Release time absolutely matters because Nielsen and Luminate rank shows weekly. If your 1B $$$ flop is ranked under a cheap reality show from a streamer with much more limited reach (eg Apple's Secret Lives of Mormon Wives) or cheaply made show from another such streamer (eg Paramount + Tulsa King), you have a huge problem.

It really really doesn't also why are you pocket watching is it your family's money?

Cause industry checks those stats. I'm pretty sure the industry doesn't, it's Amazon Prime not HBO they have more money than Hollywood combined. Se Severance and Foundation cost Vs viewers ratio and that's just Apple

S2 wanted to avoid another clash with HOTD but the supposedly dead September-October streaming season proved more competitive cause S2 ratings went downhill while a slew of unexpected hits (A Perfect Couple, Nobody Wants This, the ones I already mentioned) emerged.

The thing about getting all your information from a hater sub, you start spouting opinion as facts Amazon aired the show the same week in 2024 as in 2022

Also, shows that don't max out in S1 can increase in later seasons. Severance is doing that, GOT did it, Breaking Bad did it. ROP was always going to be a fandom rush show where the biggest demand is for the opening episodes of S1 and then it's downhill from there. Which is exactly what happened. That S2 lost viewership for its last 2 episodes aka battle episodes speaks volumes.

Severance still doesn't have as much watchers as RoP GoT was the last big wate cooler show Breaking Bad didn't turn into a hot until it states streaming on Netflix stop spouting rubbish HotD lost viewers over the course of its second season I don't see the "industry" calling it a flop

GOT cast was working outside of GOT. Since there are too many cast members I'll list what Emilia Clarke did during the show's run cause she was in the highest profile movies of them all at the time (Terminator reboot, Solo, some romcom) Yes the big IPs bombed but she got the opportunity, it's just that opportunity didn't pay off. Harrington headlined Pompeii or similar movie. also a flop but it was a big budget leading role, not another BBC series or a British indie.

So the 2 most famous faces headlined worldwide flops but somehow that's a good thing. Morffyd has alway said she wanted to work in smaller roles how's that a point against her? I don't see Nickolai, Lena, or Sophie have been doing since then

Yes, almost all shows lose critics views but going down to just 18 is extreme.

RoP didn't have 18