Twisted Metal TV show sets audience records for Peacock

PlayStation

Image: Peacock

Twisted Metal, the TV adaptation of the classic PlayStation series, has become a roaring success for streaming service Peacock, per new reporting from Deadline. Since the series launched in late July 2023, it has reportedly become Peacock’s ‘most-binged’ comedy premiere ever, with the vast majority of the audience tuning in for multiple episodes at a time – or binging the entire 10-episode first season at once.

While NBCUniversal did not provide exact audience figures, it shared that the average person who tuned in for Twisted Metal watched at least three episodes in a single sitting, likely thanks to the adaptation’s bizarre, moreish appeal.

Ahead of its launch, there was much doubt around the potential for a Twisted Metal TV series, given the original games feature minimal story beyond a post-apocalyptic setting, quirky characters, and vehicle-smashing gameplay. But with strong writing, sharply-written slapstick humour, and a talented cast elevating the material, Twisted Metal has become an unexpected success.

Read: ‘Twisted Metal’ TV show is a surprisingly watchable high-concept comedy

In the GamesHub review, we noted it was a surprisingly watchable comedy with plenty of hooks to keep the action and the main characters compelling.

‘Twisted Metal slots in nicely to that above-average modern TV comedy mould that is just strong enough to keep you invested, with some unique world-building aspects that keep it from being too predictable,’ reviewer Edmond Tran wrote. ‘It’s not a Last of Us, but we shouldn’t expect everything to be. Sometimes, good is good enough. And that’s certainly more than I expected from an adaptation of a car combat game starring a clown in an ice cream truck.’

Per Nielsen data quoted by Deadline, Twisted Metal hit 400 million viewing minutes in its first weekend of streaming, which would place it among that week’s most-watched streaming shows.

For a less mainstream video game adaptation, and one tied by lacklustre pre-premiere expectations and discourse, the milestone is impressive. Its popularity likely guarantees future episodes, as well as renewed interest in adapting less mainstream video games.

Twisted Metal is now streaming on Peacock in the United States, and on Stan in Australia.

Leah J. Williams is a gaming and entertainment journalist who's spent years writing about the games industry, her love for The Sims 2 on Nintendo DS and every piece of weird history she knows.You can find her tweeting @legenette most days.

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