Marvel Studios has experienced a rollercoaster of success with its television endeavors since the launch of WandaVision in 2021, which marked a renewed focus on streaming series. It’s more accurate to describe their approach as “loosely” television, given the studio’s tendency to create miniseries that feel like segmented movies. The results have been mixed, with some standout shows like Loki, WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and X-Men ’97, while others, such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and Hawkeye, have been mediocre. Then there are those that are better left forgotten, like Secret Invasion with its cringeworthy AI-generated opening titles.

However, after a period of soul-searching a couple of years ago, Marvel decided to revamp its approach to television. The studio not only retooled the highly anticipated Daredevil: Born Again but also overhauled its entire strategy. In a surprising move that will likely send shockwaves through the industry, Marvel has learned a valuable lesson: audiences prefer TV shows with multiple seasons released on a yearly basis. This revelation comes as Daredevil: Born Again prepares to launch on Disney+ on March 4.

In the lead-up to the release, Marvel’s head of TV, Brad Winderbaum, has been sharing updates on the studio’s TV prospects. Earlier this week, Winderbaum stated that Moon Knight likely won’t return for a second season, as it was created before the studio’s realignment. He told Comicbook.com that “moving forward, our priorities have shifted… we’re making shows as shows that can exist as annual releases, more like television.” This statement is somewhat amusing, given that Marvel has produced over 15 seasons of “television” in the last four years. Nevertheless, Winderbaum has reiterated this approach for various series, including live-action shows like Daredevil and animated series like Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and X-Men ’97.

Although Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and X-Men ’97 will have to wait more than a year for their sophomore seasons due to the time-consuming nature of animation, Winderbaum aims to release a new Spider-Man season every year. He told Collider, “What usually happens, as you know, in animation, is that there’s a bigger gap between season one and season two than in subsequent seasons, and that’ll be similar in Friendly. We will have to wait a little bit more than a year for season two, but then after that, it should come out on an annual cadence, hopefully.” Winderbaum made similar comments about X-Men ’97, confirming that the second season will air in 2026, rather than 2025.

While it’s entertaining to poke fun at Marvel for taking so long to learn this lesson, it’s encouraging to see the studio finally adapting. It’s better late than never, and we can only hope that this shift in approach will yield better results. The upcoming release of Daredevil: Born Again on March 4 will be a test of Marvel’s new strategy, and fans will be eagerly waiting to see the fruits of this labor.

For more io9 news, check out the latest release dates for Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases. You can also stay up-to-date on the DC Universe on film and TV, and get the latest on Doctor Who.