The WIT Analysis: NBC

Tracking YouTube trailer views, Facebook likes and Twitter activity, The WIT will be analyzing social media responses to the new U.S. network shows all week, beginning with NBC, where Manifest generated the most buzz.

NBC has added just three shows for the fall—with the remaining new contenders arriving midseason—so only had three trailers to share following its Upfront last weekend.

The Robert Zemeckis-executive produced serialized mystery Manifest garnered 21 million trailer views from its official Facebook page and the NBC YouTube fall 2018 playlist (which is geoblocked outside of the U.S.). Slated for Monday nights, where it’s up against ABC’s The Good Doctor, Manifest generated about 6,000 tweets over the last seven days. (For comparison, NBC’s most anticipated new show last season was the revived Will & Grace with around 25 million cumulative views over the same period, but more than 33,000 tweets measured in one week with the official hashtag.)

“The trailer is giving social media users a lot of familiar vibes, with plenty of mentions of Lost and The 4400, as well as real-life comparisons, as the story of the mysterious disappearance of a flight reminded many of the unexplained tragedy of Malaysian Airline flight 370,” says The WIT’s Caroline Servy of the Warner Bros.-distributed show. “But the excitement is moderated by those who feel the ‘disappear/reappear’ plot feels a bit overused. However, the majority are truly intrigued by the story and seem to be willing to give it a try. Another fringe of the audience is also in for Josh Dallas and more than willing to see him on network television again next season after the recent finale of Once Upon a Time.”

New Amsterdam from NBCUniversal, with The Blacklist alum Ryan Eggold and scheduled for Tuesday nights with megahit This Is Us as its lead-in, received 16 million trailer views on Facebook and YouTube as of May 21. The medical drama outrated Manifest on Facebook with 40,500 likes (as compared with 32,500 for Manifest).

“The online feedback is mostly positive—but divided,” Servy observes. “On the one hand, there are enthusiastic feelings from fans of Ryan Eggold and of the medical genre. They will definitely welcome this good-looking, heartwarming drama, and they like the concept of the doctor willing to change the system. More skeptical reactions range from ‘not another medical drama,’ to ‘not excited by a nice version of Dr. House.'”

The single-camera comedy I Feel Bad, executive produced by Amy Poehler, reached 9 million video views and just 2,225 Facebook likes and 1,600 tweets.

“There is little excitement for this comedy about a perfectly imperfect family woman, with some social media users predicting a fun watch, but the majority—even among fans of Amy Poehler—choosing the easy pun with ‘I don’t feel so good’ comments. Interestingly, the feedback is not exempt of political views, with some users off-put by the jokes from the trailer about ‘sexualized kids’ or infidelity, and even criticizing the reign of ‘liberal-regressive’ humor.”

For more on the U.S. network and studio lineups, visit World Screen’s Fall Season Grid here.