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Credit: NetflixThis year will be a sad one for fans of two popular Netflix television shows, and new data reveals that other projects are taking over audience demand.
Both Stranger Things and Wednesday, along with other titles like Bridgerton and Cobra Kai, are some of the most in-demand and popular streaming titles airing today.
Stranger Things, which was created by the Duffer Brothers and debuted in 2016, takes viewers to 1980s Hawkins, where a group of kids take on supernatural threats. The show has been popular since its inception, but the latest season, Season 4, broke records when it was released on Netflix in 2022. After its first week, Stranger Things Season 4 amassed 287 million hours watched. The series is also the most-watched English-language show ever, with a total of 1.352 billion hours watched in its first 28 days of release. It comes second behind Squid Game overall.
As for Wednesday, the Jenna Ortega vehicle created by Tim Burton skyrocketed in popularity when it was released in November 2022. With an already beloved franchise behind it in The Addams Family and a buzzy young star as its quirky lead, Wednesday eventually became the second most-watched English-language series ever behind Stranger Things. What Wednesday does beat Stranger Things on is that it holds the record for most hours watched in its first week of release, with 341 million.
All that to say, Stranger Things and Wednesday are Netflix’s hottest properties, at least when it comes to audience retention and popularity. As fans know, both entities will be returning with Stranger Things 5 and Wednesday Season 2, but, unfortunately, the pair of shows are not happening this year as once suspected. No, both the next installment of Stranger Things and the next season of Wednesday have been pushed to 2025.
This means other shows will have to take over from these supernatural heavyweights. Per new data by the way of Increditools and distributed to Inside the Magic by Journalistic Insights, it can be seen that the most in-demand shows and movies for 2024 are now Cobra Kai Season 6, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Umbrella Academy Season 4, Break Point Season 2, Damsel (2024), 3 Body Problem, The Gentleman, Bridgerton Season 3, Rebel Moon (2023), and Squid Game Season 2.
Cobra Kai Season 6 topped the list with close to 30,000 Google searches. The Karate Kid franchise continuation has been extremely popular with audiences during its five-season run and often tops the list of Netflix’s most-watched shows upon its release. As for one of the only two movies on there, Damsel is a new action film starring Stranger Things and Enola Holmes star, Millie Bobby Brown. Demand for Brown’s projects is a key indicator that Stranger Things fans are likely tuning in.
While Stranger Things 5 and Wednesday Season 2 have been removed from the 2024 release schedule, there have been updates regarding both shows. Stranger Things is currently filming, with behind-the-scenes photos showing character changes and the comeback of favorites like Gatan Matarazzo’s Dustin Henderson. The show is expected to wrap filming in December 2024, paving the way for a mid to late 2025 release.
From Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven to Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield, most of the cast are expected to return. Even Noah Schnapp will be back as Will Byers, son of Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers, despite the young actor being enthralled in controversy regarding his actions around the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Related: Millie Bobby Brown Speaks Out on ‘Stranger Things’ as New Eleven Actress Surfaces
With filming beginning in early January 2024, the Duffer Brothers revealed that the first episode will be called “Chapter One: The Crawl.” It can be expected that Season 5 will commence not long after the events of Season 4, which revealed that the evil Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) was originally Henry Creel, AKA One. The prequel story to Stranger Things 5 can be consumed on London’s West End, with Stranger Things: The First Shadow–a stage play depicting the early years of Henry Creel and how he became the ultimate evil. It also revealed that someone may be able to stop him…
Related: Jenna Ortega Divulges ‘Wednesday 2’ Plot Change After Lead Cast is Fired
As for Wednesday Season 2, Jenna Ortega will reprise her role as Wednesday Addams, with filming set to commence in Ireland in April 2024. Both Stranger Things and Wednesday were affected by last year’s widespread SAG-AFTRA strikes. The strikes caused Ortega to leave the Scream franchise ahead of Scream 7 (TBD).
Are you surprised that these shows are taking over from Stranger Things and Wednesday? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!