Netflix Has Major Plans To Keep You Glued To Your Couch In 2018

Netflix has come up with the perfect solution to keep you occupied while the world anxiously waits for Stranger Things 3 to get a confirmed debut date.

Variety reports the streaming giant has plans to feature approximately 700 original TV shows and movies, including the return of fan-favorite series like Ozark and Jessica Jones.

Creating and licensing quality content comes with a price. CFO David Wells said Netflix expects to spend $8 billion in 2018 on its own shows and licensed series such as The Walking Dead.

The news comes shortly after Netflix poached TV gods Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes from FX and ABC, paying $300 million and $100 million, respectively. As part of the mega-deals, Murphy and Rhimes will be creating and producing brand-new content exclusively for Netflix, leaving other hit shows such as American Crime Story and How To Get Away With Murder on network TV.

Wells told Variety the decision to keep pumping money into original shows and films, such as Black Mirror, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Mudbound, was a simple one.

"Let's continue to add content," he said. "It's working, it's driving growth."

With 117 million members and counting, he's not wrong. Still, some could argue that trying to pump out 700 originals in a year is a risky move. One of the reasons Netflix is able to do this, though, is because they're not beholden to the same network rules. Who cares if 578 are flops if the other 122 are massive hits in the U.S. and abroad? And, based on what we know about upcoming originals like Sabrina, Somebody Great, and comedian Michelle Wolf's currently unnamed weekly talk-show, it's likely their success rate will be even higher.

While this is great news for Netflix, it's potentially terrible for our social lives as we'll undoubtedly spend the remainder of 2018 kicking back in loungewear and trying to keep up. Just make sure to step into the sun every now and then to get some much-needed Vitamin D.