Welcome to First Week Peak, a column which discusses shows that are about to premiere on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, Peacock, Hulu, and/or Apple TV. Each discussion concludes with a prediction for the show's weekly peak performance on their respective streaming service's U.S. trending chart, including a reader poll. Final results can be found in our weekly What's Trending On Streaming column. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Tyler Perry's Ruthless (Season 6)Premieres: June 30 on Paramount+
Genre: Crime drama
As a spinoff of The Oval entering its sixth season, Ruthless will bring a built-in audience to Paramount+ for its sixth season. The recent Season 5 premiere of fellow BET+ import All the Queen's Men peaked at #1 in its first week on Paramount+.
When Paramount Skydance made the decision to phase out BET+, they did not offer existing customers a subscription to Paramount+. That means anyone acclimated to watching Ruthless' first five seasons on BET+ will need to either subscribe to Paramount+ to continue watching, or already be subscribed. While BET+ plans started at $5.99/month, Paramount+ is more expensive at $8.99/month, or $13.99/month without ads. In addition, results have been more mixed for fellow BET+ imports Zatima, which has shown longevity but only peaked at #6 in its first week, and Divorced Sistas, which took a month to debut at #9.
Premieres: July 1 on Prime Video
Genre: Single-camera comedy
Elle is a TV series prequel to Legally Blonde, which will almost certainly bring it some eyeballs out of pure curiosity if casual viewers recognize it as such. It already has a solid 5.5 Buzz Score per Television Stats, and has been renewed for a second season.
While many recognize the Legally Blonde name from the movie, the 'Elle' title gives little indication of the nature of the series. Legally Blonde has already spawned a theatrical sequel, which got mixed reviews, and a failed television pilot. It's not an unstoppable IP. It also faces a tough barrier of entry into Prime Video's top 3, largely held this past week by Off Campus (seven days at #1), the recently-renewed Every Year After (seven days at #2), and Spider-Noir (six days at #3 and one at #4).
Premieres: July 3 on Apple TV
Genre: Sci-fi drama
Silo has already re-entered Apple TV's Top 10, having spent June 24 through 27 at #10. This all but guarantees Silo will be in the Top 10 after its third season premiere on July 3.
Silo's peak Buzz Score was a 39.5, which it reached in the latter half of its second season. It would have to match that when it premieres just to have the second-highest score for an Apple TV show. Widow's Bay, currently holding a 50.9 Buzz Score, has been largely dominant at #1, and the most recent season of fellow sci-fi drama For All Mankind tended to stall around #4.
Premieres: July 2 on Netflix
Genre: Single-camera comedy
As will be explained below, Survival of the Thickest has all the markers of a show that won't make much of a splash on Netflix's trending chart for its upcoming third and final season. However, the same could have been said for Sweet Magnolias ahead of its fifth season premiere a few weeks ago, and it managed a daily peak of #1 despite a weekly peak of #5.
Survival of the Thickest's Buzz Score as of this writing is an abysmally low 0.3, far from an indicator of impending success. Its peak came back in its first season with a just-okay 3.8, a number surpassed currently by 16 other Netflix shows (current and ended). Its second season spent a measly one week in Netflix's weekly Top 10 US TV Shows chart, at #10.
Premieres: July 1 on Disney+
Genre: Animation
X-Men '97 currently holds a 3.1 Buzz Score per Television Stats, which is enough to be tied for the fourth-highest amount Disney+ shows (and nearly the second-highest). If it comes anywhere near the 44.1 peak from its first season, it should have no trouble being the clear leader on Disney+ when it returns.
It's been over two years since the first season of X-Men '97 concluded in May 2024. Premiering the second season with three episodes on July 1, just days before Independence Day weekend, could turn out to be a risky move. It also remains to be seen if the controversy between Marvel Studios and X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo in 2024 will have any impact on initial viewership. Marvel Studios notably had the second season rewritten after firing Beau DeMayo for sexual misconduct, and subsequently announced a move to scrub his credits entirely from the second season after he posted gay pride-themed fan art of the X-Men.