We looked at the digital original series which grew most in demand in the US in May compared to the previous month. The shows that grew the most month-on-month during this period in general were shows which premiered in early May. The show which rose most in demand this month is The Mosquito Coast from Apple TV+. It premiered on April 30th and its demand in May was more than 8 times its demand in April - the most dramatic increase in demand for digital original shows in the US this month. The thriller series based on a novel just concluded its season on June 4th and was renewed for a second season. Demand for the show has grown steadily each week as a new episode was released.
The show with the second largest increase in demand in April was Peacock’s Girls5eva. While original series from Peacock have generally flown under the radar so far, this musical comedy starring Sara Bareilles might be the must-watch show the streamer needs.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch was the third fastest growing digital originals series this month. It likely benefitted from a boost in Star Wars interest by launching on Star Wars day, May 4th.
Startup, the Crackle original, concluded in 2018. However on May 4th all three seasons became available to stream in the US on Netflix. This is a great example of how platform availability can drive awareness of and demand for a series.
Two series which are not new, but had successful subsequent season releases this month are Shrill and Legendary. Shrill released its third and final season on May 7th. However, this has actually been the least in-demand release of its 3 seasons. Legendary dropped the first three episodes of its second season on May 6th with episodes following weekly after that.
