Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Viewership Collapses Again After Brief Paramount+ Top 10 Re-Appearance

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After Episode 3 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy came out, the show briefly appeared in the Top 10 most-watched shows on Paramount+, but its popularity quickly declined again.

Tracking data shows that Starfleet Academy quickly rose to #9 on Paramount+ when the first episode launched, then dropped to #10. After just three days, it disappeared from the charts completely and is currently not listed among the platform’s most popular shows.

Honestly, that little blip on the radar wouldn’t have even bothered me if it hadn’t been for what happened next. It wasn’t just that it went down, but how quickly and completely it was defeated that really got my attention. It was a pretty clear sign something was seriously wrong.

Reruns Are Beating New Episodes

While Starfleet Academy was airing, it consistently received lower ratings than older shows—some of which hadn’t had new episodes in years, or even decades.

Among the titles beating Starfleet Academy during its Episode 3 window:

  • South Park
  • SpongeBob SquarePants
  • Sabrina the Teenage Witch
  • The King of Queens

These aren’t recent, hyped-up shows. They’re reliable favorites – shows people have been watching repeatedly for years. Surprisingly, viewers much preferred these familiar, older programs to the newest Star Trek series on Paramount+.

That’s a brutal comparison for a franchise that once defined appointment television.

Taylor Sheridan’s Orbit Still Dominates

The difference is especially noticeable when you compare Starfleet Academy to what consistently attracts viewers to Paramount+: the shows and universe created by Taylor Sheridan.

Shows such as Landman, Tulsa King, Yellowstone, and Mayor of Kingstown are still consistently among the most popular, even if some haven’t aired new episodes recently.

It’s not surprising that Landman is doing well since it’s still airing new episodes. What’s more interesting is that shows like Tulsa King, Yellowstone, and Mayor of Kingstown are still more popular than a new Star Trek episode, even though that episode was meant to attract a new audience. Currently, Landman is the only show on that list with episodes being released.

A CW-Style Show Wearing a Star Trek Logo

The trend is now clear: while Starfleet Academy is part of the Star Trek universe, viewers aren’t rushing to watch it like they do with other major installments. It’s performing more like a typical streaming show – it gets a quick initial boost in viewers, then quickly loses them.

This criticism echoes concerns about the direction Alex Kurtzman has taken with Star Trek. Many feel it’s adopted a style similar to shows on The CW, featuring younger actors, overly dramatic moments, modern language, and stories that don’t feel connected to the franchise’s history of capable characters, professionalism, and hopeful themes.

Dedicated fans immediately notice something is off, while new viewers quickly lose interest once the initial excitement fades.

Viewership Tells the Real Story

Studios often try to create the impression of popularity. They might focus on a few positive numbers or short-lived trends to suggest they’re gaining traction, even if the overall picture is different.

But sustained Top 10 performance is harder to fake.

If a new TV show quickly drops to ninth place, then fades away completely, while older shows and those on pause remain popular, it’s a clear sign of what viewers want.

Simply put: people aren’t watching.

And in the streaming era, that’s the only metric that ultimately matters.

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2026-01-27 18:57