‘Resident Evil’ criticized on Twitter after Netflix debut

“Resident Evil” injected Twitter with new life after its debut on July 14, topping VarietyThe list of television trends for the week of July 11 to 17. The Netflix series knocked “Stranger Things” out of the top spot after a collective six weeks there, as the show garnered more than 682,000 interactions from ravenous viewers.

The series has been building momentum with fans since the trailer’s release in mid-May, when it established a fresh take on classic video games and film adaptations. However, that shot has proven controversial with fans in the early days after the eight-episode drop, with some criticizing the creative changes, general dialogue, and overall character development.

“Resident Evil” follows two timelines: one leading up to the moment a deadly virus caused a global apocalypse, and another beginning 14 years after those events.

Meanwhile, “Better Call Saul” garnered more than triple the engagements of the AMC series last week. The drama continues to gather momentum as it unfolds in its latest episodes of the series. Five Emmy nominations (including drama series and a long overdue acting nomination for Rhea Seehorn and Bob Odenkirk) helped bolster the overall conversation.

“Millisecond. Marvel” also attracted significantly more conversations this week, ranking third with nearly 197,000 interactions, an increase of more than 250% week over week. The Disney+ series ended the season (and potentially the series) on March 13. July following a six-episode series that never topped the trending chart but remained in the Top 5 in the weeks after it debuted.

“Stranger Things,” which topped the charts, lost steam this week and dropped to fourth place with 173,000 engagements, earning nearly half a million fewer interactions with fans finally catching up with the penultimate season. The Netflix series edged out HBO’s “The Last of Us,” which rounded out the Top 5 with 171,600 engagements.

“The Last of Us” is another post-apocalyptic video game adaptation, starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. Filming wrapped last June in Alberta, Canada, after a 13-month closed shoot. The series is the most expensive show ever filmed in Canada with a rumored budget of hundreds of millions.

HBO released a new poster on July 14 and confirmed that the series will air weekly and simultaneously on HBO and HBO Max. A debut date has not been announced, but the show is expected to premiere in early 2023.

In sixth place this week, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” returned to the list with 85,000 shares. The South Korean Netflix drama dropped one spot from last week’s list, but climbed roughly 50,000 interactions after the release of two new episodes. The series was ahead of another Netflix entry, “The Umbrella Academy,” which has also had a steady presence on the charts since its third season returned on June 22.

The July 12 Emmy nominations also prompted another series to return to the Trending TV list. “Euphoria,” which dominated Twitter during its second season earlier this year, continued to attract conversations after receiving 16 Emmy nominations. Stars Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney were recognized in the acting categories, while the show itself earned a drama series nomination. Zendaya became the youngest woman ever nominated for producing at the Emmy Awards, as well as being the youngest two-time nominee for lead performance.

Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” also garnered an Emmy Love Award with 13 nominations, including acting nominations for leads Steve Martin and Martin Short. However, after co-star Selena Gomez was snubbed, despite critical acclaim, fans protested on Twitter. Gomez was nominated for producer, however, she made history as the third Latina to compete as a producer for a comedy series. (Salma Hayek was the first in 2007 for “Ugly Betty.”) Overall, “Only Murders” added nearly 49,000 additional engagements to her pitch this week.

Rounding out this week’s Top 10 was the debut of Nathan Fielder’s new HBO project “The Rehearsal,” which added 47,000 interactions to the list. The comedy follows Fielder as he works with people to rehearse the big moments in his life and has drawn comparisons to a real-life Charlie Kaufman movie.

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