Yvonne Chapman as Kyoshi in Avatar: The Last AirbenderImage via Netflix
By
Dennis Aronov
Published 9 minutes ago
Dennis has written for publications like USA Today, Prediction News, and Psychology Today before bringing his thoughts to Collider. Despite consuming an arguably concerning amount of Netflix content, he maintains enough critical faculties to form opinions worth reading. His claim to fame is not falling asleep through virtually every film he's encountered in recent years—with one notable exception: falling asleep during "Barbie" only to be awakened by Ryan Gosling belting "I'm Just Ken." When not analyzing entertainment or defending his streaming habits as "research," Dennis can be found wondering if perhaps he should go outside more often.
Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapIn an unexpected twist, The Witcher wasn’t Netflix’s most popular fantasy series of 2025; that honor went to 2024's Avatar: The Last Airbender, which claimed the throne with only a single season. The live-action adaptation captured lightning in a bottle by honoring the beloved animated original while delivering a visually stunning, emotionally grounded series that stood on its own merits. While only one season has been released thus far, the series has been renewed for a second and third season and has already filmed and wrapped both.
What Is Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ About?
Gordon Cormier as Aang with Ian Ousley as Sokka and Kiawentiio as Katara standing behind him in Avatar the Last AirbenderImage via Netflix
In a fictional world inspired by Chinese martial arts and folklore, people can telekinetically manipulate the four elements – water, air, fire, and earth. The only individual who can manipulate all four elements is the Avatar. Their purpose is to maintain harmony and peace between the four nations. But the Fire Nation starts a war against the other nations and even completely annihilates the Air Nomads. The last surviving Air Nomad is Aang, who happens to be the Avatar. Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe accidentally stumble upon an iceberg where Aang has been suspended for 100 years after escaping his people’s genocide. Together, the three of them go on a journey through the world, helping Aang master the other three elements so he can bring peace.
The animated series received universal critical acclaim and went on to launch multiple spinoffs and live-action remakes. While the Netflix remake was received better than the widely hated M. Night Shyamalan film adaptation, the series still received mixed reactions, with a 61% Rotten Tomatoes score. Many praised the world recreated in live-action, as well as the entertainment aspect, but many critics pointed out that the show did not capture the same humor and energy as the animated series. Regardless, most were intrigued to see how the show would improve in future seasons. Despite the mixed reviews, the series was a hit for Netflix, garnering 2.56 billion minutes of viewing in the United States in its first four days of streaming.
How 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Became Netflix's Biggest Fantasy Hit
Despite not premiering new episodes since February 2024, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender was the streamer's most popular fantasy series, beating several individual seasons of The Witcher. Avatar: The Last Airbender likely performed better because it had a wider demographic, which included a younger audience. Shows with younger audiences tend to have larger audiences because younger viewers rewatch content frequently – just look at the streaming numbers for Bluey, which was the number one streamed show of the first half of 2025. While The Witcher’s mature themes and dark tone targeted older audiences, Avatar: The Last Airbender offered something increasingly rare: a fantasy epic that families could watch together. Its blend of spectacular action, genuine humor, and heartfelt coming-of-age themes attracted everyone, from kids discovering Aang’s journey to adults who grew up with the original series, and that multigenerational appeal proved impossible to beat.
The Witcher may be one of the most popular video game franchises, but it cannot compete with Avatar: The Last Airbender’s enduring power. Back in 2024, Netflix revealed that the franchise’s projects had cumulatively garnered 900 million hours viewed in the first half of that year. Not only does this reflect the franchise's power, but also its lasting importance. Many of the projects, including Avatar's sequel series, The Legend of Korra, continue to be watched, discovered, and rewatched by fans, and Netflix’s remake continues to be watched despite not having a new season in over a year.
Related
'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Star Reveals Season 2 Release Window at Netflix
Production for Season 2 has already begun.
Posts By Erielle Sudario Apr 6, 2025Rather than relying solely on nostalgia, the Avatar remake crafted a narrative that resonated with both devoted fans of the animated series and viewers discovering the world for the first time, bringing its own spin to certain aspects of the original story. For example, the live-action series developed Iroh’s (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) grief over his son earlier, whereas the animated series touched on it much later in Season 2. And while some of the streamer's projects are unceremoniously dropped and cancelled, Netflix clearly believed in the project by renewing the series for two seasons and having them filmed back-to-back. For a single-season series to dethrone a four-season juggernaut speaks volumes about what Avatar: The Last Airbender got right. With two more seasons already filmed, Netflix is banking on this success continuing — and based on the early viewing numbers, that seems to be a safe bet.
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Avatar: The Last Airbender
Like Follow Followed TV-PG Drama Family Action Fantasy Adventure Release Date February 22, 2024 Network Netflix Directors Jet Wilkinson Writers Joshua Hale Fialkov, Christine Boylan Franchise(s) Avatar: The Last AirbenderCast
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Gordon Cormier
Aang
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Kiawentiio
Katara
A young boy known as the Avatar must master the four elemental powers to save the world and fight against an enemy bent on stopping him.
Main Genre Adventure Where To Watch Netflix Genres Drama, Family, Action, Fantasy, Adventure Powered by
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