What if you could go into the writers' rooms for your favorite Netflix shows and rewrite the endings? Would you save your favorite character? Doom another to a life of misery?
This seemingly impossible scenario could become a reality. In a report on The Today Show, hosts shared that Netflix is developing technology that would offer the ultimate interactive experience: The chance to choose your own ending. In theory, this would mean that you could watch the same episode or movie multiple times, with a different outcome each time.
What The Today Show didn't say is that this technology already exists, but in a limited format. Netflix debuted this kind of interactivity last summer, but has, for the time being, limited it to some its kids' content.
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In answer to questions regarding the expansion of the technology, Netflix said the following in an email to Refinery29:
"Netflix is constantly exploring ways to create a better experience for its members. We first introduced interactive elements to our Kids series, Kong, in April 2016. We will continue to experiment in this format to learn more about what our members enjoy."
In a Reddit thread discussing the possibility of a "Choose Your Own Adventure" TV series, commenters seemed excited about the idea, but bring up the inherent challenges. Namely, it would take longer to film shows and cost more. Others compared it to another, similar form of entertainment: video games.
If the technology were to be expanded to other Netflix shows, feedback would likely be mixed. After all, part of what makes a show so emotionally powerful is that is has one ending. Would Titanic have made such an impact if you got to choose if Rose and Jack ended up on a piece of ice big enough for both of them? I doubt it.
For now, there's no word of a "choose your own ending" for Stranger Things season two — but it might not be far off.
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