As much as Euphoria has buoyed the fortunes of HBO Max in recent months, it isn’t leading the way when it comes to Twitter conversation.
According to Variety’s weekly trending TV report – which ranks programs by combining metrics such as tweets, retweets, likes and hashtags – Peacemaker is the most-talked-about show on the social media platform right now, having generated 623,000 engagements in the past week alone.
The Zendaya-led drama comes in second, though, with 304,000 engagements. In fact, HBO Max shows currently make up the top three most popular series on Twitter, with Succession storming back up the chart into third place this week with 278,000 engagements.
It’s worth noting that Variety’s data only applies to the US, but given that this is where the majority of the western world’s TV audience resides, it’s a fair indication of global trends.
Peacemaker, the DC extended universe (DCEU) show that follows the exploits of John Cena’s foul-mouthed anti-hero, aired its season finale this week, so it figures that James Gunn’s Suicide Squad spin-off would be at the peak of its social powers right now.
Still, it’s a feat in itself to outdo Euphoria – which has sat among the most popular shows on Twitter for several weeks – at any given time, especially since Peacemaker wasn’t considered a sure-fire success prior to release.
To the surprise of many, though, the superhero show has turned out to be a critical and commercial hit for HBO. Gunn proudly announced (via Twitter, fittingly) that the Peacemaker finale achieved the biggest single day viewership of any HBO Max show in history, with audience figures up 44% over the series' premiere episode.
F#CK YEAH!! Peacemaker finale had the biggest single day performance for a Max Original series ever and finale viewing was up 44% over premiere. Thanks to all the fans who kept showing up more and more every week this season. @HboMax @DCpeacemaker pic.twitter.com/pp8c9JGuGlFebruary 18, 2022
With Euphoria’s season 2 finale still yet to air (and no more Peacemaker episodes on the immediate horizon), expect the latter to fall down Variety's popularity chart in the weeks to come – but Peacemaker’s success is nonetheless indicative of an industry-leading small screen strategy for HBO and its streaming service.
Great success(ion)
While it was certainly a surprise to see Peacemaker perform so well for HBO Max throughout its eight-episode run, even more astounding is Succession’s place as the third most popular show on Twitter right now.
Succession season 3 came to a close back in December 2021, and with no recent news circulating around season 4 of the hit show, it’s a wonder that Jesse Armstrong’s series has maintained such fierce interest online.
That being said, HBO has a track record of producing mightily popular TV shows that seem to generate their own echo chambers of enduring popularity, particularly on Twitter. @nocontextroyco, for instance, boasts a following of nearly 250,000 people and regularly contributes to the ongoing Succession conversation with memes, stills from the show and news about its hotly-anticipated return.
Similar accounts exist for Game of Thrones, Euphoria, The Sopranos and many more HBO-produced series – all serving as testament to the studio's continued ability to produce programming that captures the cultural zeitgeist.
That trend looks likely to continue, too, with the imminent arrival of shows such as House of the Dragon and The Last of Us. Both will play a big part in HBO’s mission to repeat the excellent year HBO Max enjoyed in 2021 – as well as in the studio’s larger quest to rival the likes of Netflix, Disney Plus and Paramount Plus in years to come.
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