Is the multi-camera comedy dying?
Is the multi-camera comedy dying?
New data from Luminate shows how successful ‘Leanne’ on Netflix has become, but also how multi-cam comedies have dwindled.
The multi-camera comedy series used to be a staple of TV programming. Shows like “Friends” and “Seinfeld” set the standard for multi-cam sitcoms in the 1990s, but today such shows are much fewer and further between. That’s the main finding of a study from Luminate, which uses the success of the Netflix multi-cam series “Leanne” to demonstrate just how far the format has fallen in recent years.
Key Details:
- Far ahead: “Leanne” has become the most successful multi-cam comedy series of recent years.
- Morgan to the moon: The data points in part to the breakout of Leanne Morgan as a star.
- Slow death: The last time there were more than 25 multi-cam comedy premieres on TV in the U.S. was 2020.
The new Luminate study shows that “Leanne” has become yet another in the long line of Netflix hits, particularly as compared to other multi-cam comedies released in recent years. “Leanne” viewership peaked at over 1 billion streaming minutes in its second week of availability, a number no other series like “Mid-Century Modern” or “Frasier” even approached.
There have been only six streaming original sitcoms since 2023, and “Leanne” is the most successful of the lot in terms of viewership. There’s something deeper at work in this; I suspect that studios might look on the multi-camera format as too old to attract audiences consistently anymore, but I’ll give more data on that in a bit.
The numbers from Luminate also show how big of a breakout star Morgan has become in her own right. Morgan was one of six comedians to offer a special on Netflix for the first time in 2023, and she outperformed all except Oscar-winning star Mo’Nique. Morgan’s special “Leanne: I'm Every Woman” had sustained success over its first six weeks of availability.
Click chart to expand.
In weeks six through 12 of its availability, “Leanne: I’m Every Woman” continued to augment its viewing minutes and eventually overtook every special from first-time Netflix participants in 2023. It’s another data point in the breakout stardom of Morgan, whose relationship with Netflix appears poised to vault her into bigger and better things.
The Luminate survey also has undeniable implications for multi-cam comedies. While I have no data to support this theory, I’d wager that the success of “The Office” was the instigator for the fall of multi-cam comedies in favor of the single-cam format in the mid-2000s. I think it gave a sense of sophistication that other shows were eager to emulate, leading to a feeling that multi-cam shows are somehow obsolete.
The total number of multi-cam comedies premiering on cable, broadcast TV, and streaming in the United States hasn’t exceeded 25 since 2020. It may not even exceed 20 this year, and though comedy premieres have declined overall, single-cam premieres are still going to vastly outpace multi-cam in 2025.
“Leanne” is clearly a hit among Netflix customers, and Leanne Morgan is making her mark on the streamer’s audience. But the multi-cam comedy series in general is in rough shape, and the format may need a serious injection of life in the next few years if it wants to survive long-term.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”