UPDATE: Netflix has renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for two more seasons. The original story can be read below.
On February 22, the long-awaited live-action TV adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender was finally delivered to Netflix subscribers. Critically-speaking, this take on Avatar has been met with mixed reviews, but viewership-wise, it got off to a great start. However, the latest stats are in, and they don’t bode well for the show’s Season 2 chances when taking Netflix’s cancellation habits into account.
As reported by Variety, Avatar: The Last Airbender collected 19.9 million views from February 26 to March 3, which was enough to keep it placed at #1 on the Netflix Top 10. That’s the good news; the bad news is that this came down from 21.2 million views during the show’s first four days on the platform, i.e. a 6% decrease. Usually Netflix shows gain in viewership during their first few weeks of availability, so the fact that Avatar’s went down is concerning.
For comparison, the article notes how the live-action adaptation of One Piece kicked off with 18.5 million views during its four days, then went up to 19.3 million views the week after. Since One Piece is coming back for Season 2, clearly Netflix was impressed with its performance last summer. Avatar: The Last Airbender, on the other hand, could now be facing more of an uphill battle with getting another batch of episodes greenlit.
All this isn’t to say that Avatar Season 2 couldn’t still happen, but considering how often Netflix cancels shows after just one season, these viewership numbers combined with its critical reception arguably mean it’s far from a guarantee. But these are still early days for the show, so perhaps its odds of survival could increase in the weeks ahead. Besides, with Avatar Season 1 roughly corresponding to the first season of its animated predecessor, that means this live-action version would only need to stick around for three seasons, and perhaps the powers-that-be at Netflix will be ok with letting it stick around for that long.
At eight episodes long, Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the easier shows to binge watch on Netflix; our own Alexandra Ramos even binged all of Season 1 in one night and did not regret doing so. And for those of you who watched the original Avatar, there are plenty of major changes to keep track of in the live-action adaptation. The Nickelodeon series was previously adapted as a movie in 2010, and say what you will about the Netflix show, but at least its reception is nowhere near as bad as the M. Night Shyamalan-written and directed feature.
If Avatar: The Last Airbender gets renewed for Season 2, we’ll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, keep yourself entertained by watching the best shows on Netflix, and remember that both the original Avatar and spinoff The Legend of Korra can also be found on the streaming service.
