Netflix's 'Wednesday' is competing with the streamer's biggest hits, 'Stranger Things' and 'Squid Game,' for record-high viewership

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Netflix's 'Wednesday' is competing with the streamer's biggest hits, 'Stranger Things' and 'Squid Game,' for record-high viewership
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Netflix's "Wednesday."Netflix
  • Netflix's "Wednesday" is already one of the streamer's biggest TV originals ever after two weeks.
  • Its viewership is on pace to pass "Stranger Things" season four and is rivaling its top show, "Squid Game."
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"Wednesday," Netflix's new Addams Family series starring Jenna Ortega as the titular Wednesday Addams, is a bonafide hit for the streaming giant.

The show has been watched for 752.5 million hours in two weeks, Netflix said on Tuesday, already making it the company's third-biggest English-language series ever and its fifth biggest series overall.

"Wednesday" also had Netflix's biggest first week of viewership ever, beating "Stranger Things" season four.

The show is chasing the Korean-language series "Squid Game" to be Netflix's biggest original show of all time, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at an event in New York City on Tuesday. "Squid Game" was watched for 1.65 billion hours in its first month.

Nearly 85% of the "Wednesday" audience is in the Gen Z or Millennial age demographic, Parrot Analytics strategy director Julia Alexander wrote in her latest "What I'm Hearing+" newsletter.

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"The Addams Family" originated with a TV series in the 1960s but found renewed popularity with movies in the 1990s, which could be contributing to a nostalgia factor for Millennials watching "Wednesday." Tim Burton — director of beloved 1980s and '90s hits like "Beetlejuice," "Batman," and "Edward Scissorhands" — directed the series.

And Ortega, a 20-year-old actress who's found breakout success in recent horror movies like "Scream" and "X," as well as Netflix's own "You," could appeal to the younger Gen Z crowd.

"This group is far more likely to be among highly engaged viewers because the series has strong overlap with other young-skewing Netflix shows," including "Stranger Things," Alexander wrote.

That's reflected on social media. On TikTok, which skews young, the "#WednesdayNetflix" hashtag has over 3 billion views. A viral dance sequence from the series that blew up on TikTok has found its way onto even Spotify.

Lady Gaga's song "Bloody Mary," which accompanies the dance scene in TikTok videos (even though it's not actually in the show), is now her No. 5 song. The scene from the show plays when one listens to the song on the Spotify app.

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The show has received subpar reviews, with a 72% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. But it has an 87% audience score on the website.

"Though the overall series is rarely quite at its leading lady's level — adjust your expectations for more of an above-average CW dramedy — there are enough promising elements that I hope 'Wednesday' gets the opportunity to make a second season with some refinements," Dan Feinberg wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

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