The new Addams family spin-off series, Wednesday, defeats Netflix’s superhit series, Stranger Things to record the highest viewership on the streaming platform.
The spin-off series focuses on the titular character of Wednesday Addams who discovers she has psychic powers after going to Nevermore Academy and attempts to solve a murder mystery. It is the first live-action adaptation in the Addams Family franchise after the 1998 series, The New Addams Family.
The new Netflix spin-off stars Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams and premiered on the platform on November 23.
Reports from THR suggest that Wednesday recorded the highest-ever opening for an English language series on Netflix, surpassing Stranger Things, which previously held the record. Wednesday has recorded a whopping 341.2 million hours of viewership worldwide in its opening week, dethroning Stranger Things season 4, which recorded a viewership of 335 million hours.
However, the all-time opening week record on Netflix is still held by a non-English series, Squid Game, which recorded 571.6 million hours of viewership.
Wednesday’s success comes as a major setback for Netflix’s original content, as the platform has been trying to focus on original content for the last two years. Wednesday ranked no 1 in streaming in 83 countries in its opening week, which stands at par with Netflix’s biggest hit to date, Stranger Things.
The viewing hours have been calculated by Netflix, which suggests that nearly 53 million households worldwide streamed at least a part of Wednesday. These records seem to be quite promising and fulfilling for the future of Wednesday.
Wednesday’s mammoth success can be credited to positive word-of-mouth, coupled with brilliant performances from the cast. Jenna Ortega received immense critical acclaim for her performance as Wednesday Addams. She’s also supported by a Catherine Zeta-Jones, Gwendoline Christie, Luis Guzmán, and Christina Ricci.
Popular Hollywood director Tim Burton coming on board to direct the first four episodes of Wednesday further gave the series star power and urged people to tune in to watch the series.
Only time will tell whether Stranger Things will be able to take back its crown when its fifth and final season premieres on Netflix, but for now Wednesday holds the record for the highest viewership for an English-language series.]
Though nothing has been officially confirmed about the renewal of Wednesday for season 2, the records set by season 1 should be enough to guarantee renewal. Season 1 left plenty of threads unexplored which can be picked up in the second season.
Moreover, showrunner Miles Miller has already hinted at potential plotlines that Wednesday season 2 might explore. All of this suggests that Wednesday is due for renewal pretty soon.
About Wednesday
Wednesday is an American coming-of-age supernatural comedy horror television series based upon the character Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the title character, with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, Isaac Ordonez, Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Fred Armisen, and Christina Ricci appearing in supporting roles.
Wednesday is expelled from her high school and enrolled in Nevermore Academy in Jericho, Vermont, a school for monstrous outcasts once attended by her parents. Here, she discovers she has psychic abilities that help her solve a local murder mystery with the help of Jericho’s sheriff.
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