Though it may have scored the best reviews of any “Star Wars” series to date, the still airing “Andor” is proving to be unengaging with audiences, it would seem.
Brandon Katz, a strategist for Parrot Analytics, has posted a report indicating that viewer demand for “Andor” is currently charting behind all of its other Disney+ series predecessors so far – and by far.
As streamers only release their numbers at their discretion, it’s not clear exactly how many people are watching the series. What can be tracked is online engagement, discussion, and so forth. This is where this fourth “Star Wars” live-action series is falling behind those that came before.
The analysts posted a graph of the ‘Daily Demand’ of “Star Wars” series in the weeks up to and after their launches. The key value is the multiple by which the show is exceeding the demand of the average title in the market.
The first season of “The Mandalorian,” “The Book of Boba Fett,” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” all launched to demand of around 25-30 times (25-30x) that of your average show for that day, whilst the second season of “The Mandalorian” launched at around 60x.
The first season of “The Mandalorian” skyrocketed up in its first two weeks, hitting highs around the 130x range mid-run, whilst its second season hit a high of around 97x. Both “Boba Fett” and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” peaked at just over the 40x range.
“Andor ” on the other hand, had a start around the 6x range and has only dropped in the weeks since. What this suggests is “Andor” is struggling to reach an audience outside of the hardcore faithful.
Already there’s speculation as to the reasons for this. “Star Wars” fatigue is being cited as one, but another big reason is that much of the online conversation is being redirected elsewhere – namely to HBO Max’s “House of the Dragon,” Amazon Prime’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” and even fellow Disney+ series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”.
With “Rings” and “She-Hulk” having finished their seasons last week and “Dragon” set to wrap this Sunday, it is possible attention will turn toward “Andor” in the back half of its first season release. Others may simply be waiting for it to wrap so it can be binge-watched.
As reviewers of the series have described, “Andor” has avoided the fan service and callbacks of its predecessors in favor of a patient, deliberate tone and a slow burn three-act structure to the season that doesn’t lend itself to week-to-week discussions. This has led to another question – should this have been released as a full season rather than weekly episodes?
A clearer picture is expected shortly, with Nielsen ratings later this week to announce the top 10 from the week “Andor” had its season premiere on the Disney+ service. That should offer a clearer picture of the show’s actual viewership.
“Andor” has just aired its seventh episode. For those waiting to binge-watch, the series will close out its run on November 23rd – just in time for the Thanksgiving weekend.
