The latest addition to the Addams Family franchise has done exceedingly well for Netflix, it would seem. Tim Burton’s new series Wednesday, which centers on the family’s young daughter Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega in this case, absolutely dominated the streaming service’s viewing in its first week. So much so that it has actually set a new record for an English-language show on the service in a single week.
Per Netflix, the show notched a staggering 341.23 million hours viewed, with more than 50 million households watching it. It was number one in 83 countries, which ties a record held by Stranger Things season 4. More impressive? The show supposedly passed the 335 million hours viewed in a single week when Stranger Things season 4 arrived earlier this year. Yes, if we take Netflix’s reporting of the numbers at face value, Wednesday was that big. Needless to say, a second season seems all but assured at this point.
One thing that is incredibly important to note when looking at these numbers, though, is that Netflix is measuring and reporting the viewership itself. There is no third-party ratings body like Nielsen for TV ratings. This is Netflix telling us how much people are watching stuff on Netflix. That’s not to say they are being deceptive or inaccurate, but it is worth pointing out that the company boasting about viewership numbers is the one providing us with the information. A synopsis for the show reads as follows:
“The series is a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy. Wednesday’s attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a monstrous killing spree that has terrorized the local town, and solve the supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago — all while navigating her new and very tangled relationships at Nevermore.”
Another item of note is that Squid Game still holds the record overall for Netflix viewership. The breakout South Korean series ended up pulling in a whopping 571.8 million hours of viewership at its peak. That’s why we’re getting a second season and a competition show, because Netflix fully intends to cash in. But by their own accounting, Squid Game pulled in about 40% more viewership than Wednesday at its peak. That’s impressive.
Burton serves as director and executive producer of the series, with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar serving as showrunners. Gough and Miles are also pulling triple duty here, as they are additionally executive producing and writing the show. The stacked cast also includes Gwendoline Christie (Principal Larissa Weems), Jamie McShane (Sheriff Galpin), Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe), Hunter Doohan (Tyler Galpin), Emma Myers (Enid Sinclair), Joy Sunday (Bianca Barclay), Naomi J Ogawa (Yoko Tanaka), Moosa Mostafa (Eugene Ottinger), Georgie Farmer (Ajax Petropolus), Riki Lindhome (Dr. Valerie Kinbott), with Christina Ricci (Marilyn Thornhill), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Morticia Addams), Luis Guzmán (Gomez Addams) and Isaac Ordonez (Pugsley Addams).
Wednesday season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
