Image: Shadow and Bone, Netflix
For the week of 11 - 17 March, South Park remained at the top of the ranking for yet another week in a row although it did see a 5% drop in demand. On the other hand, Spongebob Squarepants had a 3% increase in demand and ended up becoming 83.6 times more in demand than the average series in the U.S. for the week. The third position on the list was taken over by a streaming original, while Attack on Titan dropped to fourth place following a 5% decline.
HBO’s The Last of Us rose up to fifth place in the ranking after its finale episode aired on March 12. The show reached its highest peak and averaged out at 63.5x shortly in the days following the finale. With most shows that follow a weekly episodic release schedule, it is not unusual to see spikes in demand in the week or two after ending, since viewers tend to ctach up to the episodes or binge them all together. It remains to be seen if we will see a similar pattern with The Last of Us or if this is the highest level the show will reach for this season.
NBC’s Saturday Night Live also had a 4% increase in demand this week, likely fuelled by news of a possible crew strike that would have disrupted production. Two more shows had an increase in demand this week - YTV’s My Hero Academia (+5%) and FOX’s The Simpsons (+26%). My Hero Academia’s increase in demand seems to be two-fold: last week, the news that the manga’s author would be taking a two week break due to health issues sent waves of concern throughout the fandom. In tandem, the episode of the anime that released that week also surprised viewers as they saw a disgraced villain return to screens.
The increase in demand for The Simpsons was spurred on by the announcement that the show was bringing back an iconic character after 33 years. Shortly after the news broke, the show came back into the overall ranking in ninth place with 59.3 times the average series demand. Rounding out the overall ranking, we see a 9% decline in demand push The Flash down to tenth place as audience attention shifted to other series. However, considering that the show is expected to air its series finale on March 29, we might just see an increase in demand for it towards the end of the month.
The streaming originals ranking saw The Mandalorian once again at the top with 67.7 times the average series demand, almost the same as last week. Stranger Things followed suit closely with 62.4 times the average series demand. As fans caught up to the new season after its premiere on March 09, Netflix’s You shot up the ranking to take third place this week. The show was impressively 53.3 times more in demand than the average series in the U.S., a 56% increase since last week.
Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso also saw a double digit increase in demand after its third (and final) season premiered on March 15. Even though it released just one episode, audiences clearly have their attention firmly trained on the sports comedy, as a 20% increase led it to become 48.6 times more in demand than the average series in the U.S. this week. Amazon’s Daisy Jones & The Six rose up to seventh place with 34.7 times the average series demand, the result of a minor increase that came after the series released three more episodes on March 10.
The most notable increases in demand were observed for two new shows in the ranking this week. Netflix’s Shadow and Bone had a 67% increase in demand after its second season premiered on March 16. The resulting increase led to it entering the ranking in ninth place with 29.6 times the average series demand. The YA genre can be valuable tool for streamers as they try to appeal to wider audiences to drive subscriber retention, and seeing high levels of demand for shows such as Shadow and Bone lends some credence to the fact. In tenth place we see a new debut in the ranking: Hulu’s History Of The World, Part II had a 27% increase in demand which made it 27.1 times more in demand than the average series in the U.S. this week. The show premiered on March 06 much to the excitement of fans of the original Mel Brooks movie that was released in 1981. Now, 40 years later Mel Brooks is back on screens as the narrator as well as creator and writer of the show.
