New ‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Is Officially One of Peacock’s Biggest Debuts Ever
*Crystal Lake*, a prequel to *Friday the 13th*, has become one of Peacock’s most successful scripted original debuts. Its early audience figures mark a strong return for the franchise as Halloween approaches.
The eight-episode series, starring Linda Cardellini as Pam Voorhees, premiered on 15 October. NBCUniversal says it drew 1.3 billion viewing minutes in its first 11 days, making it Peacock’s fourth-biggest scripted original debut; Nielsen ranked it third among streaming originals and first-season series for the week of 19 October. It also recorded 1.8 billion social media impressions in its first 24 hours and more than 7.6 million social video views over 11 days.
In short
- *Crystal Lake* drew 1.3 billion viewing minutes in 11 days.
- It is Peacock’s fourth-biggest scripted original debut.
- The prequel stars Linda Cardellini as Pam Voorhees.
Explained simply
Friday the 13th is a long-running horror franchise centred on Camp Crystal Lake and the masked killer Jason Voorhees. The films began in 1980 and became known for stories about people facing danger at the lakeside camp.
Crystal Lake is set before the original film and focuses on Pam Voorhees, Jason’s mother, played by Linda Cardellini. The series is one of several recent efforts to bring established horror stories to television, where streaming services compete for viewers with both new shows and familiar franchises.
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s streaming service, and its original dramas and comedies compete for attention with films, sport and shows from other providers. Audience figures for a new series can indicate whether a well-known franchise is drawing viewers, though viewing-minute and social-media measures capture different kinds of engagement.