Static Media
Netflix has a knack for breathing life into overlooked films and series, and even outright failures. We’ve seen this “Netflix effect” in action several times this year, with the Mexican comedy thriller “Non Negotiable” skyrocketing to the top of the streaming giant’s global charts in August. The previous month, the Italian thriller “Vanished into the Night” ruled Netflix, and in April, Netflix revived Renny Harlin’s forgotten action film “The Bricklayer.”
Now, the British series “A Discovery of Witches” is set to experience Netflix’s remarkable revival powers. This series is an adaptation of Deborah Harkness’ “All Souls” book trilogy and features Teresa Palmer as Diana Bishop, a reluctant witch forced to tap into her magical abilities after finding a highly coveted manuscript that makes her a target for various mythical creatures secretly living among humans. Matthew Goode also stars as Matthew Clairmont, a vampire who supports Diana on her quest.
Originally airing on Sky in the UK in 2018, the series made its way to the U.S. in 2019 via the AMC network and BBC America. Despite the positive critical response to the three-season series, it didn’t generate much buzz. However, with Netflix stepping in, U.S. viewers now have a better chance to discover these witches, which they seem to be doing.
A Discovery of Witches Finds Its Way to Netflix Users
“A Discovery of Witches” landed on Netflix on August 19, as part of the AMC Series Collection, which also includes “Preacher” seasons one to four, the first season of “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” and several other AMC shows. As it stands, “A Discovery of Witches” is one of the more popular shows in this group. At the time of writing, the show is at number six on the U.S. most-watched TV charts, and according to streaming data aggregator FlixPatrol, it has held this position since August 24. Before that, the series reached numbers four and five on August 21 and 22, respectively, then dropped to number seven on August 23 before rallying to take the sixth spot the next day, where it has remained since.
However, “A Discovery of Witches” is facing competition from other AMC series on its ascent up the Netflix charts. “Dark Winds,” another AMC series, currently occupies the number three spot on the U.S. most-watched TV charts. Moreover, “A Discovery of Witches” is competing with yet another AMC series, “Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches,” which is at number seven at the time of writing. Yet, none of these series seem to have the magic to unseat the chilling docuseries that has been ruling Netflix’s most-watched charts for over a week: “American Murder: Laci Peterson.”
It will be intriguing to see which of these AMC shows will rise to the top once Netflix’s latest true-crime saga loosens its grip. For now, the battle for streaming dominance continues in full swing.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
