Rapid Insights: The Business of Thrills and Chills

Next month, Amazon Prime will be releasing a compelling new pitch-black comedy-thriller starring two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. Waltz plays Regus Patoff, a creepy, diabolical consultant hired by a struggling gaming company to improve their business practices; the more Patoff becomes embedded within the company, the more power and control he gains, until the once-normal workplace becomes a truly terrifying and dangerous place. Here’s what you need to know about The Consultant:

Who will be tuning in?
A fairly balanced audience. Viewership is predicted to lean only slightly male (52% male / 48% female), with a roughly even distribution between key adult age brackets (about 30% each for 18-29, 30-44, and 45+). In contrast, similar dark comedy-thrillers Severance and Barry leaned more heavily male, while Dead to Me and The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window skewed female, and all appealed to a slightly older crowd.

What type of series is The Consultant?
A biting workplace satire. The show leverages dark, Twisted Humor (160), cruel irony, and sarcasm to comment on the often-toxic modern relationship between boss and employee, a tack that will captivate audiences and drive bingeability. At the same time, the humor is supported with elements of a psychological Thriller (114), a potentially supernatural Sci-Fi (120) Mystery (117), and just a twinge of Horror (107).

What’s the show’s biggest draw?
Its Focus on Business (144). The Consultant’s foreboding, office-centric narrative explores dysfunctional Workplace Dynamics (124) and Co-Worker Relationships (117) evolving within an extremely Difficult Workplace (149) as consultant Patoff becomes increasingly tyrannical and manipulative and gains control over the entire gaming company. Though intended as a gross exaggeration, this set-up will nevertheless prove uncomfortably familiar to many viewers, propelling both ratings and longevity.

What will keep audiences hooked?
The employees’ predicament. As his bizarre actions ramp up, Patoff falls Under increased Suspicion (140) for having a dangerous hidden agenda (was that actually a body he just convinced an underling to hide?), and the company workers face a stark Moral Dilemma (127) in choosing between their livelihoods and their integrity. Their compelling struggle will both contribute to the show’s bingeability and drive its social buzz.

What type of emotional experience will audiences find most compelling?
A hatred for Patoff. Viewer engagement will be directly tied to the levels of Disapproval (127), Anger (127), Loathing (127), and Contempt (127) inspired by the tyrannical consultant, along with a thrilling sense of Apprehension (127) surrounding his ultimate agenda.

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