulled into watching all four episodes at once. And if the online buzz is to be believed, this strategy worked.

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Fans are already taking to social media platforms to proclaim their favorite players, discuss strategy, and make predictions about future episodes. The Circle is clever and entertaining, with a nice blend of emotion and gameplay. Netflix’s choice to drop four episodes at a time allows fans to become invested quickly in the outcome, and if the arguments on social media are any indication of how invested they are already, this show is likely to be a success. Netflix’s decision to release not only the US version of The Circle, but also versions in France and Brazil, have fans crossing their fingers that a second season will be announced soon. In the meantime, they will be tuning in the next two Wednesdays to binge some more.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/circle-us-version-success-changes/

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