Did you know that Netflix gambled millions of dollars on this particular limited series despite the disapproval of many high ranking executives

Netflix Insiders Feared Its Biggest Emmy-Winning Limited Series to Flop, Called It “A very expensive risk”

It’s hard to imagine that the show that put Anya Taylor-Joy on the map and
earned Netflix 11 primetime Emmy Awards was considered a very risky project.
Queen’s Gambit, the limited series, was one of the company’s biggest Emmy
winners to date. But recent reports reveal a different story behind the scenes. 


CINDY HOLLAND BACKED THE PROJECT 

Queen’s Gambit wouldn’t have seen the light of the day if not for Cindy Holland,
the former Vice President for Original Content at Netflix
[https://netflixjunkie.com/category/news]. She had pushed for the project
despite getting taunts from other high executives. Bela Bajaria and her team in
particular would constantly rebuff Holland and her team’s efforts
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-bella-bajaria-vs-cindy-holland-how-are-netflix-fans-picking-sides-in-the-streamers-downfall/].
It was even dubbed “Holland’s Folly”. Many of the insiders were convinced
[https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_165183534016910&key=772a82adcff112d9c479568d0b0815df&libId=l2uc3yh90103iluh000DLaw4q0gqd&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbr.com%2Fqueens-gambit-expected-to-flop-netflix%2F%3Futm_content%3Dbuffer390fb%26utm_medium%3DSocial-Distribution%26utm_source%3DCBR-TW%26utm_campaign%3DCBR-TW&ccpaConsent=1---&v=1&opt=true&out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fbusiness%2Fdigital%2Fnetflixs-big-wake-up-call-the-power-clash-behind-the-crash-1235136004%2F&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&title=Insiders%20Expected%20Netflix%27s%20The%20Queen%27s%20Gambit%20to%20Flop&txt=%3Cem%3EThe%20Hollywood%20Reporter%3C%2Fem%3E]
that it was going to misfire.

[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]

But instead, it became the most-watched show at that time and contributed to the
popularity of Chess. The streamer was the first platform ever to win 11 Emmys
for a limited series. Anya won the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Miniseries or
Television Film and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a
Miniseries or Television Movie. 

ALSO READ: Is there going to be a season 2 for The Queen’s Gambit?
[https://netflixjunkie.com/is-there-going-to-be-a-season-2-for-the-queens-gambit/]


NETFLIX FIRED CINDY HOLLAND BEFORE THE SHOW BECAME A HIT

Even before the show became a phenomenon, the company fired Cindy from her
position in September 2020. Holland had previously brought shows like Stranger
Things [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/] and Orange Is the New
Black to the streamer. Shortly after, Bela Bajaria took her place
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-did-two-women-feud-over-content-become-hostile-for-netflix-numbers/].
Bajaria’s pick Insatiable was a disaster, followed by success with Lupin and
Squid Game. [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/squid-game/]  


WHAT’S QUEEN’S GAMBIT ABOUT?

Queen’s Gambit [https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/queens-gambit] chronicled the life
of a young chess prodigy, Beth Harmon in the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on
Walter Tavis’s novel of the same name. The show not only shows her rise to the
top of the male-dominated world of chess but her battle with addiction and inner
conflicts. Logan’s director Scott Frank helmed the award-winning series. 

The streamer is currently in the hot waters having lost 200,000 million
followers
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-does-netflix-overnight-54-3-billion-loss-pose-a-ripple-effect-threat-on-other-streamers-like-amazon-hbo-max-hulu-disney-and-others/].
Moreover, its catalog is shrinking
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-2-animated-kids-shows-meet-the-ax-as-the-horrible-week-at-netflix-comes-to-an-end/].
If the streamer hadn’t taken such risks before because it would be harder
pulling subscribers back without the originals.

What do you think of Queen’s Gambit almost to making it our screens? Have you
streamed this show yet?

ALSO READ: Best Chess Movies to Watch on Netflix for The Queen’s Gambit Fans
[https://netflixjunkie.com/chess-movies-to-watch-on-netflix-for-the-queens-gambit-fans/]

Srabani Biswas

Comment

Netflix Insiders Feared Its Biggest Emmy-Winning Limited Series to Flop, Called It “A very expensive risk” - Netflix Junkie

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Srabani Biswas is a writer at Netflix Junkie. She is a sociology graduate from Lady Brabourne College. Previously, she has contributed to Sports India Show and The Sports Room as a sports writer, and interned at Ripples Learning. A daydreamer, a dancer, and a lover of dogs, she enjoys quiet evenings with her laptop and a cozy blanket. With so much to do and so little time, she is constantly worried about her growing pile of unread books and unwatched shows on Netflix. Her favourites include Stranger, Vincenzo, Hello! My twenties,  Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, Reply 1997 and Sex Education.

https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-netflix-insiders-feared-its-biggest-emmy-winning-limited-series-to-flop-called-it-a-very-expensive-risk-queens-gambit

Netflix Insiders Feared Its Biggest Emmy-Winning Limited Series to Flop, Called It “A very expensive risk” - netflix-junkie

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It&#8217;s hard to imagine that the show that put Anya Taylor-Joy on the map and earned Netflix 11 primetime Emmy Awards was considered a very risky project. Queen&#8217;s Gambit, the limited series, was one of the company&#8217;s biggest Emmy winners to date. But recent reports reveal a different story behind the scenes. 
<h2>Cindy Holland backed the project </h2>
Queen&#8217;s Gambit wouldn&#8217;t have seen the light of the day if not for Cindy Holland, the former Vice President for Original Content at<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/category/news"> Netflix</a>. She had pushed for the project despite getting taunts from other high executives. Bela Bajaria and her team in particular would <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-bella-bajaria-vs-cindy-holland-how-are-netflix-fans-picking-sides-in-the-streamers-downfall/">constantly rebuff Holland and her team&#8217;s efforts</a>. It was even dubbed &#8220;Holland&#8217;s Folly&#8221;. Many of the insiders were <a href="https://redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&amp;jsonp=vglnk_165183534016910&amp;key=772a82adcff112d9c479568d0b0815df&amp;libId=l2uc3yh90103iluh000DLaw4q0gqd&amp;loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbr.com%2Fqueens-gambit-expected-to-flop-netflix%2F%3Futm_content%3Dbuffer390fb%26utm_medium%3DSocial-Distribution%26utm_source%3DCBR-TW%26utm_campaign%3DCBR-TW&amp;ccpaConsent=1---&amp;v=1&amp;opt=true&amp;out=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fbusiness%2Fdigital%2Fnetflixs-big-wake-up-call-the-power-clash-behind-the-crash-1235136004%2F&amp;ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&amp;title=Insiders%20Expected%20Netflix%27s%20The%20Queen%27s%20Gambit%20to%20Flop&amp;txt=%3Cem%3EThe%20Hollywood%20Reporter%3C%2Fem%3E" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convinced</a> that it was going to misfire. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-6417 size-full lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/the-queens-gambit-s2-netflix.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="600" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/the-queens-gambit-s2-netflix.jpg 1200w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/the-queens-gambit-s2-netflix-300x150.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/the-queens-gambit-s2-netflix-1024x512.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/the-queens-gambit-s2-netflix-768x384.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
But instead, it became the most-watched show at that time and contributed to the popularity of Chess. The streamer was the first platform ever to win 11 Emmys for a limited series. Anya won the Golden Globe for Best Actress &#8211; Miniseries or Television Film and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. 
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/is-there-going-to-be-a-season-2-for-the-queens-gambit/">Is there going to be a season 2 for The Queen’s Gambit?</a>
<h2>Netflix fired Cindy Holland before the show became a hit</h2>
Even before the show became a phenomenon, the company fired Cindy from her position in September 2020. Holland had previously brought shows like <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/stranger-things/">Stranger Things</a> and Orange Is the New Black to the streamer. Shortly after, <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-did-two-women-feud-over-content-become-hostile-for-netflix-numbers/">Bela Bajaria took her place</a>. Bajaria&#8217;s pick Insatiable was a disaster, followed by success with Lupin and <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/squid-game/">Squid Game.</a>  
<h2>What&#8217;s Queen&#8217;s Gambit about?</h2>
<a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/tag/queens-gambit">Queen&#8217;s Gambit</a> chronicled the life of a young chess prodigy, Beth Harmon in the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on Walter Tavis&#8217;s novel of the same name. The show not only shows her rise to the top of the male-dominated world of chess but her battle with addiction and inner conflicts. Logan&#8217;s director Scott Frank helmed the award-winning series. 
The streamer is currently in the hot waters <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-does-netflix-overnight-54-3-billion-loss-pose-a-ripple-effect-threat-on-other-streamers-like-amazon-hbo-max-hulu-disney-and-others/">having lost 200,000 million followers</a>. Moreover, its <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-2-animated-kids-shows-meet-the-ax-as-the-horrible-week-at-netflix-comes-to-an-end/">catalog is shrinking</a>. If the streamer hadn&#8217;t taken such risks before because it would be harder pulling subscribers back without the originals.
What do you think of Queen&#8217;s Gambit almost to making it our screens? Have you streamed this show yet?
ALSO READ: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/chess-movies-to-watch-on-netflix-for-the-queens-gambit-fans/">Best Chess Movies to Watch on Netflix for The Queen’s Gambit Fans</a>

Best Chess Movies to Watch on Netflix for The Queen’s Gambit Fans

Is there going to be a season 2 for The Queen’s Gambit?

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https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/netflixfinal.jpg.webp

Did you know that Netflix gambled millions of dollars on this particular limited series despite the disapproval of many high ranking executives?

Srabani Biswas is a writer at Netflix Junkie. She is a sociology graduate from Lady Brabourne College. Previously, she has contributed to Sports India Show and The Sports Room as a sports writer, and interned at Ripples Learning. A daydreamer, a dancer, and a lover of dogs, she enjoys quiet evenings with her laptop and a cozy blanket. With so much to do and so little time, she is constantly worried about her growing pile of unread books and unwatched shows on Netflix. Her favourites include Stranger, Vincenzo, Hello! My twenties, Emily in Paris, Never Have I Ever, Peaky Blinders, Stranger Things, Reply 1997 and Sex Education.

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Netflix Insiders Feared Its Biggest Emmy-Winning Limited Series to Flop, Called It “A very expensive risk”

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