Rapid Insights: Lady in the Lake Doubles the Impact with Dual Protagonists
Last week, Apple TV+ released a buzzy new period crime drama that’s based on a popular, critically acclaimed novel of the same name. The limited series stars Moses Ingram as a Black woman bartender in 1960s Baltimore, whose murder becomes the obsession of Natalie Portman’s character, an investigative journalist.
Here’s what you need to know about Lady in the Lake:
Vault uses index scores to describe the impact a given story/theme/element will have on specific KPIs:
≤79 Disappointing 80-89 Challenging 90-109 Average 110-119 Promising 120+ Outstanding
Who’s tuning in for this thrilling new miniseries?
Women 30+. We’re seeing an audience that’s mostly women (63%) and notably 30+ (79% aged 30+)–the very same fanship that watches other women-led Mystery (130)–Crime (124) Dramas (118) like Love & Death, Candy, A Friend of the Family, The Staircase, and The Thing About Pam.
What’s pulling in these women 30+ viewers?
The dual Women Protagonists (145). Lady in the Lake follows aspiring journalist Maddie Schwartz (Female Professional, 113), a Jewish housewife who leaves her overbearing husband to pursue what quickly becomes an obsession: solving the murder of Black woman bartender Cleo Johnson. The episodes follow both Maddie and the deceased Cleo, tracking their Inner Conflicts (121) and drawing parallels between their struggles for Independence (120) and Social Status (120) at a time when both Jewish and Black women often found themselves powerless and voiceless. All are key ratings draws.
What type of viewing experience are audiences expecting?
An unsettling one. The emotions with the most ratings traction are those that play into the show’s darker, more conflicted elements. Viewers are looking to experience the same unsettling feelings and Emotional Turmoil (117) that follow both Maddie and Cleo throughout the story: Disapproval (120), Anger (115), Aggressiveness (115), Loathing (111), and Terror (110).
What will keep viewers watching?
The suspense. As Maddie digs deeper and deeper for the truth and refuses to back off (Ambition & Drive, 115), she comes under threat from dangerous criminal elements (Life in Danger, 130) who have a vested interest in Cleo’s murder remaining unsolved. In addition, the fact that the show is based on a popular novel (Based on a Book, 123) makes fans want to compare this filmed version with the one they’ve read.
How’s the show’s social buzz?
Promising. Though its June trailer drop netted only a modest bump (to 113), the show saw a marked increase in online chatter (peaking at an outstanding 134) starting July 11 thanks to a notable ramp-up in publicity. Then, the July 19 release of the first two episodes pushed it over the top, maxing out our social buzz meter (at 160). Viewers are posting and tweeting about Maddie and her journey as well as the all-too-relevant Racial Issues (111) of 1960s Baltimore.
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Genre DNA™ goes beyond traditional TV genre classifications by analyzing over 1,000 scripted and unscripted series on both linear and SVOD platforms from the last 5 years.
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*Publicly released trailers for series are evaluated using Vault’s algorithms – utilizing our proprietary 120K+ story element database alongside viewership performance and other datasets – to identify unique combinations of stories, themes, characters, and genre elements that will drive success.
