‘Futurama’s Popularity Rises
Good news, everyone!
Adult animation continues to be a draw on Disney streaming services.
In fact, one of the oldest series has recently surged in popularity, and Disney knows it.
Did you see the Futurama photo op at Disney Springs earlier this year?
That was a sign of something Hulu officials had tried to keep quiet.
Futurama’s popularity is rising on streaming. We’ve got the proof in the latest batch of Nielsen streaming ratings.
You Heard the Good News, Everyone
I’ll confess that I’m biased here. Futurama is my favorite television series ever.
Still, there are plenty of shows I adore that never struck a chord with viewers.
Given the many, MANY times Futurama has been canceled throughout the years, I’ve always considered it one of them.
Alas, something unexpected has happened during the streaming era.
The adult animation programs that Fox loved to cancel back in the day – even Family Guy got the axe! – have become more popular.
An entire generation of streaming fans grew up with their parents watching these series. Now, they do, too.
This phenomenon has proven so noteworthy that Hulu made an unexpected decision a few years ago.
The streaming service brought back Futurama from the dead and gave it two new seasons.
That test proved so successful that the former Fox/Comedy Central series is already renewed for two more years…after the upcoming one.
Yes, season 12 is nearly here. It’ll debut on July 29th. Let’s just say I’ve got this date circled on the calendar.
You will, too, after you watch this trailer:
I hope that Encanto fans caught the film reference at the 20-second mark!
Apparently, these folks are also pre-gaming by catching up on some old seasons.
I say this because Futurama returned to the Originals chart on the Nielsen streaming ratings this week.
The sleeper hit garnered 241 million viewer minutes even though it hadn’t had new episodes since September 2023.
A new generation of fans is supporting Futurama in a way that nobody did when the series first aired in 1999.
You can tell this by the fact that 25 years later, we’re just now getting season 12.
The Adult Animation Payoff
Futurama’s sustained success reflects a gamble that paid off for Disney.
Once the company swallowed most of Fox’s television and film properties, executives identified potential growth brands.
Several of them fall into the category of adult animation. Hulu launched an Animayhem section in support of this content.
The results frequently speak for themselves on the Nielsen charts.
For example, during the week of June 10th through June 16th, Bob’s Burgers and Family Guy also charted.
That typically happens these days, as the shows have evolved into streaming blockbusters.
For the week in question, Bob’s Burgers claimed a whopping 863 million viewer minutes, while Family Guy managed 749 million.
Bob’s Burgers was the ninth-most popular show on streaming for that week, with Family Guy not too far behind it.
Overall, Hulu had one of its stickiest weeks ever on the charts, with five different programs managing at least 740 million minutes.
Two of the other titles were Grey’s Anatomy, which managed its typical 1.015 billion, and Heartland, which claimed 740 million.
Also, I don’t claim to understand it, but the mega-dark Criminal Minds always hovers in this range. It had 802 million for the week.
So, Hulu’s most popular programs tallied 4.4 billion viewer minutes in a single week!
Hulu has definitely found its niche under Disney’s stewardship.
Disney’s Other Streaming Hits
In a huge, shocking twist, Bluey remained Disney’s top streaming program overall, according to the Nielsen charts.
This time, the lovable Australian puppy thrilled viewers for 1.155 billion viewer minutes.
That’s right in the expected range for the show, although I’m genuinely curious whether the minisodes impact the ratings.
We’re talking about clips that are as short as a minute long, but…it’s Bluey. People will watch anything Bluey!
Speaking of insatiable audiences, the new Star Wars series, The Acolyte, claimed another 370 million viewer minutes.
That’s down slightly from last week’s 488 million, but that’s to be expected.
We had two new episodes during the previous ratings, but there will be only one weekly addition during the rest of the series.
As such, The Acolyte will draw about this many viewers until the final two weeks, wherein it should gain a surge as some fans binge to catch up.
On the Movies chart, another success from last week did even better this time.
Inside Out continued to coast off the anticipation for Inside Out 2, which debuted in theaters toward the end of this week’s chart dates.
The renewed buzz led to 613 million viewer minutes, which is about 6.8 million Inside Out rewatches.
In a bit more surprising news, the Brats movie on Hulu, a documentary about the Brat Pack, gained 244 million minutes.
I think that’s more people than saw St. Elmo’s Fire in the theater.
Finally, longtime readers of this article won’t be surprised by the last title. Yes, Moana claimed its usual 236 million minutes.
No matter what’s happening in the world, about 2.5 million people rewatch Moana each week.
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