Netflix’s hit series, Wednesday, notches a streaming win over HBO’s House of the Dragon, boasting the most-watched premiere of 2022.
Netflix’s hit comedy horror series, Wednesday, proves it has staying power with viewers as its premiere ensured they kept turning to their small screens, earning a big viewership win over HBO’s popular fantasy drama, House of the Dragon.
According to Samba TV, Wednesday‘s Season 1 premiere, which came late last November, became the most-watched debut of 2022 within the 40-day viewership window. Samba’s figures indicated that most series typically have a short shelf-life to attract an audience considering 15 of the 20 shows released in the second half of last year attracted more than 75% of their total 51-day viewership within the first 15 days. By comparison, Wednesday drew 66% of its audience within 15 days of its release, with House of the Dragon winning that initial window before The Addams Family spinoff eclipsed them over time, averaging twice as many new views per day than the HBO show between days 30 and 50.
Wednesday’s Viral Dominance
Much of Wednesday‘s success reportedly came from how viral it became on social media, driving up interest from Gen Z audiences. The much-talked-about dance scene featuring its beloved star Jenna Ortega became a social media sensation, with fans and celebrities later doing renditions of it. Unlike House of the Dragon, Wednesday didn’t boast a billion-dollar budget, a heavy marketing blitz or as big of a pre-existing fanbase, with House of the Dragon being a Game of Thrones prequel.
Wednesday has earned widespread critical acclaim with Ortega specifically receiving praise for her performance as the titular Wednesday Addams. The show focuses on Wednesday’s life at Nevermore Academy and her attempts to hone her psychic powers as she tries to thwart a local killing spree while also solving a long-time mystery involving her parents. The inaugural season garnered some of Netflix’s biggest returns to date, holding its top viewership spot for several weeks and earning a Nielsen streaming record along the way.
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Featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christina Ricci, Luis Guzmán and Emma Myers, Wednesday has already been renewed for Season 2, with Ortega thanking fans for their unwavering support when the renewal was confirmed. No release date has been announced for the follow-up season, though Ortega has publicly asked for the show to focus less on romantic tropes and more on her character progression in Season 2.
Wednesday was co-created by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough, the creative partnership that previously spawned the cult classic series Smallville and co-wrote Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. The Addams Family spinoff series has an average audience score of 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and received two nominations at the 80th Golden Globe Awards this past January including Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and a Best Actress nod for Ortega.
Wednesday‘s first season is streaming on Netflix.
Source: Samba TV via Deadline
