The latest Marvel TV series to hit the airwaves is none other than Cloak and Dagger, which debuted on June 7 with a two-hour premiere event that introduced viewers to two new superheroes in the making. Superheroes are all the rage nowadays, so the odds were pretty good that Cloak and Dagger would do well enough on Freeform, but the disappointing response to Inhumans was proof that not even Marvel properties are guaranteed a primetime audience. Now, the numbers for the premiere are in, and Cloak and Dagger already broke a record for Freeform in the very best way.
According to data from the first three days after the big debut, Cloak and Dagger's premiere was Freeform's most-watched drama telecast on any night since the series finale of Pretty Little Liars, way back in June 2017. With a total of 1.64 million viewers, the premiere also ranks as Freeform's biggest series launch in more than two years. And that's not even the whole story!
Marvel's Cloak and Dagger stands as the best-ever digital debut of any project in Freeform history, which is a very big deal. 716,000 starts were noted on Freeform's digital platforms. 7.3 million views across linear and digital platforms have been calculated over the three days following the premiere. In TV playback, the jump from the Live+Same day viewership to Live+3 day viewership is a whopping 78%, bumping from 920,000 viewers to 1.64 million viewers, marking the largest Live+3 lift of any Freeform debut ever. Throw in the fact that it was the most-social scripted series on June 7 with around 112,000 engagements across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr, and it's safe to say that Cloak and Dagger is off to a very strong start!
Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt star as the future Cloak and Dagger, although they're currently only known as Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen on the series. The two-hour premiere was packed with action and plot development, but the two teens and future lovebirds haven't gotten the chance to bond yet. They may have to figure out their own situations with their powers before they can take strides to becoming THE Cloak and Dagger that viewers expect.
Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb revealed that Cloak and Dagger were the comic characters to get their own show due to fan demand, so expectations may be high. Hopefully we can count on some Cloak and Dagger characters appearing on other Marvel shows or perhaps the other way around. A Cloak and Dagger/Runaways crossover would be fun, right?
We'll have to wait and see. New episodes of Cloak and Dagger air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform. If you're still looking for other shows to fill the summer nights, check out our summer TV premiere guide. If streaming is more your style, we have a handy 2018 Netflix premiere schedule and 2018 Amazon Prime schedule to help you out.
