When Netflix first started releasing its own original scripted content, the streamer did so with the revolutionary concept of binge-watching. Every episode was released all at once! We didn't have to wait a week in between new episodes! We could watch at our own pace! It was great, and still is, but Netflix has introduced a new release pattern for some of its shows: the split season.

Netflix introduced the two-part release strategy for its shows long before the actors' and writers' strikes impacted the film and television industry in 2023. Money Heist released its seasons in parts, as did comedies The Ranch and Fuller House, but those instances of split seasons were nothing compared to those we're seeing now.

The decision to divide Stranger Things season 4 into two parts in the summer of 2022 seemed to ignite the idea and put it into practice in a major way.The Witcher season...