Netflix makes it easy to binge. By auto-playing the next episode, and by stripping out the commercial breaks, the streaming service removes the interruptions that typically prompt you to get a snack or go to bed.
But there’s still one vestige of broadcast TV that invites you to stop watching: interminable opening credits sequences. Star Trek’s theme song is retro-catchy the first ten times. After that, it’s tedious and irritating. Or consider House of Cards, whose melancholy opening sequence lasts nearly two full minutes(!). There’s only so many times I can watch those DC time lapses.
So why can’t Netflix automatically skip these opening titles for me? Assign an intern to flag the start and finish of each episode’s credits sequence. Then offer users a preference in settings: always skip credits, never skip, or skip after the first five episodes.
Maybe Netflix’s license agreements prevent them from showing modified versions of the shows. If so, its brokers should negotiate less user-hostile deals. And that explanation wouldn’t apply to Netflix’s own in-house programs, right? As I mentioned above, House of Cards is the chief long-credits offender!
Matt Hauger 