‘Heartstopper’ Sets New Trending TV Record as ‘She-Hulk’ Storms In

Amber Dowling
·5 min read
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“Heartstopper” claimed the top spot on Variety’s Trending TV chart for the week of May 16 to 22, marking the fifth consecutive time that the Netflix series has landed at No. 1. The queer coming-of-age series earned more than 1.28 million engagements this week, led by a passionate fanbase that celebrated the show’s two-season renewal.

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Alice Oseman, who wrote the webcomic on which the show is based, will return as writer and creator. Ever since the show debuted on April 22, it’s been a massive hit, reaching Netflix’s Top 10 list in 54 countries.

No other show came close to that kind of Twitter engagement this week, as “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” bowed in the second spot, with 634,000 engagements. Fans hopped online to share and dissect Disney+’s first official trailer for the upcoming MCU series, starring Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black”), after it dropped during the Disney upfront presentation in New York on Tuesday.

The 10-episode season debuts on the streamer on Aug. 17, pulling back the curtain on the story of Jennifer Walters (Maslany), the cousin of Bruce Banner. She inherits Hulk-like powers after receiving a blood transfusion from her relative. However, when she turns green, she doesn’t see red, like her kin. Mark Ruffalo, Tim Roth, Benedict Wong, Ginger Gonzaga, Josh Segarra, Jameela Jamil, Jon Bass and Renée Elise Goldsberry round out the cast.

Taking up third spot on this week’s chart is “The Simpsons” following the Sunday’s Season 33 finale. The show was renewed for a 34th season last year, but it was a May 16 tweet by user @OOCAdult that lit a fire with fans. The account (which stands for Out of Context Adult Animation) claimed Fox had implemented a new show rule and to Google “Simpsons Rule 34” for more information.

“Rule 34” is an internet idea that if something exists in real life, there is a pornographic version of it online. Plenty of people fell for the gag, and may have needed to clear their search histories as a result. In total, the show earned 171,000 engagements this week.

“The Umbrella Academy” returned to the Top 10 this week with nearly 158,000 engagements thanks to a Season 3 trailer drop on Thursday. The clip introduces viewers to Sparrow Academy as well as a kugelblitz, aka a black hole made of radiation that may potentially swallow the entire universe.

The Netflix series returns for its new season on June 22, and introduces viewers to Viktor (Elliot Page), who comes out as transgender in the new season.

The streaming service also took the fifth spot on this week’s chart with “Stranger Things,” which earned 115,000 engagements on Twitter ahead of the fourth season debut on Friday. Early critical reaction to the season, coupled with comments from series star David Harbour about knowing how the series will end, helped fuel engagement, as did several tweets from the show’s official account.

“Riverdale,” which went viral last week following its seventh-season renewal at The CW, remained on the chart this week, dropping from the second spot to No. 6. Many fans reacted to Thursday’s confirmation that Season 7 will be the show’s last. The series’ sixth season, meanwhile, continues to air on The CW and is expected to wrap in July.

Another Marvel show, “Moon Knight,” anchored this week’s Top 10 with 65,000 engagements. The series has been a Trending TV staple since before its March 30 debut on Disney+, and continues to draw interest as fans speculate whether it will remain a limited project or return for a second season.

ABC’s “Big Sky” also made its debut on the Trending TV chart this week, coming in at No. 8 with just over 64,000 engagements. On May 13, the network confirmed the show will return for a third season, with Jensen Ackles and Jamie Lynn-Sigler joining Kylie Bunbury and Katheryn Winnick as series regulars. However, it was the May 16 announcement that Reba McEntire is joining the show in its new season that pushed the series to trend this week. She will play Sunny Brick, “the mercurial matriarch of the Brick family.”

Rounding out this week’s Top 10 was “Better Call Saul,” which aired a new episode on AMC on May 16, and “Bachelor in Paradise,” which returns to the ABC schedule this fall. There, it takes over the previous “Dancing With the Stars” slot and airs four hours weekly.

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