Aside from an extensive and ever-changing and expanding catalogue of TV shows and movies, one of the things that makes Netflix such a compelling service is that it offers up a broad selection of original and highly addicting content. From political dramas like House of Cards to delightfully absurd comedies like Wet Hot American Summer, Netflix’s expanding pool of original content has a little bit of something for everyone.
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Recently, RBC analyst Mark Mahaney conducted a survey where he asked viewers which Netflix original series they’ve been watching lately. Broken down by month, it’s clear that Orange Is the New Black is by far the streaming service’s most popular original show. All the more impressive is that the series only seems to be gaining in popularity with each passing month, a notable achievement given that the show’s most recent season premiered almost three months ago. Following closely behind OITNB in popularity is House of Cards.
Now one of the survey’s more interesting data points is that Arrested Development, whose fourth season debuted all the way back in 2013, remains wildly popular amongst Netflix viewers. That being the case, we can only hope that the drive to get a fifth season up and running by mid-2016 actually pans out.
Clearly, though, not every single Netflix show has been a breakout hit. Marco Polo, for instance, has yet to break the 15% barrier. Ranking even lower is BoJack Horseman, a well-received animated series about a humanoid horse.
As Mahaney writes in the note accompanying this chart, the viewership of “Kimmy Schmidt” and “Daredevil” are particularly strong considering those series (which are both worth watching) were released in March and April, respectively.
13% of people reported they had watched “Marco Polo,” a series that has been panned by critics but which Netflix reportedly spent $90 million on for one season.
So while not every Netflix original is a breakout hit, the streaming service remains undeterred and has plans to double down on its stable of original programming in the months ahead. By the time 2015 closes out, Netflix is hoping to have 320 hours of original programming on the air, a three-fold increase compared to what it aired in 2014. Looking ahead to 2016, this trend will become more pronounced as Netflix will continue to roll out original programming as fast as it can, including a number of shows geared towards children.
