Netflix has plenty of original series from just about any genre that are perfect for binge-watchers and casual viewers alike. Some of those shows have even gotten recognition from big awards shows such as the Emmys and the Golden Globes, but one show that hasn't been much of a hit with critics is Full House spinoff Fuller House. Surprisingly, numbers for Netflix viewership indicate that Fuller House may be the streaming service's most-watched series, as more than 8 million Netflix subscribers reportedly tuned in to Fuller House during its first weekend of availability.
Fuller House drew 8.793 million streams during its first weekend on Netflix, if a new report's numbers are to be believed. It was a great start to the series when it debuted back in February, and the viewership didn't appear to go through drop off after the initial 72 hours. During its first 35 days on Netflix, the report shows that Fuller House averaged a whopping 14.4 million viewers. It even scored an incredible 10.4 rating in the 18 - 49 age demographic, according to Symphony Advanced Media;s report (via TheWrap). The demographic doesn't matter to the ad-free streaming service, but a 10.4 would be huge for TV networks looking to make money off advertising.
If legit, the 8.793 million viewers for the first weekend of Fuller House is especially impressive compared to the numbers drawn in by the recent release of Season 4 of hit Netflix original Orange Is the New Black. Over its first weekend, Season 4 of Orange was viewed by 7.179 million subscribers, and considering how much of a critical and popular hit the ensemble drama has been, its fourth season premiere weekend losing out to Fuller House comes as a pretty big surprise. Of course, it's easier to sit down and watch a handful of fluffy half-hour sitcom episodes than a couple episodes of the darker hour-long Orange Is the New Black. There are variables at play that could explain the difference of more than 1 million viewers.
Netflix is notoriously stingy about releasing information about viewership, and the streaming service has often called out various ratings reports as being false, so it's hard to directly compare Fuller House's numbers to some of the other original series on the streaming service. Luckily, the Luth Research company has done some math about what folks are watching. In 2015, 10.7% of U.S. subscribers - which amounts to about 4.37 million viewers - tuned in to Daredevil at some point during its first 11 days on the web. According to the same data, Season 3 of House of Cards scored 6.5% of subscribers, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt attracted 7.3% of subscribers.
The Fuller House and Orange Is the New Black ratings from Symphony Advanced Media may not be entirely spot on compared to the data that Netflix isn't releasing, and the percentages calculated by Luth Research drew from a relatively small sample pool, so we can't know the specific details of how the shows compare. Still, the numbers are a good indication of what subscribers are watching, and it should be interesting to see if Season 2 of Fuller House can hold up to Season 1.
