A Netflix Reboot Series Is Trending For Being Too Politically Correct
Netflix remade a series. Fans aren't loving it. Here's what's happening.
This article is more than 2 years old
Kevin Smith was totally psyched up to make his new animated He-Man series for Netflix, Masters of the Universe: Revelation. He told fans that the new series would fulfill their nostalgia for the original animated series, while also being something new that they could watch with their kids. While critics are loving the new show, audience members are review-bombing it. Why? Too much Teela, not enough He-Man.
The trailers for the Netflix series promise a lot of what you might expect from a Masters of the Universe series: He-Man fighting Skeletor. With Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame voicing the villain, expectations were high.
Fans then felt they were given a bait and switch when it turned out that the new series is really focused on Teela, voiced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Sarah Michelle Gellar. It may sound like fans are exaggerating when they say that the real main character of Netflix’s Master of the Universe is Teela, but that’s actually what Sarah Michelle Gellar said herself.
However, Kevin Smith would disagree. Back in May, some outlets reported that the series would focus on Teela, not He-Man. Kevin Smith, a creator behind the Netflix series, disputed that assertion on Twitter. He said that he’s worked on all the scripts and that Teela was in every episode of the original series and she is in this one, too. But that this keeps in line with what fans of the original He-Man animation should expect from the Masters of the Universe reboot.
The Netflix series may be great, if you go in with different expectations. Critics love it. The Rotten Tomato scores show that critics are going in and coming out in love, while audiences are none-too-happy. The fandom for Masters of the Universe has revolted.
Many of the tweets from fans who are upset about the Masters of the Universe reboot from Netflix report that they feel betrayed. It’s worth noting that while some of them have seen the series, some seem to be upset about the new project based on what they’ve read so far but haven’t actually seen it. Still, their feelings of betrayal have gotten the new series trending.
However, some have really enjoyed the Netflix series. As much attention as those who dislike it are getting, there is a large number of tweets talking about how much fans are enjoying Masters of the Universe. At this point, it’s fair to say that audiences seem fairly split.
The Netflix reboot hasn’t been out long, so there’s not yet any information on how it’s actually doing in terms of rating numbers on the streaming service. While they sometimes fail to release numbers at all, when they do, they reveal how many viewers tuned in during the first 28 days of a show’s run. We have a while to wait before we may find out if the Masters of the Universe controversy will mean that the series gains more attention by trending on Twitter and fans then wanting to see for themselves, or if the attention turns fans away from ever watching it.
