“The Mandalorian” guards the No. 1 spot for Disney+ and “Ted Lasso” keeps Apple TV+ in the game
The much-anticipated end to Netflix’s fan favorite “The Last Kingdom” debuted this week, one year after the believed-to-be final chapter of the original series aired in March of 2022. In a sign of ongoing interest to experiment with both release and format models, Netflix’s decision to bring Uhtred, played by Alexander Dreymon, and team back for a feature-length film has delivered another hit for the streamer with more than one million homes tuning into the premiere, driving the film to the No. 2 spot on the streaming charts, according to the latest Wrap Report for the week of April 12-18.
The report tracks the most-watched programs across linear TV and streaming, according to viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households drawn from over 25 million connected TVs, balanced to the U.S. Census.
While Norse men and gods battled it out for the No. 2 spot, the Force didn’t falter for Disney+. “The Mandalorian” returned as the top-streamed program for the second week in a row. Live-action “Star Wars” programming remains some of the most-watched shows on the service and has historically been one of the few franchises capable of propelling Disney past Netflix to the top spot on the charts.
Netflix’s miniseries “Beef” demonstrated relative staying power week over week, with its inaugural episode hanging on to the No. 3 spot, while its following two episodes commanded Nos. 8 and 10.
The streamer’s new series, executive-produced by Jason Bateman entitled “Florida Man,” landed at No. 4. The show, named after a viral internet meme and inspired by real-life events, features a struggling ex-cop who returns to his home state of Florida to find a mobster’s runaway girlfriend. The streamer has yet again tapped into a winning combination of action-packed adventure coupled with an element of crime drama.
Netflix also continues to find success with investments in documentary-style features with a string of successful series such as “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” “Waco: American Apocalypse,” and most recently “MH370” gracing the streaming charts. Its latest, “American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing,” released a decade after the 2013 terrorist attack, details the search for the Tsarnaev brothers. The series coincided with the 10th anniversary of the tragedy, landing at No. 6 this week while the city somberly paused to reflect and honor those who were killed.
Top streaming programs, April 12-18, 2023, U.S. (Parrot Analytics)
Breaking into the top 10 for the second consecutive week is Apple TV+’s hit series “Ted Lasso,” coming in at No. 5. The program is the only show consistently delivering for the streamer, despite the release of several new star-studded recent original movie releases.
Americans still have a penchant for watching others find love on television. The Season 4 finale of Netflix original “Love Is Blind” nabbed spot No. 7 as the couples headed to the altar and three out of four remaining said “I do.” Meanwhile, the first episode of the four-part miniseries “Obsession” — which is centered on a “Fatal Attraction”-like affair between a successful London surgeon and his son’s fiancée — rounded out No. 9.
On broadcast TV, America’s love of reality singing competitions remained unabated as NBC’s “The Voice” and ABC’s “American Idol” took gold, silver and bronze for the week respectively. Back on top was “The Voice” as country music legend Reba McEntire served as Mega Mentor during the Knockout Rounds. On “Idol,” the remaining contestants said aloha from the Aulani Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii, where singer-songwriter Allen Stone and Grammy Award-nominated Noah Cyrus offered advice to the remaining hopefuls.
CBS singlehandedly scored half of the top 10 list, with “The Equalizer,” “FBI,” “Young Sheldon,” “FBI: International” and “Survivor” commanding spots 4 through 8. Rounding out the final two were ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and NBC’s “Chicago Med.”
Dallas Lawrence is the SVP and head of communications and brand at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Follow him on Twitter at @DallasLawrence. For more from Samba TV, click here.
