Law & Order: Back from the dead

The original Law & Order series aired its final episode on May 24, 2010. It concluded with 456 episodes produced across 20 seasons. Spin-off series Law & Order: SVU has since surpassed it to become the longest-running live-action series in US prime time history. That show is on the cusp of its 500th episode.

In breaking news, the original series is being revived for a 21st season.

So far there is no cast or launch date announced. But it will be back on NBC with Rick Eid running the series.

Creator and executive producer Dick Wolf seems pleased as punch to get the show back on the air:

“There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” said Wolf. “This is mine.”

What are the most-watched Netflix shows/movies of all time?

Why does it matter how many people are watching the latest TV show on Netflix? For you, regular ol' viewer of Netflix, it doesn't. Not really. It has absolutely no impact on what you watch or how your enjoyment is impacted by it.

For people in the industry who are trying to get paid by Netflix or one of its competitors, that information is prized. Netflix pays its creatives (actors, writers, directors, producers) up-front - there is a single payday. This is different to a movie where there can be bonuses in place for hitting certain box office milestones, or percentages of box office take. Also, when you sell a movie or TV show to Netflix directly, those shows will live on in perpetuity on Netflix - there's no potential for second window or international sales or TV syndication*.

[*Note that I'm talking about shows actually made by Netflix and not just licensed]

For a creative, knowing how a movie or show performed on Netflix will help them set an appropriate rate next time they are negotiating a contract.

There are companies out there that are engaged in sampling research to determine what people are watching on Netflix. Nielsen report on SVOD figures in the same way that they report on traditional TV forms. Parrot Analytics measure social conversation and extrapolate viewing numbers based off that. But, neither of these figures are as accurate as having the actual metrics from Netflix.

Yesterday Co-CEO Ted Sarandos spoke at the Code Conference in an interview with Kara Swisher. During the conversation, he gave hard numbers on what the all-time most-watched Netflix shows and movies were on the platform*.

[*Note that these are Netflix originals and not previously existing licenced shows like Friends]

There are two slides to note. This first one shows how many accounts watched a movie or show. Things to keep in mind: these figures are reflective of viewership in the first 28 days on the service (so if you started watching Bridgerton a month or two after everyone else binged it over Christmas, that isn't included in these figures). Also, to be counted here, an account needed to only watch for 2 minutes. This is also listed as 'accounts' - so viewership may be much higher considering co-viewership in loungerooms across the world.

The more interesting figure is actually the number of hours viewed. These are the shows and movies where people actually watched more than two minutes - viewers likely watched multiple episodes of shows and watched the movies and shows through to the end.

Things I found interesting comparing these two charts as they do say quite a bit about the perception of the success of a show vs the reality:

A number of shows may reach zeitgeist attention, but aren't actually consumed - examples here: Emily In Paris and Lupin. (I'm sure both were still widely viewed, but maybe not the juggernauts they appeared to be).
There's room for success for unsplashy, watchable light dramas on Netflix. They are highly bingeable, but maybe not discussed as much by viewers. Note Ginny & Georgia on the list here at #10. I suspect if we went just a little further down the list we'd see shows like Virgin River (which just saw a 2-season renewal by Netflix).
With a three and a half-hour runtime, it makes it easier for a film like The Irishman to crack the top 3 in terms of hours viewed.
There as only one Adam Sandler film in the top 10?

Cue the Squid...

Bridgerton may very quickly be unseated as number one on that list with it already looking outdated. Squid Game, which launched this month has been hugely successful, surprising Netflix. It has a very good chance of being the most viewed series in the history of Netflix.

Ted Sarandos:

We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity.

TeeVee Snacks

Former prison inmate Lori Loughlin will re-join the cast of her show When Calls The Heart for its second season. The actor, who used her wealth to buy her child a position in college ahead of other kids who actually deserved it, spent just two months in prison before being released on probation. Read: Deadline
William Shatner's TekWar is being adapted once again - this time as a mixed-reality animated series. Read: The AV Club
The Mysterious Benedict Society will continue on to a second season on Disney+. Read: Deadline
Following a 5-week production pause due to the NZ lockdown, Shortland Street has resumed production. Viewers won't be impacted with enough episodes in the can to maintain an uninterrupted run. Read: TV Tonight
CNN has announced Scott Galloway as a host for a show on CNN+. Read: Variety
A Donkey Kong area will be added to the Nintendo World theme park in Japan in 2024. Read: Polygon