- "Wednesday" quickly became one of Netflix's biggest shows of all time after debuting in November.
- Speculation swirled online this week that the show could leave Netflix for Amazon.
- There's no way that's happening.
Netflix's "Addams Family" spin-off "Wednesday" is the streamer's third most-watched series ever based on time viewed within its first month. It garnered 1.2 billion hours — behind just "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things" season four.
So it would be quite shocking if the series left the streamer for another platform for its second season. Speculation has swirled online this week that it could do just that, after a story from the The Independent posited that Netflix hadn't announced a second season for "Wednesday" yet because MGM, which produced the series, is now owned by Amazon — meaning the show could move to an Amazon platform like Prime Video.
But two people familiar with the matter told Insider that there is no truth to the report. One of the people said deals with MGM for "Wednesday" were made long before Amazon bought MGM in May for $8.5 billion. Indiewire also reported that the speculation was unfounded.
We don't know the full extent of the agreement, and perhaps there is wiggle room for Amazon/MGM to try to modify the deal in place. But Netflix licenses other original shows that are produced by other parties; based on everything we know, it would be surprising to see Netflix let "Wednesday" slip through its fingers.
Amazon is, however, rebranding Epix to MGM+ this year, so some future MGM-produced content could wind up there or on Amazon's own streaming service Prime Video.
All of this is not even mentioning the fact that Netflix has never played by conventional TV standards and isn't always quick to renew a series just because it's popular.
"Stranger Things," for example, was renewed for a fourth season two months after season three debuted. "Wednesday" premiered November 23 — give it time.