In retrospect, the signs were all there - viral bard songs, record numbers of Witcher 3 Steam players, a second season confirmed before the first was even released. But now it's official: The Witcher's first season was a huge hit, to the extent it's on track to become Netflix's most-watched first season of TV ever.
The news comes via Netflix's Q4 earnings report, which says 76m households tuned in for at least two minutes of The Witcher. A slightly odd metric, but Netflix says that's long enough to indicate the choice to watch was intentional.
To put that figure in context, The Crown - which is now on its third season - has so far been watched by 73m households since first airing in 2016. And it's not just about viewing figures, but also general interest: included in Netflix's report was a Google Trends chart comparing search interest for Disney's The Mandalorian with The Witcher, and there's a surprisingly large difference between the two. Maybe it would be different if they Googled Baby Yoda.