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- March in Review
Good Monday, everyone! I hope you’ve all been well. I did indeed have a quieter March, and it also came with some very exciting news as I got accepted into grad school! In preparation for that, I’ll need to do a lot of reading, so fingers crossed I’ll finally crack open all of the books I bought as decor. Speaking of, I’m halfway through The Lightning Thief, and it’s just reminding me how…generous the movie was with its definition of adaption.
Today’s feeling: Studious 🤓
The Bad Batch sets a new record as TV stayed fairly stable
Consistency was the word of the month for TV in March, with many shows, new and old, holding strong. The Mandalorian made its stellar debut on the chart, with Ted Lasso right on its heels. Between those two and Abbott Elementary, my Wednesday nights have been so cathartic, and I’m incredibly upset that Mando and Abbott only have two episodes left in their seasons.
Picard, Shrinking, and Your Father came back for more
We had another 5 Serpents 🐍 this month, 3 of them carrying over from last month:
The Mandalorian solidifies its status as not just a Serpent, but a boa constrictor, for its incredible grip on the number one spot all month.
The Bad Batch takes its 3rd Serpent win and also earns the title of Marathoner 🏃🏾♀️ having been on this chart for a whopping thirteen (13) weeks, the longest run for any title, show or movie. It takes the crown from former champions National Treasure: Edge of History and Mythic Quest.
Star Wars’ longevity is impressive and telling
Star Wars TV has had an amazing run on these charts, so far. The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch proved themselves to be tour de forces this past month. Andor also saw great success last fall, with the show lasting on the chart for 9 weeks, sitting in the top spot for 6 of those (my data collection started in its second week of airing).
So, what is it about these shows that make them so successful? You could chalk it up to them releasing weekly vs dropping all at once and the fact that they’re Star Wars properties, which I do think is part of the reason. But I also believe that it’s because all of these shows largely depart from the main Skywalker storyline.
Let’s face it: in many ways, Star Wars is the Skywalker saga. Without that family, the rest of it doesn’t exist. But after 46 years and fully realized galaxies yet to be explored, visiting Tatooine for the umpteenth time starts to get a little old. These shows give fans something new to experience in a world that we already love, The Mandalorian and Andor, in particular, bringing to live-action what the animated series have been doing since Clone Wars.
These shows are still part of a massive IP, so they don’t exactly get a gold star in terms of originality, but there’s something to be said about them being as unique and interesting as they are inside of said IP. Audiences are clearly responding to it. I can only hope that studios take away the right messages.
Movies shifted around like a game of Tetris
Of the 3 charts I make for this newsletter, the movie chart may be my favorite to do, purely because of how chaotic it is. March may be the worst (or best) of it so far, with almost half of the top 10 changing every single week.
Sequels dictated March’s movie flow
We saw a LOT of sequels come out in March, and people at home made sure to prep themselves in anticipation. Here’s a quick rundown of all the previous installments that showed up on the chart:
Murder Mystery + its new sequel
Scream (2022) (affectionately known as 5 Cream)
Luther: The Fallen Sun is another sequel that came out this month, but its original series isn’t on any of the major streamers, otherwise I’m sure it would’ve shown up on the tv charts. All this to say, it’s sequels galore. Whether that’s a good thing or not is…debatable, but as long as their quality films, it’s justifiable, right? Right? 😵💫
The Menu bounced around new releases
We had a few familiar faces pop up again as Leap Frogs 🐸 this month, namely the newly admitted Academy Award Winners, Top Gun: Maverick, and Everything Everywhere All At Once. But one that sticks out is The Menu, hopping on and off the chart every week.
The Menu first fell off the chart just a week before it would’ve tied with Glass Onion for the movie marathoner crown. And I believe it would have taken the crown, if not for all of the new releases in March, both on streaming and in theaters. No one stands a chance against John Wick, let alone 3 of him.
Mario kicks off the month with plenty of TV to follow
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the first major theatrical release for the month, the film already out as we speak (and it’s soooo good, guys, omg). But two films coming out later in the month, Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage (a two-for-one Nic special!), and Polite Society, which came out of the Sundance Film Festival, look like they’re going to be rays of sunshine amidst these April showers.
But once again, at home, it’s all about the shows.
I’ve only been creating these release charts for a few months now, but I just can’t believe they can make this much TV. And these are just highlights! There may be something to be said about the saturation of the television market and how it’s seemingly impossible for anyone who covers TV to keep up with it all, let alone watch it all, but I digress.
The first major TV release of the month and one I’m particularly excited to start watching is BEEF. The show stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, two people with, well, beef. Already starting to spiral in their own lives, the two get tangled up in a road rage incident, and it sets off a chain reaction of intensifying ways to get back at each other. The girls are fighting, and I need to witness every second of it.
I saw an ad for Schmigadoon! (wild name choice, by the way) sometime last week. I’d never heard of the show, but considering that it’s a musical comedy and I’m also in the middle of rewatching Glee right now, you know I had to add it to my watchlist immediately. Apple TV+ is begging me to keep my subscription post-free trial, and I’m starting to let them convince me.
🎤 What are you enjoying this April?
That does it for March! Let me know what you’ve been enjoying, what you’re looking forward to, or anything else you’d like to share in the poll below. See you in May! 💞
What are you enjoying or looking forward to this month? |
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