AQUARIUS — Season: 1 — Pictured: (l-r) Grey Damon as Shafe, David Duchovny as Hodiak — (Photo by: Jim Fiscus/NBC)
The David Duchovny sixties drama Aquarius has been given a second order by NBC.
The series was the subject of a programming experiment by NBC – after the series premiere aired on the network, the full thirteen-episode season was made available online for one month.
Between those who binge-watched the entire series online and those who watched it unfold in the usual weekly manner, Aquarius impressed the network programmers enough to warrant a second season. For more, follow the jump.
NBC ORDERS SECOND SEASON FOR DAVID DUCHOVNY DRAMA ‘AQUARIUS’
Strong Digital Performance Is Key in Bringing Back Well-Reviewed Series
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — June 25, 2015 — NBC has given a second-season renewal for its 1960’s-themed drama “Aquarius,” starring David Duchovny as an LAPD cop on the hunt for Charles Manson, it was announced today by Jennifer Salke, President, NBC Entertainment.
The critically acclaimed drama made TV history in May as the first broadcast series to be streamed in its entirety following its debut, with NBC making all 12 “Aquarius” episodes available online for the four weeks following its intial NBC telecast.
Salke commented, “With its riveting drama and innovative release strategy, ‘Aquarius’ has excited the critics, hooked millions of viewers and energized our summer. It’s no secret that the way people watch television is evolving, so we took a unique approach to how we delivered ‘Aquarius’ and it’s driven some record numbers for NBC Digital and helped us reach viewers who might have otherwise overlooked a great summer drama.”
Added Robert Hayes, Executive Vice President of NBC Entertainment Digital, “Beyond generating some truly impressive view totals, the network’s unique release strategy with ‘Aquarius’ has helped us gain new insights into viewership patterns, binging behavior and social engagement, significantly expanding our knowledge of how people are watching our shows online.”
Reviewing “Aquarius,” which has been nominated for a Critic’s Choice Television Award for Most Exciting New Series, the New York Times wrote, “Unusual choices can be found throughout ‘Aquarius,’ and they are part of what makes this drama so good.” Matt Roush at TV Guide added, “I took the 13-hour deep dive, emerging entertained, unsettled, and wanting more…a sardonic treat…” And Variety said “Aquarius” “…Kick(s) off summer with a provocative, cable-like gamble.”
“Aquarius” delivered the most-watched first 24 hours for a summer series premiere ever on NBC.com and the NBC App. With the surge in viewership generated by “Aquarius,” NBC Digital (NBC.com, the NBC app and Hulu) went on to log its biggest summer weekend ever.
Through 28 days, it’s the #2 most-viewed drama premiere ever on NBC.com and the NBC App, behind only “The Blacklist.”
Social media has seen a surge of viewers asking for season two of “Aquarius,” with that steady stream of requests starting the morning after of the show’s digital premiere.
NBC broadcasts of “Aquarius” are averaging a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.8 million viewers overall in “most current” results from Nielsen Media Research.
Across all platforms, the May 28 premiere of “Aquarius” grew by +91% in the seven days after its linear debut in adults 18-49, from a 1.05 rating in “live plus same day” Nielsens for the NBC telecast to a 2.01 across all platforms after seven days. DVR time-shifting has also been substantial for “Aquarius,” with the series growing by an average of +31% in adult 18-49 rating going from its next-day “live plus same day” rating to its “live plus three day” results and by 1.1 million viewers overall.
“Aquarius” is also delivering an upscale audience, indexing at a 105 among adults 18-49 living in homes with $100K+ incomes (with 100 representing an average concentration of those homes, “most current” including L+3).
“Aquarius” also stars Emma Dumont, Grey Damon, Gethin Anthony and Claire Holt.
Writer John McNamara (“In Plain Sight”) serves as executive producer with Marty Adelstein (“Prison Break”), David Duchovny and Melanie Greene. “Aquarius” is a production of Tomorrow Studios, a joint partnership between Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios.