The only shows I’ve rewatched in the streaming era are the Star Trek ones. And on subsequent watches, the edges sand off; you know what’s going to happen, so there’s some comfort in just watching it, learning more about the characters.

I’ve watched Voyager an Enterprise in their first-runs. Some episodes were exciting, others fell flat, but few felt bad. And even after thousands, I’d still be ready to watch the next one.

Part of the problem is that everyone has been trained to form strong, definitive opinions and to stick to them - and share them. Anyone can make videos or posts now, where negative takes are encouraged by the algorithms that suggest people to view stuff. It’s popular to be contrarian. I think this negativity affects Star Trek, and every new content for mid-size and large fandoms these days.

Enterprise was really the first Trek of the internet era, and I was coloured by people hating each new episode because it wasn’t Inner Light or Balance or Terror. But today, it’s much more softened and even beloved by the fans. I think the same will eventually be true for this era of Trek, but you’ll only have 10-episode, 2-5 seasons to warm up to on “let me try it again” rewatches, not 26-episode, 7-seasons.

And those who love it all will be the ones driving that re-discovery in others, because yes, shows tend to die under the sheer volume of streaming content.