The beloved echidna “Knuckles” is now the most popular kids and family show on the platform.
THE BIG PICTURE
- Knuckles becomes Paramount+'s most-watched children's series ever, racking up 4 million hours viewed in one weekend.
- The series boosts the Sonic franchise, increasing viewership for Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 by 278%.
- Knuckles stars Idris Elba as the titular echidna and takes place between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 .
The beloved muscular Australian creature is reaching new levels of popularity on Paramount+. The streaming platform revealed that Knuckles, a new show inspired by the character from Sonic the Hedgehog games, has broken records as the most-watched original series on Paramount+ during its debut weekend. Moreover, Knuckles has become the top choice for families, making it the most-watched kids-and-family program on the streaming service.
During its debut weekend on April 26, all six episodes of the show were released on Paramount+. Knuckles accumulated over 4 million hours of viewing time, making it one of the most popular series on Paramount+ during a premiere weekend. The studio rarely discloses viewership data, but previously shared numbers for Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which had 7.5 million views in its first week. Knuckles managed to attract more than half of that viewership in just one weekend. The series also boosted the entire Sonic franchise, with Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 experiencing a 278% increase in viewership on the platform.
Jeff Grossman, the executive vice president of programming at Paramount+, expressed excitement over the strong support from Sonic the Hedgehog fans. He also highlighted the impressive success of Knuckles and the positive impact on the Sonic universe after Knuckles' debut.
‘Knuckles' Continues the ‘Sonic' Story
Knuckles, starring Idris Elba, is a series that takes place between Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The story follows Knuckles as he fulfills his promise to protect the Master Emerald and trains his apprentice, Wade Whipple. However, he also faces threats from Dr. Robotnik's agents. The series features guest stars such as Stockard Channing, Edi Patterson, Scott Mescudi, Ellie Taylor, Julian Barratt, Rory McCann, Cary Elwes, Christopher Lloyd, Paul Scheer, and Rob Huebel. Ben Schwartz, the voice of Sonic, also returns for the series.
Knuckles is gaining popularity just in time for the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, scheduled for December 20, 2024 by Paramount. The series, produced by Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, was created by John Whittington and Toby Ascher. Ascher is the showrunner while Whittington serves as the head writer. The first episode of Knuckles was directed by Jeff Fowler, who also directed all three Sonic films. The show is executive produced by Neal H. Moritz for Original Film, along with Ascher, Whittington, Elba, Haruki Satomi, Shuji Utsumi, and Toru Nakahara.
All six episodes of Knuckles are streaming now on Paramount+.
