According to Cary Fukunaga in a chat with GQ, Netflix has an algorithm that can break down what works to win and hold an audience as well as what doesn’t.
A lot of Netflix users like to binge-watch their shows; if shows don’t appeal on a binge-watching level, those shows may not be hits on the streaming service.
Netflix has always been stingy with its viewership numbers, and there’s not a whole lot of hard data about how its shows perform in the ratings compared to shows with numbers measured in traditional ways.
Still, Netflix’s model of releasing full seasons of shows at once (with the exception of talk shows) means that it goes about producing series differently than shows on HBO or AMC or any of the major broadcast networks.