Month: October 2025

Who’s watching this hilarious new series? 
For HBO’s linear cable broadcast, we’re seeing an audience that leans toward men (57%) and is mostly aged 35+ (91%); for the streaming version on HBOMax, the viewership runs a bit younger (67% aged 30+) and more male (64%). This viewership profile is similar to Tim Robinson’s previous show, the absurdist sketch comedy I Think You Should Leave, as well as fellow satire-thriller Barry and wry send-up Nathan for You.

What type of story is The Chair Company telling? 
An unusual blend of Comedy (114) and Crime (114). Perhaps best described as an offbeat, surrealist, dark comedy-thriller, The Chair Company mines the absurdities of workplace culture and elaborate conspiracy theories for laughs while also injecting suspicious coincidences and surprise threats to generate momentum. Comedian Robinson plays an aggrieved project manager named Ron, whose Anger Issues (128) spiral out of control after his shoddily-made chair collapses onstage during an office-wide presentation and everyone laughs. As Ron embarks on a ludicrous quest to restore his reputation (Road to Redemption, 125)–he plans to demand an apology from the impossible-to-find chair manufacturer–he’s led into a labyrinth of dead ends and red herrings and receives scary “leave it alone” threats from parties unknown. This heavy lean into Cringe Comedy (125), Satirical Humor (132), and tempered suspense is driving the show’s bingeability and making it can’t-look-away for rapt viewers.

What’s getting viewers to check out the show? 
Ron’s office. Audiences are tuning in for the series’ over-the-top yet familiar Workplace Dynamics (121) that effectively send up the ridiculousness inherent in office life. Ron’s uncomfortable relationships with quirky, boundary-pushing co-workers, made increasingly more bizarre by his growing chair obsession, feed directly into the show’s cringe humor and give its satire a strong tinge of relatability. This Focus on Business (120) is what’s driving The Chair Company’s ratings.

What will help propel this series into a second season? 
Ron’s Family Relationships (127). While his workplace is the show’s immediate draw, his home life will provide the fuel for its future story engine, and viewers will return to see how his wife, adult daughter, and teenage son are faring after Ron goes increasingly off the rails. The Family Tension (126) and Psychological Turmoil (125) stemming from Ron’s first-season descent into chair-based conspiracies will ultimately drive the show’s longevity, offering plenty of continuing comedy and drama to accompany any future misadventures.

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Is the same 9-1-1 audience tuning in for this Music City spin-off? 
Definitely. We’re seeing a viewership that’s mostly women (60%) and heavily aged 35+ (94%), a near exact match for both 9-1-1 as well as its first spin-off, the Texas-set 9-1-1: Lone Star. This profile also reflects the general audience skew for the broadcast networks and lines up neatly with their other firefighter series (Fire Country, Station 19, Chicago Fire) and cop shows (NCIS, FBI, Chicago P.D., Law & Order). Additionally, the franchise connection (IP Extension, 140) is a key viewership driver for Nashville, so it’s a safe bet that fans of the original 9-1-1 make up the bulk of those tuning in.

What is 9-1-1: Nashville pulling from the successful franchise formula?
Its high-stakes rescues. Like its predecessors, this series focuses on a unit of firefighters and paramedics (Medical Professionals, 123)–in this case, the 113–who rush in when things get dangerous (Difficult Workplace, 118), and every episode highlights a series of action-packed emergencies and large-scale set pieces where the team of heroes work together (Teamwork, 112) to Save Lives (127). It also leans on the Power of Nature (115) as a compelling threat, though where the Los Angeles-set 9-1-1 leverages earthquakes and tsunamis, Nashville takes advantage of its southeast climate to bring on a different flavor of disaster (the pilot episode features a huge tornado). These repeating aspects of the franchise are driving this new series’ ratings and longevity.

What’s making 9-1-1: Nashville stand out as unique? 
Family Conflict (157). At the center of this new series is fire captain Don, his son Ryan by wife Blythe–and his surprise other son Blue by ex-girlfriend Dixie, revealed unexpectedly in the pilot. This revelation leads to considerable Family Tension (120) and many Strained Relationships (147) as Blue becomes a trainee on Don’s squad and the entire 113 crew must adjust to the new reality. Nashville is notably soapier and more deliciously melodramatic than the original 9-1-1, offering up dynastic squabbles, the juxtaposition of Wealthy vs Poor (111), and characters with juicy villainous potential. All of this character drama is what’s making the show so compulsively watchable and propelling its bingeability.

Could this show appeal to markets outside the US? 
Absolutely. Though 9-1-1: Nashville is heavily tied to the culture and style of its very American Music City setting, several of its key viewership drivers also carry strong potential internationally, especially in other English-speaking countries. The character drama, Family Tension (UK 123; AU 113; NZ 116), and Family Conflict (US 123; AU 113; NZ 124) land well in places like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand and suggest a possible avenue for Nashville to expand its audience.

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Is Chad Powers attracting the typical sports comedy audience? 
No. We’re seeing a viewership that’s decidedly more male (71%) and younger (55% aged 30+) than that of other recent sports-related redemption-story comedies, possibly because of its football focus and more exaggerated sense of humor. Shows like Ted Lasso, Running Point, and Stick have been somewhat more gender-balanced (51-64% men) with a stronger appeal to those 30+ (64-71%).

What about the show is pulling in viewers? 
Its comeback story. As the show opens, hotshot college quarterback Russ Holliday is on the verge of going pro when he makes an unforgivable error and throws a violent fit, costing his team the championship and himself his reputation. Eight wasted years later, he’s finally ready for redemption (Road to Redemption, 131) and is determined to resurrect his career by any means necessary (On a Mission, 112)–including fraud. Audiences are tuning in specifically to see Russ’s long journey of self-discovery, both as he recaptures his former football glory and as he slowly matures from an arrogant hothead into a humbled team player (Bettering Oneself, 111; Emotions Running High, 122), and they’re embracing the positive emotional experience that comes with watching him succeed (Awe, 126; Joy, 122; Amazement, 122). In this, Chad Powers aligns with the likes of Ted Lasso, Stick, and Running Point, all of which also looked to their built-in redemption stories as key ratings drivers.

What’s making this series so watchable? 
The Scam (143). To put himself back in play, the west-coast-born Russ dons facial prosthetics, adopts the fake persona of West Virginia native Chad Powers, and attends walk-on try-outs for the South Georgia Catfish, the floundering football team of a small private college. The absurdity of his scheme–inspired by the film Mrs. Doubtfire–provides plenty of fodder for the show’s Over-the-Top Humor (131), sets up a compelling Inner Conflict (144), and injects a delicious sense of tension and dramatic irony. Viewers will want to binge the whole season to find out whether Russ ultimately gets away with his ruse.

What will help propel Chad Powers into a second season? 
Football. Just like Ted Lasso, Running Point, and Stick before it, Chad Powers’ Sports Focus (135) is the core driving element of its longevity, with its gridiron, championships, and various players offering up a rich backdrop for a wealth of future storylines. In particular, there will be plenty to mine from the complicated Coach-Athlete Relationship (134) between Russ (aka Chad) and his athletic directors as well as the South Georgia Catfish’s push for success now that they have a new star quarterback (Winning, 133). Viewers will want to return for future seasons to see how far the team can go.

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Is the same NCIS audience tuning in for this spin-off? 
Yes. We’re seeing a viewership that leans toward women (56%) and is mostly aged 35+ (90%)–a nearly spot-on match for the other NCIS-branded series, even though they aired on broadcast and Tony & Ziva is native to streaming. This new show is also helping to attract more women to Paramount+, as many of the platform’s other recent releases (MobLand, Landman, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, 1923) have appealed much more strongly to men.

How important is the franchise connection? 
Extremely. Tony & Ziva’s link to the original NCIS is its #1 viewership driver and overall ratings propeller (IP Extension, 150)–a fact it actually shares with its predecessor, itself a spin-off of 90s drama JAG (NCIS: IP Extension, 160). Similarly, the fact that the new show brings back two long-departed fan-favorite NCIS characters–they’re together again onscreen for the first time in twelve years (Reunion, 122)–is stoking fan fervor, with their electric On Again, Off Again Relationship (125) taking center stage in a way it never could on the main series. The pair’s continuing love story is contributing to Tony & Ziva’s bingeability, longevity, and social buzz.

Does Tony & Ziva rely on the same elements that have made NCIS so successful?
No. The D.C.-set NCIS as well as its prior spin-offs (Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawaii, Sydney, and Origins) are case-of-the-week Police Procedurals (160), each following a series of episode-long Criminal Investigations (130) driven by a US Federal Agency (122) and peppered by the Workplace Dynamics (116) of its staff. While this formula has proven to be episodic gold, propelling the original series through twenty-three seasons and counting, the new Tony & Ziva is branching out into less familiar territory, leaning heavily into serialized storytelling and landing closer to an international spy thriller.

What’s making Tony & Ziva stand out as unique? 
Character drama and sustained suspense. While the original NCIS hinted at Tony and Ziva’s personal lives and peppered in a few reveals, their new namesake show delves much deeper into their complicated Family Life (145) as Protective Parents (146) to a 12-year-old daughter and clashing exes who still feel a spark. The series amps up the tension–both personal and professional–by sending them on the run together across Europe with their Lives in Danger (127) as mysterious foes both set them up and try to take them down (Being Hunted, 135). The thrill of watching them Search for the Truth (130) in a Race Against Time (130) to clear their names and save their child is helping to drive ratings and bingeability, while their unusual family dynamic offers great promise for future seasons.

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Who’s been adding this dark thriller to their queue? 
We’re seeing an audience that skews toward men (54%) and those 35+ (78%), but not too different from the gender-balanced viewership of Ozark (50% men / 50% women), also starring Jason Bateman. Other Netflix-based action-laced crime dramas like Narcos and Peaky Blinders tended to bring in even more men.

What’s the show’s main pull? 
The brothers. The show follows ambitious, slimy restaurateur Jake and his seedy gambling-addict brother Vince, and their fraught, dysfunctional Sibling Relationship (160) is Black Rabbit’s #1 overall viewership driver. The pair have a long history of codependency, resentment, and trauma (Family Dysfunction, 121), and their current dynamic–a reignition of greed, anger, and Sibling Rivalry (115) after a long period of estrangement–sets up such an arresting trainwreck that viewers can’t look away. At the same time, and even in spite of mutual Betrayals (118), the pair’s loyalty runs bone-deep, with Jake risking his own neck and club to save Vince from past bad decisions. These multiple layers of complexity make for a compelling central relationship.

What’s making the show so addictive?
Suspense and tension. When Vince rolls back into town, on the run yet again from another deal gone bad, he’s suddenly faced with repaying a substantial debt to a dangerous loan shark who’s extremely eager to collect. With the loan shark’s enforcers threatening their livelihoods and loved ones (Near Death Experience, 115), the brothers must figure out how to get the money without getting anyone killed (High Stakes, 120; Under Threat, 114) or losing ownership of Jake’s top-tier restaurant. The series goes to some very bleak, pitch-black places (Dark Themes, 125) as it follows the pair’s chaotic decision-making, and it’s this overarching sense of stress and darkness that’s keeping viewers tuned in to see what happens next.

What could earn the show another season? 
The bookies. If Netflix and the showrunners change their minds about stopping at one season, there’s more juice to be squeezed from the unique and compelling Criminal Organization (135) that’s introduced in the show. Head boss Mancuso, his brutal henchmen, his keen-to-prove-himself son, and their wider criminal network are collectively Black Rabbit’s top driver for longevity, and the ins and outs of their sordid business offer plenty of opportunities for future storylines. Audiences will want to return for more of the same dark overtones and tense-filled emotions (Aggressiveness, 125; Contempt, 121; Disapproval, 113) that they ate up in season one.

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