The hit comedy-horror Netflix series Wednesday is quickly becoming one of the platform's most popular series - and one of the most popular streaming titles of all time. Variety reports that the Tim Burton-produced series had the second-biggest streaming week of all time, across any streaming platform, according to the third-party viewership tracking company Nielsen. Viewers tuned in with 6 billion minutes watched from the week of November 21-27. What makes this even more impressive is that Wednesday started streaming on Nov. 23, so it wasn't available during that entire week.
Stranger Things still reigns with the highest streaming viewership, with 7.2 billion minutes viewed of Season 4 during its first full week of availability. It should be noted, however, that Stranger Things has had six years to build up a fanbase, while Wednesday is a new series (although it is based on a previously existing IP). The second season of Wednesday has yet to be confirmed, although it will be likely considering the series' popularity and a Netflix executive expressing interest in continuing the story. Fans of the series quickly took to social media just a few days after it debuted to ask for a second season.
Netflix reports 24.7 billion minutes of Wednesday were watched during its first week of availability, which is over four times Nielsen's number. It should be noted that Netflix measures viewership on all devices worldwide, while Nielsen measures viewership solely on TV screens and only in the United States.
When Was the Original Addams Family Created?
Wednesday is based on the titular member of the Addams Family, the eerie yet wholesome group of misfits. While many might remember the 1991 film with Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, and Christina Ricci, the IP began much further back.
The Addams Family was conceived as a newspaper cartoon all the way back in 1938. It's since gone through several adaptations, including three live-action films, two computer-animated films, five television series (the first of which aired in 1964), a couple of holiday specials, and even a Broadway musical.
If you can't get enough of Wednesday Addams or want to see more of the Addams family, you might want to check out the 1991 film The Addams Family, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Wednesday began streaming on Netflix on Nov. 23 and contains eight episodes. It was created by showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character. Other cast members include Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, and Christina Ricci. Tim Burton directed four episodes and served as executive producer.