Netflix’s Wednesday Is Crushing All Streaming Records
Netflix's Wednesday has become the second-most streamed show in its first week; surpassed only by Stranger Things.
The Addams Family likes to break things, and they would be thrilled to know that the Netflix show about daughter Wednesday is doing exactly that. Variety reports that the show has shattered another record, becoming Nielsen’s second-most streamed property in its premiere week of all time. That means that during the week of November 21-27, when the show first came out, it garnered so many views that there is only one other premiere that exceeds it.
The Netflix show stars Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday, whose spooky, ooky family has sent her to Nevermore Academy after she is expelled from public school and is coming into psychic abilities that grant her powerful visions. Tim Burton made his television debut by directing the first four episodes based on the script by showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It has already broken many Netflix viewing records, and now it can add Neilsen ratings to its accolades.
Netflix premiered Wednesday on November 23, 2022, fittingly on a Wednesday, which means it was only available for five days of the Neilsen week of November 21-27. In that time, it was viewed for nearly 6 billion minutes, which was not only a record for the week but a record for all the shows Neilsen rates. The only show to beat it was also from Netflix: Stranger Things season 4, with 7.2 billion minutes viewed.
The show was already breaking Netflix records, with Wednesday surpassing Stranger Things for most views in a one-week span during its first partial week on the streaming giant. While its release during the Thanksgiving holiday gave viewers plenty of time to watch it, the show even exceeded those expectations and has blasted into the public eye so quickly that it was a mere three weeks before Netflix announced a second season. In fact, the show is so popular that discussions of a third season were part of the second season’s approval.
For star Jenna Ortega, this is the latest in a series of successful appearances, including Scream, Ti West’s X, and a bevy of other Netflix projects. In the serial killer series You, she appears in the second season as Ellie, a sassy and mature young film buff who lives in Los Angeles, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen saw her as another intelligent and proactive character, Phoebe, who helps the hero Cole defeat some demons from his past. With such a positive relationship with Netflix and her star on the rise, Wednesday was a perfect fit for Jenna Ortega to continue her bid as horror’s #1 scream queen.
Netflix didn’t hold back in casting Wednesday; recruiting Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman as Morticia and Gomez Addams, Gwendoline Christie as Nevermore headmistress Larissa Weems, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester. In a particularly genius stroke of casting, Christina Ricci plays Nevermore teacher Ms. Thornhill, who attempts to guide young Wednesday as she adjusts to life at the institution. Christina Ricci is well-known for playing Wednesday Addams in the 1990s movies The Addams Family and Addams Family Values.
Netflix had already announced the renewal of Wednesday, and the Nielsen ratings news supports that decision as it shows what a truly historic show it is. With mystery, horror, and humor in a creepy boarding school made especially for the spooky and macabre, the show has drawn in a very large and loyal audience. It only remains to be seen if Wednesday can surpass itself when it returns for season 2.
