After its late July release on Netflix, Leanne Morgan's debut sitcom Leanne has been staging quite the success story. The series, which comes from prolific sitcom creator and producer Chuck Lorre, quickly shop up the daily ranking for the top 10 most popular shows on Netflix and hasn't left the ranking since its arrival. All signs are pointing a solid victory for the comedian!
While Leanne's debut ratings on Netflix, clocking in at No. 7 on the weekly top 10 with 2.7 million views and 14.9 million hours watched in its first four days, appear to be a bit muted, that's usually to be expected with original comedy series on Netflix. Those numbers are small compared to those of a thriller like Untamed, but mysteries and limited series tend to have a wider reach.
Admittedly, Leanne falls below the debut of recent Netflix comedy hits like Nobody Wants This and Running Point, though as a multi-cam sitcom the same rules might not apply when it comes to viewership success. The streamer hasn't yet revealed what the future holds for Leanne season 2, but Morgan's delightful, well-reviewed sitcom deserves a triumphant return.
Leanne season 2 hasn't been renewed yet
As mentioned above, Leanne currently holds a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the sitcom scored even higher with viewers as the series boasts an 89% approval rating from fans. Honestly, for multi-cam sitcoms, good reviews are almost as important as good ratings since this particular facet of comedy television has all but fallen down the wayside. But multi-cams have another upside.
Because it's a multi-cam sitcom and not a single-camera production like Nobody Wants This, Running Point, A Man on the Inside, and The Four Seasons — the most recent original comedy hits to score second seasons from the streamer — it's far more cost effective. Multi-camera sitcoms are simply less expensive to produce and therefore easier to bet on when it comes to renewal.
Even though Leanne didn't debut with astronomical ratings or even numbers that reach the heights of the aforementioned series, it's definitely a show with potential. Both in terms of finding an audience and in terms of the stories that it could tell in future seasons. Quite simply, there's nothing else quite like it on Netflix or traditional television right now, even though its premise isn't particularly inventive.
Based on Morgan's comedy (but not directly her life), Leanne Murphy finds herself forced to start over after over 30 years of marriage, two adult children, one grandchild and another on the way when her husband leaves her for another woman. Suddenly, she's going through menopause, living with her sister, dating for the first time in decades, and figuring everything out all over again.
With the proper promotion (which has been admittedly lacking on Netflix's part), the streamer could have its own Reba or Mom. The show isn't too mature to alienate family viewings, and it's also the kind of comedy that can cross generations. Netflix just needs to find a way to convince more people to give the pleasant little program a chance. The best way to do that is renew it for season 2.
It's equal parts hilarious and hopeful, a return to comfort sitcoms like we haven't seen since maybe the 2000s. Even though the viewership numbers aren't immediately groundbreaking, Netflix would be making a horrible decision by canceling the series. We need shows that provide easy, relatable laughs, especially now. Morgan is the perfect vessel for that. Let Leanne find an audience!
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