Netflix is copying one of the best things about Disney Plus — here’s how

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The days of binging reality TV over a weekend on Netflix may be over.  

The streaming service plans to bring back Too Hot to Handle and The Circle for new seasons. But in renewing the reality TV programs, Netflix says it’s changing the shows’ release schedule to a weekly release instead of releasing every episode all at once when the new season debuts.

The Circle will premiere on April 14 with four episodes, and that process will continue every Wednesday until the season finale on May 5. According to Netflix, a premiere date for Too Hot to Handle premiere date has not been announced yet, though the new season arrives in June.

Parcelling out episodes may be an unusual approach for Netflix, but it’s something other streaming services do. Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus regularly release weekly episodes — the latter is currently do that with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Other reality series on Netflix have gotten the weekly treatment in the past, and at the time, Netflix insisted that there was no plan to move away from mass releases for its scripted shows.

Too Hot To Handle is centered around a competition among attractive houseguests, who compete to win $100,000 by not engaging in any romantic foreplay. In The Circle, contestants move into the same apartment building, yet never meet face-to-face and only communicate through social media. 

Ron Lyons, Jr. is a freelance writer. His beats include culture, entertainment and technology, and he has written about everything from Xbox to Netflix for Tom's Guide. His bylines include Slate Magazine, Insider, and the 101.9 WDET. Whenever he’s not writing stories, he’s playing video games and listening to music on Spotify.

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