Disney+ Moves Its Original Series Releases To Wednesdays After ‘Loki’ Was Biggest Debut Yet
Disney+ original shows will now debut on Wednesdays instead of Fridays. The release date shift of upcoming Disney+ series likeMonsters at WorkandTurner & Hoochcomes in the wake of the monumental success of Marvel Studios’Loki, which became themost-watched Marvel premierefor the streamer after moving its release to Wednesdays.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, Disney+ is shifting its original series release dates from Fridays to Wednesdays, affecting all global original series including the Pixar spin-off seriesMonsters at Work,the live-action rebootTurner & Hooch, and new seasons of returning shows likeShort Circuitseason 2.
The Wednesday shift is strictly for Disney+ original series and will extend toStar Warsproperties likeThe MandalorianandThe Book of Boba Fett, as well as upcoming Marvel TV shows. However, original movies will continue to bow on Fridays.
See the list of updated premieres below.
What This Will Mean for Streaming Competition
Sources tell THR that the release date shift is “designed to accommodate the increased volume of original content on Disney+,” but it’s just as likely that it’s been made to get out of the increasingly packed streaming debut day that is Friday. Netflix traditionally launches entire seasons of its new original shows on Friday, as do many of the other streaming platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime. This has led to Friday becoming a battle royale for audiences' attention. June 11, for example, saw the return of Netflix’s global hitLupinwhile Hulu launched the second season ofLove, Victorand Apple debuted the second season ofHome Before Dark.Loki’s debut two days earlier on Wednesday left it with no major competition and awhole lotta buzz.
HBO Max and Peacock, however, have gotten out early, preferring to launch new shows on Thursdays — like HBO Max’sThe Flight Attendant, Made for Love, Hacks, andGossip Girl, and Peacock withRutherford Falls,andGirls5eva.Paramount+ also has taken a liking to premiering its originals on Thursdays.
The weekly Friday releases of Disney+ shows likeWandaVision, The Mandalorian, andFalcon and the Winter Soldierhave generally given the streamer longer legs than Netflix’s binge model, but freeing up Fridays will give less buzzy Disney+ originals a chance at success. Funnily enough, we might even see the return of daily scheduling like in the primetime TV days, Rolling Stones' Alan Sepinwallobserved, with Disney+ and its weekly releases leading the way.
