Elizabeth Olsen’s ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ shouldn’t be Facebook flop

Facebook/Beck Media

• Elizabeth Olsen’s show about a young grieving widow, “Sorry
  for Your Loss,” debuted to critical praise when it was released
  on Facebook’s premium TV section, Watch.
• Despite getting 4 million views for its first episode,
  viewership plunged after that.
• Facebook hasn’t proven that Watch can be a launching pad for
  a scripted TV show of the caliber you’d see on Netflix or even
  YouTube, and has yet to have a breakout hit.

When the first episode of “Sorry for Your Loss” debuted on
September 18, it seemed like the stars had finally aligned for
Facebook Watch, the tech giant’s bid to take on premium TV.

The reviews for the 10-episode series were stellar, and it
eventually landed at a 95%
on Rotten Tomatoes. The story of a young woman dealing with
the unexpected death of her husband moved critics,
with The Atlantic calling it “funny and candid and wrenching
right from the start.”

And even before the show had launched, its trailer had
already inspired Facebook users to post their own stories of
grief and loss, an element of social sharing that
demonstrated the unique position of Facebook as a TV platform.

These early signs of success were no doubt a relief for star
Elizabeth Olsen, who had spent
over three years deeply involved in the project, and was paid
$250,000 an episode,
according to Variety. After starring in films, this was
Olsen’s first TV show, and it had taken a leap from Showtime (at
one point in development) to a largely untested Facebook.

The first episode got 4 million views according to Facebook’s
count, which, despite Facebook “views” registering after only
three seconds, is impressive.

But since its debut, “Sorry for Your Loss” has so far proved
another flop for Watch, which hasn’t scored a scripted breakout
hit — its “House of Cards” (Netflix), “The Handmaid’s Tale”
(Hulu), or even “Cobra Kai” (YouTube’s “Karate Kid” series
reboot).

A nose-dive from 4 million to 82,000

Facebook had an atypical release strategy for “Sorry for Your
Loss,” dropping four of its 30-minute episodes on September 18,
and the rest in pairs. Though this is not the norm for either
traditional TV or streamers like Netflix, Facebook will continue
to experiment with similarly irregular blocks of episode releases
for upcoming shows.

Consisting of 10 episodes, the first season of “Sorry for Your
Loss” ended October 9 (though all are still available to watch on
the platform).

The second episode saw a stark decline in views from the first
one, falling to under 200,000 (from 4 million). The episode with
the fewest views was episode six, which has received around
82,000. But generally, the distribution of viewing has been
choppy, suggesting some of these episodes either made their way
into people’s feeds or got better placement from Facebook some
other way.

You can see each episode’s performance in this chart:

Business Insider / Olivia
Reaney

In its Watch shows, Facebook has been looking for ones that build
a repeat audience. One Watch partner told Business Insider that
Facebook would prefer lower view counts if they were stable. The
irregularity and nose-dive in viewership for “Sorry for Your
Loss” means that by Facebook’s own standards, the show appears to
have been a flop so far.

Facebook pushed back on that narrative, however.

“It is still early, but we are excited about the momentum around
the series after its short four-week season run and are
encouraged by the loyal fan base and community engagement around
the show – as well as within the official Facebook Group,” a
Facebook spokesperson said.

But while the Facebook group around the show has prompted
meaningful discussion about loss,
it has fewer than 8,000 members. And the distribution of the
views does not suggest the show is gaining momentum.

So you have a movie star, incredible reviews, pre-release buzz,
and then — a fizzle?

Facebook doesn’t even have a Roku app

Hollywood is tricky and some TV series that seem to have all the
right parts just fail to build an audience. That’s show business.

But Facebook also doesn’t seem to understand some pieces of
making a hit TV show in 2018.

Here’s a personal anecdote. The day it was released, I was
excited to check out “Sorry for Your Loss.” I fired up my
Roku-powered smart TV to try and watch episode one. Then it
turned out there was no Roku app for
Facebook (or Facebook Watch). Facebook has ignored the
leading streaming player. I spent 20 minutes poking around the
internet trying to figure out a workaround, but eventually gave
up trying to get it on my TV.

I watched episode one on my phone and liked it, but didn’t want
to watch a second — primarily because of the annoyance of having
to watch a show on my phone for an extended period. I never came
back to it.

If Facebook wants to force me to watch TV-length shows on my
phone, that’s fine. But Facebook does have Apple TV and Amazon Fire
TV apps, so it doesn’t seem like that’s part of a
coherent strategy. Facebook didn’t provide a specific explanation
of why a Roku app is still not available over a year after the
launch of Watch.

Celebs and a ‘unique people-centric experience’

Facebook has switched up its Watch strategy a few times since
launch.

In June, Facebook Watch rolled out news programming (which
Business Insider is a partner on). The Watch team has also begun
to lean into shows featuring high-profile celebrities with
baked-in followings, a Watch partner told Business Insider.
Digiday reported Wednesday that Facebook has referred to these
celeb vehicles as “hot
start” shows, using the example of Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Red
Table Talk.”

On Facebook’s earnings call Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said
“while Watch is now growing very quickly, we’re well behind
YouTube and still working to make this a unique people-centric
experience.”

It sounds like Zuckerberg is admitting Watch hasn’t yet found its
groove. And a lean-back experience on a TV might have always been
a tough sell for Facebook, which Zuckerberg noted wants
“people-centric” viewing.

“Sorry for Your Loss” might simply be caught in an awkward spot.
While Facebook could have been intrigued by its social aspects —
like its users supporting each other, and sharing stories of loss
— it’s fundamentally a TV show. At least to me, it feels like a
show you want to watch on your television and not your phone.
Perhaps it would have had a better shot to build an audience on
Netflix or Hulu.

Facebook will have some more swings coming up with Hollywood
talent — like Catherine Zeta-Jones’ “Queen America” and Jessica
Biel’s “Limetown” — but if it wants top actors to keep signing
onto its shows, the tech giant will have to prove it can actually
sustain a scripted hit.

“Sorry for Your Loss,” despite its virtues, hasn’t been it so
far.

If you have any information or thoughts about
Facebook Watch or “Sorry for Your Loss,” contact the author at
[email protected].