Image: Attack on Titan, MBS
For the week of December 6 - 12, The Mandalorian is still the most in-demand series in the US. Demand for the series was 125.3 times that of the average series in the US. This is down about 1% from last week. However, the season finale is scheduled to be released this week and could be the boost needed to send this series to even greater heights.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars has crept up one more spot despite having concluded in May this year. This is a testament to the synergies in the Star Wars franchise that Disney has harnessed. An example of how Disney is making the most of its IP is the fan favorite character Ashoka. Originally from the Clone Wars, she made a crossover appearance in The Mandalorian and will be starring in her own eponymous show, Ashoka. At its investors’ day this week the company announced a planned 9 new Star Wars shows. This shows how the company is doubling down on its massively successful Marvel and Star Wars brands.
Attack on Titan premiered its fourth and final season. Demand for the anime series is up by over 50% this week making it the 3rd most in-demand series in the US. This series has found global appeal outside of its home market and the latest season is available in the US on both generalist platforms like Hulu and anime specific streamers Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Demand for Saturday Night Live is up over 30% following its return from break last week. That episode was hosted by Jason Bateman. The cold open skit parodied the recent election hearing in Michigan and attracted a lot of attention.
Grey’s Anatomy has returned to the top 10 this week. The past week’s episode featured an emotional death as a character succumbed to COVID-19 and ended with a tribute to the victims of the pandemic. The medical drama has been praised for its realistic and considerate portrayal of the pandemic so far this season.
Animaniacs held onto its spot as the second most in-demand digital original in the US. This should be a good indicator of the staying power of this show. Despite releasing all episodes at once, it has managed to remain among the top digital originals for several weeks.
Demand for Star Trek: Discovery slipped for another week. This could simply be a standard mid-season slump. Hopefully audiences will be re-engaged in the coming weeks as the show airs its final four episodes of the season.
Demand for Cobra Kai skyrocketed up nearly 75% from last week. A new trailer was released last week. The surge in demand following the trailer release shows audiences are very excited for the third season of this show scheduled for release January 8th. This will be its first season premiere as a Netflix original. It was first a YouTube original, but then saw a lasting uplift in demand after being acquired by Netflix and discovered by new fans.
