Paramount Plus has officially confirmed what we all already suspected, that the latest, live-action spin-off “Star Trek” show, “Strange New Worlds” is the most original series debut ever, on the streaming channel in the United States. Moreover, it also ranks as one of the top two most-watched original shows in the U.K.
It’s safe to say we all hoped “Strange New Worlds” was going to be good and provide a refreshing alternative to the somewhat less enthralling “Discovery” and hit-and-mostly-miss “Picard,” but no one quite expected it was going to be as good as it was. Not even Paramount Plus (opens in new tab), we suspect.
While a rewatch of the last season of “Discovery” offers about as much excitement as two sloths engaged in a high-stakes game of Old Maid, almost every episode of “Strange New Worlds” improves upon watching it again. And again.
This news comes as price hikes for Disney Plus, Hulu (opens in new tab)and ESPN Plus are unveiled (opens in new tab). Obviously Disney Plus offers “The Mandalorian” and the latest live-action “Star Wars” spin-off “Andor” due to drop on September 21, plus all the existing IP from that franchise and Marvel. Hulu has “The Orville” and while the future of that show is still up unknown, its creator Seth MacFarlane says he’d like to return for a fourth season.
“So I really have no idea what’s happening…I have made no secret of the fact that I would love to do a Season 4. But I think it’s going to be a minute before I find out whether that’s in the cards,” he told SyFy Wire (opens in new tab).
Those three Disney subsidiaries — Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN — have also reported (opens in new tab) a total of 221 million customers at the end of the June quarter compared with Netflix’s 220.7 million. However, Disney has lowered (opens in new tab) its 2024 forecast for Disney+ subscribers by 15 million. While there are a finite number of human beings on the planet Earth with televisions, streaming figures will almost certainly continue to fluctuate from now until the end of time, as many go back and forth for one reason or another.
The first season of “Strange New Worlds” is now available to watch on Paramount Plus (opens in new tab) as is the entire second season of “Star Trek: Picard.” Season 4 of “Star Trek: Discovery” is also available on the Paramount streaming service in the US and on CTV Sci-Fi or Crave TV in Canada. Countries outside of North America can watch on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. Paramount is available in the UK and Ireland both as a standalone service and as part of the Sky Cinema subscription for the UK cable provider.Â
And according to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Plus is launching in Italy on September 15, in Germany and France in the coming months, and in “all major European markets” by the end of the year.
If you need a recap of Strange New Worlds check out an episode-by-episode look at the season one of the series below.Â
The first season of “Strange New Worlds” is now available to watch on Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)
Follow Scott Snowden on Twitter. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.Â
