The 2017 geopolitical divide: 'Stranger Things' vs. 'BoJack Horseman'
This interesting chart comes from a Parrot Analytics report on the top digital original shows in the third quarter of 2016.
As you can see, "Stranger Things" won in every market except for Russia, where "BoJack Horseman" took the top slot. If you look closer at the numbers, the divide is even more striking: "BoJack" ranked between sixth and eighth in every other market.
Can we draw massive geopolitical conclusions from this map? Well, it does kind of make sense that the Western powers would like a nostalgic, escapist return to the 1980s, while Russia would like a dark satire of American culture starring an alcoholic talking horse.
Indeed, you get a sense of the outlook in "BoJack" from the appearance in season two of a KGB spy who wakes up from a 30-year coma and resumes his mission to destroy America.
"You know, I came here today to blow up Disneyland, but now I realize I don't need to take down capitalism," he remarks at one point. "Capitalism sows the seeds for its own destruction. It's a snake that eats itself. It's only a matter of time!"
Anyway, "BoJack" and "Stranger Things" are both Netflix originals, part of the red-hot catalog that is powering explosive global growth for the Silicon Valley company. You can draw your own conclusions from that.