Netflix may have had some financial hurdles to jump in the last year, but when it comes to its output the streamer seems to be unable to stop producing huge hits. Earlier this year, Stranger Things 4 set a new record as having the most watched hours in a single week on the platform. Now that record has been shattered again by Tim Burton’s Wednesday.
In its premiere week, Wednesday logged an impressive 341.2 million hours between November 21-27. Considering the show didn’t arrive on Netflix until November 23, the show only had five days in which to rack up its record-breaking tally. In addition to this, the series also managed to tie with Stranger Things 4 by being the number 1 show on Netflix in 83 coutries. All in all, this had made the new Addams Family-based show one of the most successful to debut on Netflix.
Netflix’s date revealed that while the show has not toppled the seemingly unsurpassable Squid Game, being seen by over 50 million households has made it the most watched English-language show on the platform. If that doesn’t help secure a second season of Wednesday’s dark, mystery solving adventures then nothing will.
What About Wednesday Drew Tim Burton To The Small Screen?
As a director who has not previously ventured into the world of television, Tim Burton has made quite an impact with his first streaming project. With one of the highest audience ratings of Burton’s career, it seems that the switch to a long-form story format has been greatly beneficial for both Burton and for fans of both his work and The Addams Family. However, it was partly his own personal connection with the title character that brought him to Wednesday. He previously said:
“When I read this [script], it just spoke to me about how I felt in school and how you feel about your parents, how you feel as a person. It gave the Addams Family a different kind of reality. It was an interesting combination. In 1976, I went to a high-school prom. It was the year Carrie came out. I felt like a male Carrie at that prom. I felt that feeling of having to be there but not be part of it. They don’t leave you, those feelings, as much as you want them to go. You know, Wednesday and I have the same worldview.“
When it comes to perfect pairs, it seems that a project around The Addams Family was always going to play to Tin Burton’s strengths. The director has made a career of bringing outcasts to the world on the big and small screen, and Wednesday certainly falls into that category. Having previously been a secondary character in the franchise, Wednesday’s time to shine has come, and Jenna Ortega has created a modern, memorable iteration of the character. Fans are now eagerly awaiting news of whether Netflix will be renewing the show for a second season, and they hopefully won’t be left waiting too long.