2. Re: Fear Street and Stranger Things -
Stating the obvious here but Fear Street is not on the same level of ST. We're reaching a point where A+ Headliner IPs are few and far in between. It would do Uni good to try to capitalize on the last ounces of relevance this year with Fear Street since it seems to be a one-and-done series - whereas ST can wait and headline the next event or two.
Devil's Advocate: is a show that couldn't crack the top 15 of 2021 and seemingly didn't get enough views to warrant a sequel truly a "headliner" worth HHN's time? (Yeah, some of the 70s/80s flicks had mediocre box office, but their reputation has grown).
On the flip side, Netflix has
Witcher, the #3 most watched original show with a third season and entire extended universe coming. Netflix has
Squid Game, which--as ill-suited to a house as it is--was the #1 show turned cultural phenomenon, and has a sequel coming. Even if they want to bench
Stranger Things to avoid TWD-like fatigue (which seems counter-intuitive with it still well-represented in among the crowd last Fall despite having 2 years off), I'd think a top 3 show with future prospects is more appealing to Netflix Marketing department than what can only be described from a business perspective as a modest corporate failure. Hell, even
Shadow & Bone, also a poor but not impossible candidate for a house, had better ratings and earned a sequel.