The Strange Story Of ‘School Spirits,’ Planted In Netflix’s Top 10 For A Month

School Spirits In my frequent examination of Netflix’s top 10 list to find out what’s in or out, there’s one show that continues to capture my attention in a way most others have not. That would be School Spirits, the eight episode drama/comedy about a teenage ghost trying to solve her own murder, starring Cobra Kai’s Peyton List.

The show has been in Netflix’s Top 10 list spanning three months now, as it debuted on November 30, 2023, and now here on January 1, 2024, it’s still #9. I never saw it actually hit #1, but this demonstrates staying power that few shows ever have. But there’s really weird situation with School Spirits, one that exemplifies just how bizarre the streaming wars have gotten.

School Spirits was originally a Paramount Plus series that debuted in March of 2023, and aired weekly through April. Then, Paramount Plus, a deeply troubled and money losing streaming service, licensed the show to Netflix to try and offset some of its losses, part of a new era we’re seeing where some services are licensing shows to one another.

Usually, this is say, HBO handing over a bunch of older series to Netflix as licensed content. But School Spirits arrived on Netflix just months later. Netflix And it’s doing extremely well, hanging out inside Netflix’s top 10 list for over a month, and with no existing fanbase to start with, which is no small feat.

Now, fans are no doubt wondering about season 2 given how season 1 ends, and again, it’s weird because Paramount Plus renewed the show in June, before Netflix picked it up. It’s not clear yet whether Netflix will again have the license for season 2 after it airs on Paramount. Paramount may very well try to channel that Netflix popularity into getting a bunch of people to subscribe watch it on the actual service as opposed to waiting for it on Netflix.

Then again, knowing it was renewed, Netflix’s deal may have included both seasons. And if so, its viewers will likely have to wait extra time. It is somewhat likely that Paramount Plus either will merge with another rival of be shut down entirely given the amount of money it’s losing, as it cannot keep this up forever.

But until then, we might keep seeing more of these licensing deals. Netflix already did one with the actual production company making School Spirits, but it remains to be seen if any of their other shows can find this level of success. Follow me on Twitter , Threads , YouTube , and Instagram . Pick up my sci fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy ..