The live-action adaptation of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender attracted a lot of attention last month for the wrong reasons. Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko created the animated series for Nickelodeon. The show was aired between 2005 and 2008, and more than a decade later, it was made into a live-action series for Netflix.
The Netflix adaptation was criticized on numerous grounds owing to the change in storyline and the visual effects. Despite this, it has reached a milestone that has left behind another live-action adaptation that was released last year. The other live-action adaptation in question is One Piece.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Has Made a New Record
Avatar: The Last Airbender is set in a fictional world where human society is divided into four nations based on the four classical elements- Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. All of these nations are inhabited by individuals who can manipulate one of these elements using telekinesis.
Aang, the last living Airbender (portrayed by Gordon Cormier), is known as the Avatar owing to his ability to control all four elements instead of one. He is responsible for maintaining peace and balance in the world, while also keeping the Fire Nation from conquering the world.
Upon release, the show was met with criticism. However, according to a recent Variety article, the series has occupied the top spot on Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings with under 2.6 billion minutes watched in its first four days of availability. This is unlike the live-action adaptation of One Piece which was streamed for around 1.3 billion minutes in the first four days.
Shockingly, despite being watched for so much time, Avatar was ahead of One Piece by only 15% according to the data released by Netflix last month. This is because the Netflix Top 10 takes the worldwide viewership on all devices into account unlike Nielsen, which only counts the number of accounts for TV screens in the U.S.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Has Been Renewed for Two More Seasons
The initial skepticism regarding the show seems to be waning as Avatar: The Last Airbender has achieved this milestone. The series was renewed for two more seasons not so long ago (via The Hollywood Reporter). Much like the animated series, the live-action adaptation is also scheduled to be closed out with two more seasons.
Although the show is not the first one that has been given a double-season renewal, it might end up becoming the first one to have been scheduled for concluding with just two more seasons. Other shows which have got a double-season renewal previously are Emily in Paris and Stranger Things. While the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender has eight episodes, there is no official information regarding the number of episodes in the next two seasons.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is available for streaming on Netflix.
