Departure takes flight globally via Netflix launch

The first two seasons landed on the Netflix global top ten for two weeks in early January.

Half a decade after its original debut, Departure has gained international traction, appearing on the Netflix global top ten at the start of the year.

The first two seasons of the Canadian series debuted on Netflix in multiple territories on Jan. 1. According to Netflix’s own data, the first season garnered 3.6 million views for the week of Dec. 30, 2024, to Jan. 5, landing as the No. 4 most-watched series globally. The season attracted another 3.6 million views for the week of Jan. 6 to 12, moving down one spot to No. 5.

Season two earned 1.2 million views in the first week and another 2.4 million views in its second, which landed it in the No. 10 and 9 spots for each week, respectively.

The series was the No. 1 show on Netflix in 40 countries in its first week on the streamer, including Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador and Venezuela, to name a few.

The 18 x 45-minute series was commissioned by Global and U.S. streamer Peacock and originally premiered on Universal TV in Europe in July 2019. In Canada, it premiered on Global on Oct. 8, 2020. The series follows the investigations of the fictional Transport Safety and Investigations Bureau.

Season one was a coproduction between Toronto-based Shaftesbury and U.K.-based Greenpoint Productions, while season two was coproduced with Ireland’s Deadpan Pictures. Season three was produced alongside St. John’s-based Pope Productions.

Created by Vince Shiao, Departure starred Archie Panjabi (pictured), Kris Holden-Ried and Mark Rendall in all three seasons. Christopher Plummer starred in the first two seasons, marking his final on-screen appearance before his death in February 2021. Eric McCormack joined the series in its third season.

In its debut season on Global, the series averaged 1.2 million viewers an episode and was the network’s No. 1 new series of the 2020 fall season.

Image courtesy of Global