ABSTRACT
Netflix’s positioning of itself as something alternative and disruptive to traditional practices of production and distribution aligns it with an indie sensibility. The off-beat subject matter, character driven narratives associated with Netflix Originals, as well as the company's stated desire to include diverse voices, further align it with the priorities of independence. However, Netflix's data driven approach, convenience-based institutional logic and its inherent pragmatism and prioritisation of profit and growth mean that independence is subsumed under different, often diametrically opposed priorities. This chapter argues that Netflix's potential and limitations as a producer of indie TV are played out tonally, aesthetically and narratively in Netflix Original GLOW . The series’ 1980s nostalgia, socially conscious tone, as well as its dramatisation of the tension between authenticity and artificiality in television production lend it credibility as an example of indie TV. However, GLOW's shock cancellation in October 2020 demonstrated clearly the limits of Netflix's willingness to absorb the risks of independent production and suggests that the platform's affiliation with independence is much more the result of its identification of a receptive and profitable audience.
