It's no secret that many millennials have given up the age-old cable television subscription in lieu of the cheaper (and perhaps less versatile) monthly Netflix subscription, but what does that mean for the very shows that Netflix stream for us?

If you've been paying attention, you'll notice that the selection of Netflix-produced shows has only been expanding since the streaming company's first original series, House of Cards, emerged in 2013. The successful show was followed by many others, notably Orange is New Black, Making a Murderer, and the final season of Arrested Development. The hits have certainly overwhelmed a certain corner of modern entertainment formerly (and to some extent, still currently) held by HBO, Showtime, and other production channels.

What does a Netflix streaming experience offer us that cable doesn't?

The ease of complete autonomy. Gone are the days of waiting anxiously for your favorite show to air a new episode every Thursday night - now just wait to start watching a show a season after it airs, and you'll be able to watch an entire season on your own schedule (leading to the rise of binge-watching, but that's a cultural phenomenon for another day).

The issue here, of course, is without regular viewers enjoying their shows as they're released will we see traditional cable television completely replaced by Netflix's 'release a season at a time' mentality? Just as pop culture is observing a change from traditional paper newspapers, scientific journals, etc. to an electronic alternative, the entertainment world might be at the beginning of a similar shift, marked by our almost obsessive attachment to Netflix and its slightly less-favored cousin, Hulu.

That being said, after Netflix cycles out content the company deems unpopular or not current enough for them to pay for, viewers may prefer to return to something even more archaic: DVD, BluRay, or AmazonPrime Video to catch up on old favorites we used to record on our trusty old VHS players.