The new Netflix series, The Guinness House, created by Steven Knight, known for his acclaimed work Peaky Blinders, has had a difficult start on the streaming platform. In its first week, the series reached 5.2 million views, a figure that barely increased to 6.4 million in its second week. These numbers, considered disappointing by many experts, put the series on the brink of cancellation, especially when compared to other premieres that have been quickly canceled despite having higher figures.
Disappointing numbers
Among the most notable examples, La residencia started with 6.4 million, and although it increased its audience to 8.8 million, it was canceled shortly after. Similarly, Aguas turbias, the most-watched English-speaking series in its first weeks, accumulated 8.3 million, and then 11.6 million, but it was also discontinued. In this context, La casa Guinness presents numbers that could seal its fate, especially considering that its production is not expected to be significantly cheaper than those other series.
Despite the lack of public interest, The Guinness House enjoys some critical prestige, holding a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it is rare for Netflix to take these evaluations into account when deciding the future of its productions. In this situation, the only hope for the series could be Netflix’s relationship with Steven Knight, who has future commitments with the platform, including the sequel series to Peaky Blinders, which will have at least two seasons.
Decisions about the continuation of La casa Guinness may depend more on Netflix’s strategy to keep the creator happy than on the audience metrics themselves. This means that fans of the series can still hold out hope that they will be given at least one more season to wrap up the open storylines.
