When I first saw the trailer for love in 2016, I thought to myself ‘Here’s a show that’s going to do romantic comedy right.’

And I was right. For the most part.

The first season of the critically acclaimed Netflix show was pretty fantastic. It had an extremely talented cast of characters (most notably Claudia O’Doherty who is fucking hilarious). The dramatic side of the show was overshadowed by the humor. And the story was one that viewers could understand. If not understand, they could at least feel attached to some aspect of the characters.

It also had a fantastic story arc. The writing made you feel sad and happy all at once. It made you laugh and cry at the same time. It was a really fantastic one-off.

Then, in true Netflix fashion, they brought on season two. Which leads me to the main reason for this post: why does Netflix constantly feel the need to give multiple seasons to a show that clearly only needs to (and should only) be one season. I get that they need to make money and like, be a business and stuff, but there’s no need to keep making seasons of shows and drawing out plots that don’t need to be drawn out. Stranger Things – perfect example. There did not, I repeat, did not need to be a season two of Stranger Things. It fucked up the plot, it was just a rehashing of the first season. It made me really dislike the show.

And that’s a perfect segue for my point with Love. Season two of love was just a rehashing of season one. There were a few standout episodes, sure. There were some performances that really shined. And we maybe got a bit of plot divergence from the first season, but other than that, it was exactly the same.

Things are great. Mickey fucks up. Gus fucks up. They get mad. They split up. The end.

And…that was pretty much it.

I guess the thing that bothered me the most is the fact that it wasn’t original. Like they were trying to do the same thing they did in the first season, but were having such a hard time getting there that they just had to throw in lines of dialogue that didn’t fit in with the story so they could ruin the relationship.

By the end of the season, once the exact same conclusion had happened, I was about done. I had enjoyed the ride in the beginning, but by the end I was begging to get off.

Then SEASON THREE gets announced. I finally get around to watching it, and…

‘You know…this isn’t half ba…ah shit.’

Episode four. You can actually pinpoint the exact moment that the writers go ‘Ah fuck it let’s just do the same thing we did last season.’

“But how?” I’m sure one of them asked. “It’s going to be so difficult since we already wrote this scene with thoughtful and interesting dialogue.”

‘Aha! That’s where you’re wrong. Let’s just ruin it by adding totally manufactured and fake conflict into it somewhere. It will seem totally forced and ruin any sense of reality that the show had to begin with.’

They’re laying in bed, both sick as hell, and they just start yelling at each other for no reason at all. It’s like this show thinks relationships only have two extremes. Couples are either really happy or they’re fucking miserable with each other. I mean, I’m sure there are some couples out there that, yes, this is what they do. But guys…they just shouldn’t be together, right?

I just can’t stand it anymore. It was such a good show on its first season. Such a good show. And now it’s ruined. I won’t look back on Love fondly. I’ll look back on it and get a bad taste in my mouth. Which is a shame.

Because it’s really well written, you know? To an extent, it’s a really great show that’s really funny, creative, and different. But it’s not even different from the last season. Season two and three have just been rehashes of the first, and I don’t feel bad saying it.

But is that Netflix’s fault? I think it might be. I think it’s their fault because they rushed it out too quick. They want people to continue watching and not have to wait. Just like Stranger Things.

If you want a second season and you want it to be good, you need to give the writers time to write one. The initial show wasn’t good because they shat it out in six months. It was good because the writers spent years crafting it into what they wanted it to be. That’s why we loved it to begin with. Do let them do the same thing again. Let them work their magic. You’re Netflix, not broadcast. You don’t need a new season in six months, or hell, even a year.

Give it time. Your content will be better for it.