The Defenders had the power to stand up to the hand but evidently lacked enough firepower to take down their own solo series.
That is the story the numbers tell anyway, according to analytics firm Jumpshot. The company took a look at the first 30 days of viewership from Marvel and Netflix‘s superhero team-up and compared them to the four solo series that came before (via Variety). That includes Both seasons of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, and Defenders couldn’t seem to keep up with any of them.
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The top performer of all the shows is season 2 of Daredevil, the numbers are bit ugly when both 30-day viewings are taken into consideration. The Defenders debuted on August 18th and only amounted to 17% of what Daredevil season 2 amassed in the first 30 days.
Now, Daredevil 2 is the only show to be able to build off the success of its predecessor, as none of the other shows have had the opportunity for second seasons yet. Still, even against the other first season’s Defenders loses. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist all hovered near each other as far as viewership, coming in at 26%, 27%, and 28% of Daredevil season 2’s viewership totals. That would be disappointing for any new debut, nonetheless one that has been so heavily anticipated by fans of the universe.
That’s not the only unwanted title Defenders holds either. The show also takes the top spot in biggest drop-off in viewers of all the shows. Over the course of 30 days, Defenders dropped by 67%, 48%, and 41% week by week.
All of that is a bit surprising, but Netflix has a possible reason for it. In a previous analysis, Netflix tried to decode what draws viewers to each series, which revealed certain traits among the solo shows. Daredevil attracts fans who find anti-heroes and moral ambiguity interesting, while those who favor sharp humor, strong females, and dark crime drama like Jessica Jones. Luke Cage draws viewers who enjoy dangerous worlds and complex consequences, while Iron Fist attracts those who like coming of age tales.
The Defenders brought all of those factors into the same ring, but if you only prefer one of those, you might be more inclined to skip it and just wait for the next true season of your favorite show.
The Defenders wasn’t a disappointment in terms of quality, as many fans truly enjoyed the series, but it will be interesting to see if Marvel and Netflix make any changes to their formula going forward.
