Shares of Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) tanked in after-hours trading Monday following the company’s announcement that subscriber growth missed expectations. The other thing falling short of expectations is the quality of the cannabis content on Netflix.
By no means am I saying that the offensively stereotypical marijuana shows on Netflix were to blame for the company’s crappy quarter. That being said, its exactly the reason I’ve turned to more interesting cannabis content on my other Apple TV apps like Economist Films and Amazon Prime.
The ‘Snicklefritz’ of Cannabis Sitcoms
Remember James Franco’s character, Saul Silver, in the stoner classic Pineapple Express? Saul refers to his low-quality reefer as ‘snicklefritz,’ which is exactly why I’m going to use that term to describe Netflix’s low-quality dispensary sitcom, Disjointed.
While I respect the company’s devotion to pushing out new content faster that I can watch it, I had far ‘higher’ hopes for the show.
The show is focused on Ruth Feldman, a lifelong cannabis legalization advocate and dispensary proprietor, played by Oscar-winning Kathy Bates. Despite crafting Kathy’s character into an industry advocate worth respecting, the show portrays her dispensary’s work environment as a constant laugh riot with less regard for compliance than it has for consumer education.
If anyone reading this has ever stepped into a MedMen dispensary, they know that this portrayal of a simple pot shop is far from the reality in this modern marijuana era.
Rather than using the show as a platform to usher marijuana into the mainstream, it became a tool to uphold age-old stereotypes and stigmas surrounding the plant and its users.
A Stoned Cooking Competition? Really!?
As if Disjointed wasn’t bad enough, Cooking on High is way worse. Episode one of the recently-released rip-off of Food Network’s Chopped is essentially a painful look at professional chefs feeding fools cannabis-infused foods.
Where as Action Bronson’s Viceland show Fuck, That’s Delicious is actually entertaining, Cooking on High seems just plain stupid. If you think I’m exaggerating, watch for yourself and see if you can make it through 10 minutes without wanting to turn it off.
I’d review the rest of the season, but I’d rather just get high and watch Chopped.
Conclusion
Despite having an annual content budget in the billions, Netflix can’t seem to get its hands on quality cannabis content. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is bringing back The Marijuana Show for its third season.
Just like learning how to roll a joint, it may take practice to roll out better marijuana-related content. If that’s the case, its going to get better. For the time being, these failed attempts to entertain the ents resemble some of the first joints I ever rolled.
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