The WIT Analysis: FOX

NEW YORK: Of all of FOX’s new shows presented at last week’s Upfronts, the event series Prison Break, reuniting the cast of the original series, is on top of the buzz list in social media, ahead of two other revivals of hit franchises, according to new analysis from The WIT.

Filling the Thursday 9 p.m. slot midseason, the Prison Break reboot is the most anticipated of the long list of cult franchise revivals slated for next season. As of May 24, the show’s trailer had notched up 30.8 million views on Facebook and YouTube. It is the second most-viewed trailer of the upcoming season behind NBC’s This is Us (47 million views). FOX, meanwhile, recorded the highest engagement figures on Facebook—to date the trailer has been shared 626,000 times, and more than 325,000 comments were posted in response to the Facebook trailer. It also has the most positive reactions on YouTube, with “Thumbs Ups” ratio topping any other trailer for the season. The pre-existing Facebook page is now at more than 11 million Likes, and the newly created Twitter account has already risen to 62,000 followers. As such, the show’s account is the most followed Twitter handle for all the new pickups. It is also the most commented on with more than 47,000 tweets featuring the official hash tag over the last seven days.

“The excitement around the Prison Break reboot is unprecedented if we compare the buzz to the other cult franchises recently revamped, such as Heroes or The X-Files last year,” says Caroline Servy of The WIT. “While the non-fans will probably remain indifferent to the project, the perfect cast reunion, as well as the exotic setting of a Moroccan prison and the many questions raised by the new plot, had fans over the moon, with as many predictions as needed to break the internet!”

Midseason features another anticipated reboot, 24: Legacy, which opens Monday nights. The show takes the franchise in a new direction, featuring with the same creators, but without Jack Bauer (although Kiefer Sutherland is exec producing). The reboot stars Corey Hawkins (Straight Outta Compton) and Miranda Otto (Homeland) and follows the same real-time format as the original.

With a total of 2.2 million cumulative views on its official platforms (Facebook and YouTube) as of May 24, 24: Legacy is the second most-watched trailer of all new shows on FOX. It is no match for Prison Break though, despite having pre-existing social media accounts (4.6 million likes on Facebook for the official 24 page). The level of engagement is also behind Prison Break’s, with the trailer being shared 16,000 times on Facebook and drawing a more modest 5,000 comments. On YouTube, reactions were polarized, with a high level of “Thumbs Down” ratings on the trailer.

“FOX’s bet boils down to a simple issue: can there be a 24 reboot without Jack Bauer,” Servy comments. “The first reactions are quite strongly in favor of the ‘no,’ and [some social-media users] don’t picture Corey Hawkins as a possible new hero. More positive contributors insist on giving the series a chance, based on the creators’ credits. If they were clever enough to create Jack Bauer, why wouldn’t they create another amazing character?”

Another remake, this time of a movie franchise, closes the list of FOX’s most commented-on new shows for next season: Lethal Weapon. The cop series, set in modern-day L.A., has the pre-Empire Wednesday slot and stars Clayne Crawford (Rectify) and Damon Wayans, Sr. (My Wife and Kids) in the roles of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, respectively.

The indicators are quite similar to 24: Legacy so far, with 2.1 million views on Facebook and YouTube as of May 24. It has just 2,500 Facebook Likes and 500 Twitter followers one week after the creation of those pages.

“StopRemakingClassics might well become the new trending hashtag, as the feedback we observe is quite cold so far,” Servy says. “The main discussion among those who watched the trailer (especially on YouTube) is whether this will be FOX’s version of CBS’s version of Rush Hour—with a similar fate. Many users are disappointed, many questions are still to be answered. (Why not an Aussie to play Riggs? Why the short haircut? Why present day? Why does Wayans look so young compared to Glover?) But on a more positive note, Damon Wayans does have a supportive fan base and the duo he forms with Clayne Crawford could work.”

Visit World Screen’s fall season grid here for synopses, trailers and a listing of new and returning shows by studio.