Netflix revival of popular ABC sitcom "Full House," entitled "Fuller House," has experienced a precipitous ratings drop for its second season, according to streaming measurement service Symphony Advanced Media. The show lost over half its audience from the first season, according to the company, indicating that viewers have lost interest in the revival.
Excitement And Big Numbers For "Fuller House" Season One
When it was first announced that Netflix would be bringing back the much-loved family sitcom in a new version, there was much buzz and excitement about the show, and its ratings last winter reflected that when the entire season was released simultaneously, as is the standard practice with Netflix originals. As a matter of fact, overall regular TV viewership on the Friday that the show was released fell by 3 percent, one of the lowest Friday viewing levels of the year, and it was suspected that the drop was due to the binge watching of "Fuller House" across the U.S.
Symphony reported that the viewing levels for the series in its first season rivaled that of the most popular TV shows on the air, such as "The Walking Dead" and "Sunday Night Football." The show amassed 14.4 million viewers in the adults 18-49 category in the first 35 days since its Feb. 26, 2016 Netflix premiere date. The show was quickly renewed for its second season just days after its first season premiered.
Big Ratings Drop For "Fuller House" Season Two
It looks as if that second season, which just premiered Dec. 9, isn't generating nearly as much interest, however, according to the latest numbers from Symphony. Viewership within the first three days of that premiere date is down a whopping 62 percent, with a 2.01 rating as opposed to the 5.30 number generated for the first season. The premiere episode was down even more, by 67 percent, meaning it only garnered one third of the viewers that the first season premiere racked up.
The viewership drop is most likely a result of lack of interest in the show's new characters. Although original stars John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and Lori Loughlin all made guest appearances on "Fuller House," it focused mainly on the original "Full House" kids Candace Cameron-Bure,Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber, now grown up and raising their own brood. In addition, former child stars Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, a huge element of the original show's success, declined to appear at all.
Netflix has repeatedly insisted that Symphony's ratings are wrong, with Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos branding them "wildly inaccurate," although the streaming service has declined to offer any numbers of its own to refute them.
