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SALT LAKE CITY — When it comes to the relationship between TV shows and viewers, it's rarely love at first sight.
That's according to a new study by Netflix that set out to pinpoint that exact episode that "hooks" viewers to a series — transforming them into catatonic binge watchers incapable of turning away, according to Variety.
To kick things off, the streaming service selected two dozen popular shows to analyze for the study and pulled viewing data from Netflix accounts that started season one of any of the chosen programs between January and July of this year. The accounts came from 16 markets across the U.S., Australia and Brazil.
While it can be difficult to remember a time when you weren't completely addicted to your favorite show, the study revealed not one of the 24 pilots proved enticing enough to entirely suck a viewer in.
"Given the precious nature of primetime slots on traditional TV, a series pilot is arguably the most important point in the life of the shows," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a release. "However, in our research of more than 20 shows across 16 markets, we found that no one was ever hooked on the pilot. This gives us the confidence that giving our members all episodes at once is more aligned with how fans are made."
To emphasize just how powerful that "hook" episode can be — Netflix revealed 70 percent of viewers who made it through that chosen episode eventually committed to the entire first season and beyond.
Dying to know which episodes provided the hook? "Bates Motel," "Breaking Bad," "Scandal," "Sons of Anarchy," "Suits," "The Killing," and "The Walking Dead" captivated viewers the quickest — the second episode proved to be the point of no return.
- Arrow: Episode 8
- Bates Motel: Episode 2
- Better Call Saul: Episode 4
- Bloodline: Episode 4
- BoJack Horseman: Episode 5
- Breaking Bad: Episode 2
- Daredevil: Episode 5
- Dexter: Episode 3
- Gossip Girl: Episode 3
- Grace & Frankie: Episode 4
- How I Met Your Mother: Episode 8
- House of Cards: Episode 3
- Mad Men: Episode 6
- Marco Polo: Episode 3
- Orange is the New Black: Episode 3
- Once Upon a Time: Episode 6
- Pretty Little Liars: Episode 4
- Scandal: Episode 2
- Sense8: Episode 3
- Sons of Anarchy: Episode 2
- Suits: Episode 2
- The Blacklist: Episode 6
- The Killing: Episode 2
- The Walking Dead: Episode 2
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Episode 4
As for Netflix Original Series, "Orange is the New Black" and "House of Cards" hooked viewers after three episodes, while "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" took four episodes to draw viewers in.
While it lasted 10 seasons, "How I Met Your Mother" took eight full episodes to convince viewers to invest.
The study also looked at individual countries in relation to the global hook. Overall, the Dutch are the quickest to fall in love with a TV show, while Australians and New Zealanders didn't commit to shows until at least an episode or two after the rest of the world, according to Fast Company.
While the study provided potential fans a guide for how long to stick with a particular show, Netflix executives say it won't be changing the way series are created.
"This won't have any direct effect on the creative process for our showrunners/creators," a Netflix rep told Variety.
Instead, it helped convince the company that releasing a full season all at once is a good move, especially when it comes to creating fandom.
