In this weekly data series powered by Parrot Analytics we look at the top breakout shows of the past week. Breakout shows are the most in-demand series that have premiered in the past 100 days.
Demand for HBO’s “The Gilded Age” increased by 10% last week but fell just short of overtaking Paramount+’s “1883” among the 10 most in-demand new shows, according to Parrot Analytics data.
Demand for the period drama set in 1880s New York — starring Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon — has been trending up since its premiere, and hit 22.7 times the average series demand for the week ending March 11.
That jump in demand shows that the first half of its season laid a strong foundation with audiences who are now hooked and want more — a good sign as it heads into its season finale on Monday.
HBO Max’s “Our Flag Means Death” broke into the 10 most in-demand new series this week, with 20.7 times the average series demand. The show premiered on March 3 and is one of four shows in this week’s ranking with historical settings. However, this show is unique in being a period comedy while the others (“The Gilded Age,” “1883,” and Netflix’s “Vikings: Valhalla”) are all dramas.
Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” released its finale on March 9, but actually saw its highest levels of demand when it first premiered. Demand for the show peaked on Feb. 4 when it had over 37 times the demand of the average show and since then has trended down. “Pam & Tommy” is a good example of a show that benefits from a large amount of hype at its beginning but struggles to build on that initial buzz.
Two other shows based on highly dramatized versions of true crime stories are also among this week’s top 10 breakout shows. Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” remained in the top 10 for another week with 18.6 times the average series demand. “The Dropout” premiered on March 3 on Hulu and is based on a podcast that chronicled the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos scandal. Holmes was found guilty of fraud at the beginning of this year, so this show should benefit from news of the trial being fresh in the audience’s minds.
