The 7 top trending streaming TV shows this week, from HBO Max's 'Love Life' to Netflix's 'Control Z'
by Travis Clark- HBO Max's "Love Life" and Amazon's "Homecoming" are some of the buzziest streaming TV shows this week.
- Every week, data company Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with the top streaming originals with the biggest week-over-week increase in demand in the US.
- These aren't necessarily the most popular titles, but the ones that are gaining the most momentum.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
WarnerMedia's new Netflix competitor, HBO Max, launched this week with a large collection of the company's library titles. But some of the service's original series are gaining attention, too.
"Love Life," starring Anna Kendrick, and the Elmo-hosted talk show, "The Not Too Late Show," are gaining buzz in the US, according to demand data from Parrot Analytics.
Every week, data company Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with the top streaming originals that have seen the biggest week-over-week increase in audience demand in the US. Parrot Analytics measures demand expressions, its global TV measurement standard that reflects the desires, engagement, and viewership of a series, weighted by importance.
This week measured the increase in demand from the week of May 13 to May 19 to the week of May 20 to 26.
These aren't necessarily the most popular titles in the US but they are the ones gaining the most momentum among audiences. Netflix's canceled animated comedy "Tuca and Bertie" also made the list after Adult Swim announced it had renewed it for a second season.
Below are the top 7 streaming original TV shows on the rise this week:
7. "Stargirl" (DC Universe)
Demand increase: 115.1%
Description: "The new DC UNIVERSE drama series, STARGIRL follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (series star BREC BASSINGER) as she inspires an unlikely group of young heroes to take up the legacy of a long lost superhero team – The Justice Society of America – and stop the villains of the past."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 90% (season 1)
What critics said: "One of the most purely joyous things to come from DC in years." — Collider (Season 1)
Season 1 premiered on May 18. See more insights for "Stargirl."
6. "Homecoming" (Amazon Prime Video)
Demand increase: 144.0%
Description: "Homecoming's new mystery unravels when Jackie (Janelle Monáe) wakes up to find herself floating in a boat in the middle of a lake, with no memory of how she got there - or even who she is. Her ensuing search for identity will lead her to the Geist Group, the unconventional wellness company behind the controversial Homecoming Initiative and, as she soon finds out, so much more."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 54%
What critics said: "Anyone who loved the ambiguous ending of Amazon Prime's first season, especially if you were taken by the profound connection between Walter Cruz (Stephan James) and Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts), should enter into Season 2 with caution." — Indiewire (season 2)
Season 2 premiered on May 22. See more insights for "Homecoming."
5. "SparkShorts" (Disney Plus)
Demand increase: 540.6%
Description: "Pixar's new collection of artists' projects."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A
What critics said: "... ambitious and different in ways that we don't often see from the shorts that precede Pixar films in theaters." — RogerEbert.com
The first collection premiered November 12. See more insights for "SparkShorts."
4. "Tuca and Bertie" (Netflix)
Demand increase: 970.0%
Description: "Free-spirited toucan Tuca and self-doubting song thrush Bertie are best friends — and birds — who guide each other through life's ups and downs."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 98% (season 1)
What critics said: "The show's creator Lisa Hanawalt, known for her work on nihilistic cult favourite Bojack Horseman, has rendered this new universe with a lighter, fizzier touch. The result is a rare thing – an adult animation made by women about women (albeit women in bird form)." — Guardian (season 1)
Season 1 premiered May 3, 2019. See more insights for "Tuca and Bertie."
3. "Control Z" (Netflix)
Demand increase: 1,777.%
Description: "When a hacker begins releasing students' secrets to the entire high school, the socially isolated but observant Sofía works to uncover his/her identity."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A
What critics said: "The series itself feels like a mixture of Gossip Girl and Black Mirror, finished off with a dash of Sherlock. Yet Control Z manages only to take the most irritating elements of all three worlds, offering a new series that feels derivative at best, infuriating at worst." — NME (season 1)
Season 1 premiered May 22. See more insights for "Control Z."
2. "Love Life" (HBO Max)
Demand increase: 2,360%
Description: "This romantic comedy series tracks Darby Carter across her twenties as she navigates work and romance in New York City, often with the insecurities of youth bubbling to the surface. We first meet Darby in 2012 as an NYU grad living with three roommates: impulsive best friend Sara, Sara's easy-going boyfriend Jim, and brutally honest friend Mallory. Following Darby over the next several years, Love Life shows how each of Darby's encounters brings her closer to finding her "person", even if she doesn't know it yet."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 55%
What critics said: "There's a been-there, seen-that quality to this latest show about the elusive quest for love, and the need to kiss a lot of frogs before finding a prince or princess." — CNN (season 1)
Season 1 premiered May 27. See more insights for "Love Life."
1. "The Not Too Late Show with Elmo" (HBO Max)
Demand increase: 3,515%
Description: "Coming to you from 123 Sesame Street, it's The-Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo! Every week, before your favorite 3 1/2-year-old furry red monster puts on his jammies and brushes his teeth, he squeezes in his own not-too-late talk show, where celebrity guests come over to play fun and zany games and sing some of the all-time best jams. With Baby David at his desk, Cookie Monster as his trusty sidekick, and a rockin' house band, plus an enthusiastic studio audience of humans and muppets cheering him on, Elmo interviews the biggest stars in movies, TV, and music in 15-minute episodes that feature familiar Sesame Street faces working to keep the show running smoothly. Join Elmo as he dusts off his cutest suit to bring his infectious laughter, curiosity, and love to your home."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A
What critics said: "The meta, inside-baseball side of The Not Too Late Show is funny, smart and packed with likable gags and puns and general silliness." — Hollywood Reporter
Season 1 premiered May 27. See more insights for "The Not Too Late Show."