Stranger Things has made it 22 weeks now on top of the Australian TV Demand charts extending its record for 2019 and has once again completed the sweep by also topping the charts in New Zealand, which it has done 20 of the last 22 weeks. At this rate, the show could potentially close out the year on top of the charts.
However, there is still significant movement on the TV Demand charts with some potential challengers for Stranger Things to make the final weeks of 2019 interesting.
The closest show to knocking off Stranger Things on the Overall TV charts is Rick and Morty which has worked its way up to the number two spots in both Australia and NZ after premiering its fourth season on November 10. The series had an absence of two years due to the show’s creators wanting to confirm the long term future of the show with the built-up anticipation helping rocket the show up the charts. With eight more episodes to go in the season, there is a good chance it can run down Stranger Things.
On the Digital Original charts for the second week in a row we have a new entry from a brand new platform. This week it is The Mandalorian from Disney+. The platform hadn’t even launched yet in Australia when the TV Demand data was collected but has been launching in different markets overseas since November 12, with Australia launching on December 19. This indicates it still could move up the charts. Showrunner Jon Favreau known for directing Iron Man and The Jungle Book for Disney in the past is attempting to bring the Star Wars franchise back to the western and samurai movie-themed roots that inspired George Lucas when originally conjuring up the Star Wars universe. The titular character The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter played by Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, Narcos).
My Hero Academia has joined the Australian Overall TV charts in seventh spot and is the only anime program on any of the charts. The show is based on a boy born without superpowers in a world where they have become commonplace, but who still dreams of becoming a hero himself. The show premiered its fourth season on October 12 with the English dub being premiered at the Madman Anime Festival Melbourne and Perth on September 14 and October 4.
A new entry in NZ is His Dark Materials which premiered its first season on November 4. Based on author Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy of the same name the series has been picked up for two seasons and features a cast led by Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair), Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) and Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy ( Atonement). The first 8-episode season follows Lyra (Dafne Keen), a seemingly ordinary but brave young woman from another world. Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, which leads to a quest in understanding a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.
