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!
Futurama (Season 11)
Premieres: August 3 on Hulu
Genre: Adult animation
Futurama is an extremely recognizable name, thanks to its four-season run on FOX, subsequent success in syndication, first revival on Comedy Central, and now its ongoing second revival on FXX and Hulu. It has 170 episodes and counting that viewers can throw on at any time and have count toward its chart ranking.
Futurama's tenth season performed poorly on Hulu's Top 15 chart upon its premiere last September. It premiered and peaked at #3, and was off the chart completely after eight days on the chart. It spent just two days in the top 5, and three days in the top 10, with the other five days teetering at the lowest end of the chart. It was rarely ever a ratings success for FOX either. Its syndication success makes it one of those shows seemingly everyone knows, but not a lot of people actually watch. Futurama will also have a very limited window to climb up Hulu's chart, with The Shards premiering just two days later.
Premieres: August 5 on Paramount+
Genre: Unscripted competition series
This will be The Challenge's first season as a Paramount+ original series. It previously aired as an MTV original for 41 seasons, dating back to 1998, and was consistently one of the cable network's most popular series. If Paramount+ heavily advertises The Challenge, it could secure a high chart premiere.
Paramount+ was already the streaming home for The Challenge last season. At the time, MTV's flagship competition series failed to chart on the streaming service. Paramount+ could just as likely choose to rather quietly premiere The Challenge and let it sit at the bottom end of the Top 10, if it makes it at all.
Premieres: August 5 on Hulu
Genre: Teen drama
The latest Ryan Murphy-created 'FX on Hulu' series, The Beauty, debuted at #1 on Hulu's chart back in January. Murphy was also the executive producer behind Love Story, which dominated in February with 16 days atop Hulu's trending chart. The Shards holds a 9.9 Attention Score per Television Stats, an outstanding number for a show that hasn't even premiered yet.
For how much of a powerhouse Ryan Murphy's name is, it doesn't mean his show will be a surefire hit for FX on Hulu. The Beauty dropped to #4 the day after its premiere, though it did manage to get in a few more days at #1 the following week. Sitcom Mid-Century Modern was recently canceled after one season, as was his ABC medical drama, Doctor Odyssey.
Premieres: August 5 on Disney+
Genre: Anime anthology space opera
Disney+ has had no shortage of Star Wars originals since its inception; most have performed well at least initially, even if some were deemed too expensive to warrant a renewal. The latest Star Wars animation series is Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord, which debuted at #1 and has made steady appearances on Disney+'s chart from April through early July.
Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi is an anime spinoff of a series of shorts. It's not exactly something primed to perform well on Disney+'s chart, but rather to capture a niche audience.
Premieres: August 5 on Prime Video
Genre: Teen drama
Sterling Point has a solid-enough 2.0 Attention Score three days ahead of its premiere. While only the 27th-highest among all Prime Video shows, that number is bound to rise significantly once the show actually premieres. Plus, Prime Video does a good job with launching their shows; a #1 premiere for a new series is almost never as hard as it looks for a new series.
Sterling Point does have much ground to make up to catch up to the Attention Scores of Batman (21.7) and Ride or Die (18.8). Premiering against the new season of Ted Lasso on Apple TV could make doing that tougher.
Premieres: August 5 on Apple TV
Genre: Sports comedy-drama
Ted Lasso has been climbing Apple TV's TV Shows chart for a few weeks now in anticipation of the release of the fourth season. It went as high as #2 on July 30, and commands a 21.2 Attention Score (the fourth-highest on the platform).
Ted Lasso will face counter-programming from Hulu, Paramount+, Disney+, and Prime Video, all of which are premiering shows on the same day as Ted Lasso's return. It will also have to break past Silo to reach #1, a show that has topped the chart the vast majority of days in the weeks leading up to Ted Lasso's return.
Premieres: August 6 on Netflix
Genre: Teen drama
Season 2 of My Life with the Walter Boys spent three weeks on Netflix's weekly US TV Shows chart in late summer 2025, including two weeks at #2. That's greater chart longevity than the first season in December 2023, though a lower peak; the first season spent two weeks at #1. If Season 3 is anything like the first two seasons, it'll grab at least a day at the top spot.
My Life with the Walter Boys currently holds a 2.3 Attention Score, which wouldn't be terrible for an upcoming series, but is concerning for one that has two successful seasons under its belt. It also premieres the day after Ted Lasso on Apple TV, which could make it more susceptible to a slump.
Premieres: August 7 on Netflix
Genre: Adult animation
With enough home page visibility, Alley Cats could have as solid debut as anything else getting such exposure. Otherwise, this show does not have a whole lot going for it.
Adult animation isn't one of Netflix's strong suits. While they had some success in the 2010s, even shows like Big Mouth failed to chart in their latter seasons. Alley Cats is British in origin and could be prone to doing better overseas than in the United States. Gervais' latest Netflix series, After Life, did not crack the weekly US TV charts when it aired its third and final season in 2022. It's also premiering on a very competitive week for streaming services, including one on Netflix the day before.