Wednesday arrived at the right time for Netflix, with its incredible success marking a brighter future for the streaming service. Helmed by Tim Burton, Wednesday is a supernatural comedy based on the established Addams Family franchise, and reimagining the pigtail-wearing morbid character of Wednesday Addams. Its first week on Netflix, Wednesday became the most-watched English television series with 341.2 million hours of viewership, surpassing the previous record held by Stranger Things season 4. Additionally, the show has become the second most-watched English-language show of all time, accumulating a total of 1.2 billion viewing hours within its first 28 days and securing its top spot worldwide in Netflix’s Top 10 for six consecutive weeks.
With its viewership success, Netflix’s Wednesday has also propelled itself as a social media phenomenon. TikTok users in particular have been responsible for creating Wednesday-inspired trends, from recreating her all-black outfits to copying her deadpan dance moves. Even celebrities and influencers have posted their entries to Jenna Ortega’s viral choreography, joining in an online revolution that contributed further to the revival of the gothic subculture in the 2020s. However, while Wednesday is technically a part of a decades-old fictional family, the success of the coming-of-age show is still unprecedented, especially as Netflix is still struggling with controversy and failure.
Wednesday's Success Perfectly Positions It As Netflix's Stranger Things Replacement
With the viewership of Wednesday’s debut season approaching that of Stranger Things season 4, the Addams Family spin-off has successfully positioned itself as the perfect replacement for Netflix’s giant sci-fi horror. This timing is perfect, especially as Stranger Things season 5 is posed to end the series. After all, since its release in 2016, it has been Netflix’s most successful flagship series, even attracting a cult following. The impending departure of Stranger Things from the streaming platform will definitely leave a dent in its subscription and viewership statistics. With the show set to leave, Netflix will be left empty-handed and on the lookout for another franchise to develop.
Since Wednesday, as part of the beloved Addams Family, has an abundance of stories to be retold, it can fill the Stranger Things-shaped hole for Netflix. For instance, since the Addams family members were only limited to guest appearances, Wednesday’s future seasons can offer an in-depth look at their dynamics. Wednesday’s extended time in Nevermore Academy can also be explored, with her actually making an effort to build relationships. Moreover, as preferred by lead star Jenna Ortega, Wednesday should also delve into horror more; shifting to a darker tone would make the show more reminiscent of the original take on the Addams Family. But regardless of the direction the showrunners decide to pursue, Wednesday can easily take Stranger Things’ baton for the next few years.
Netflix Really Needed Wednesday's Success
Wednesday’s success was instrumental not only in reviving the collective interest in the macabre but also in ushering in a victory for Netflix. In 2022, the streaming giant revealed that it lost a significant number of subscribers, resulting in its stock price dropping. The primary courses of action for the rise of competitors and loss of profit against Netflix were to consider adding commercials as a part of a lower-cost subscription plan and ending password sharing among users. Expectedly, consumers were displeased with these options, considering as these are a step back from the convenience that streaming services promised to deliver.
After that rough year, Wednesday’s roaring achievements served as a beacon of light guiding the company away from its doomed decline. If developed properly, this show can bring Netflix back to life, as it can stand out amidst a pool of original and untested premises. That still depends, however, on whether the limited and poorly-handled marketing of Netflix content can actually be resolved. Hopefully, Netflix can sustain, and even surpass, the quality, storytelling, and hype of Wednesday season 1 to prevent the downfall of the company and the disappointment of millions of viewers.