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Many of us have been disappointed when Netflix decided not to renew one of our favorite new TV shows for a second season. 1899, Archive 81, Kaos, and I Am Not Okay with This were all “one and done” for the streamer despite plenty of story left to tell, and just last month, popular sci-fi series The Boroughs was added to the list. But even some of the shows that have been lucky enough to be granted second seasons seem to be an issue for Netflix at the moment.
A new Bloomberg report digs into a persistent Netflix trend that probably won’t give the streaming service any reason to celebrate: while it might have hoped viewership would grow with fresh seasons of its hit shows, that hasn’t been the case recently. Data from the streamer reveals that One Piece season 2 dropped more than 30% of its season 1 audience. A second serving of Beef lost 70%, and The Night Agent hasn’t fared well either. Season 2 of that thriller series lost 50% of its viewers, and season 3 took another 35% hit, while Avatar: The Last Airbender reportedly lost 60% of season 1 viewers in the first week of season 2’s release. Running Point and The Four Seasons also halved their audiences with season 2.
With only a general look at how some second seasons have fared in the first four weeks of release and without more detailed viewing figures from Netflix (which it typically doesn’t share), we can only speculate about why it’s experiencing a season 2 slump. Was the popularity of a first season down to audiences “trying out” a new show, only to fall off after a few episodes and never return? Was the gap between seasons too long? Did they find something better to watch, and perhaps just add season 2 to their list for the future? Was the ending of season 1 exciting enough to keep viewers interested until season 2? Had the second season been well received or decently marketed? All questions that the people behind the scenes at Netflix will probably ask themselves and each other at some point.
It’s possible that if the season 2 trend continues, Netflix might invest in more limited series. Bloomberg’s report notes that the Jon Bernthal-starring thriller His & Hers was a breakout hit for the streamer, as was Harlan Coben’s latest limited-series mystery, I Will Find You. In the past, Mike Flanagan provided the streamer with a string of intriguing limited series in the horror genre, such as Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House, before hopping into a shiny new deal with Amazon MGM Studios. The Duffer Brothers also delivered a quick, limited-series hit for Netflix with Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen before they drifted into Paramount’s arms. And we all know how big Adolescence was.
So let’s turn it over to you as a viewer. What was the last Netflix series that you were hyped for a second season of? And what was the last series you decided to quit after season 1? Tell us in the comments!
The post New Netflix Data Suggests the Streamer Has a Season 2 Problem appeared first on Den of Geek.
