It’s been a running joke since the first trailer for the second season of “The Punisher” dropped. When was this show going to be canceled? Even though no one had any sort of inside information, the writing seems to be on the walls, as Netflix has gone ahead and canceled “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “The Defenders,” and “Daredevil,” in a span of a few months, leaving only ‘Punisher’ and “Jessica Jones” as the last remaining series. Well, according to a new report, it looks like fans of Frank Castle might want to get their petition writing hands ready.
Business Insider is reporting that new numbers from the company Jumpshot reveal a sharp decline in viewership from Season 1 to Season 2 of “The Punisher.” While these numbers come from a third-party source that is only judging based on reduced sample size, Netflix has never been a company to share stats unless they’re astronomical. So, the likelihood we’ll ever know the true viewership numbers is slim to none. That leaves us to contemplate what this report says.
And what is says is that viewership has dropped 40% between seasons, which is a large drop by any normal metric. Of course, a number of reasons can be factored into this drop. First, and probably foremost, is that the shine has been gone from these Netflix/Marvel shows for a while now, as they have been hit or miss in regards to quality and have become further and further away from the film’s continuity. Also, an argument can be made that many fans decided to skip the second season of “The Punisher” after the recent Marvel TV cancellations due to the feeling that Frank Castle was next in line. Why bother with a season of TV if it’s a lame duck series?
However, this drop in viewership might not be the final nail in the coffin. Compared to the drops from other Marvel TV series on Netflix, “The Punisher” looks to be in perfectly fine shape. From Season 1 to 2 of “Luke Cage,” there was a staggering 63% drop in viewership. “Iron Fist” was hit harder, with a 69% drop. Both of those series were, of course, canceled after their second seasons. “Daredevil” Season 3 suffered a 61% drop in viewers from Season 2, and was abruptly canceled only weeks after its launch.
Long story short, “The Punisher” does seem to be trending downwards, and fast, but it’s not nearly as bad as the previously canceled series. Is there a ray of hope that Frank Castle will return for one more season of brutal violence and murder? Perhaps.
The other question to contemplate is what happens to “Jessica Jones” and its viewership totals if Netflix pulls the plug on “The Punisher?” At that point, it will be abundantly clear that Netflix is severing ties with Marvel and there’s really no hope that “Jessica Jones” can survive. Guess we’ll find out.
For those wanting to help viewership totals, “The Punisher” is out now on Netflix.