‘Wednesday’ Officially Replaces ‘Stranger Things’ at Netflix
Netflix is perhaps the biggest name in streaming platforms, for better or for worse. Essentially kick-starting the streaming industry, Netflix has changed the landscape of at-home entertainment over the last decade and has become a powerhouse studio that’s currently best known for several original series. Despite the backlash surrounding the streamer for some recent controversial changes, the platform still reigns supreme.
Since its conception, Netflix has created dozens of original series, but a few currently rule the small screen, including Wednesday, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and the recently released live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Stranger Things has been the platform’s top show since its debut in 2016, with fans currently awaiting a fifth and final season, while Bridgerton brought book lovers a stunning adaptation with Season 1 in 2020, while Season 3 will be released this May.
However, both shows have been dominated by the newcomer series, Wednesday. An Addams Family spinoff series by Tim Burton, Wednesday follows the titular Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, as she learns to navigate a new school and growing pains. The first season was an instant success for Netflix, with a second season currently in production. It also further cemented Ortega’s position as a Scream Queen following her success in other horror franchises like Scream and X.
As the Stranger Things crew has been dealing with delays from the 2023 Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes, as well as controversy surrounding stars Millie Bobby Brown (who plays Eleven) and Noah Schnapp (who plays Will Byers), it’s left fans wondering if the show’s final season can resonate with audiences and see the same success the first four seasons have had. Wednesday, which also felt the pain from strike delays last year, has also been dealing with controversy surrounding star Percy Hynes White, who played Season 1 love interest Xavier Thorpe. White was accused of sexual assault at a house party last year, and his role has been confirmed to have been written out of the second season.
Despite this, Netflix has recently released their top 10 most popular TV shows as of March 3, 2024, and Wednesday leads the list with over 252.1 million views. Stranger Things 4 followed in second place with a large drop at 140.7 million, with DAHMER: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story in third place at 115.6 million. Clearly, Wednesday is winning over fans by a large margin.
It’s possible (and likely) that the iconic duo of Burton and Ortega (who also recently teamed up again for Beetlejuice 2) could see the success of the hit show continue to rise to become the most popular show of all time at Netflix.
