In this article we look at the top breakout shows of the past week. Breakout shows are the most in-demand series that have premiered in the past 100 days.
The latest K-drama from Netflix, All of Us Are Dead, had a phenomenal debut in its first week since premiering on January 28th. For the week of January 29th - February 5th, the show had 26.5 times the average series demand, making it the 4th most in-demand new series that debuted in the past 100 days.
The demand for All of Us Are Dead is another data point that shows how demand for K-dramas is on the rise following the global success of Squid Game (it was the most in-demand new series premiere in 2021 globally). Netflix also had two other Korean series that premiered after Squid Game with high demand - The Silent Sea and Hellbound.
Also new to the top breakout shows chart this week is The Legend of Vox Machina from Amazon Prime Video. The show which premiered on January 25th had 22.7 times the average series demand this week. A strong fanbase ultimately propelled this show to where it is today. It was initially conceived as a one-episode special, but following a groundswell of fan support on Kickstarter it was extended to 10 episodes. After being picked up by Amazon it got an order for two twelve-episode seasons. In some ways this show parallels the earlier success of Arcane (which is still ranked in 6th place this week with 24.6x the average series demand). Both shows are adult animation and based on video game IP. The success of both these shows points to two trends to watch - growing demand for adult animation and gaming as a source of IP for shows.
Hulu's new series, Pam and Tommy, chronicles Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's marriage and infamous sex tape. It was the tenth ranked new series in the US this week with 19.2 times the average series demand. With episodes scheduled to be dropped weekly the trajectory of this show remains to be seen, however so far it has received a fair amount of backlash. The irony was not lost on many people that a show about the non-consensual release of a sex tape doesn't have the signoff of the woman at the center of the story.
