The much-anticipated, action-packed “Hawkeye” finale had fans taking to Twitter once again the week of Dec. 20-26, catapulting the Disney Plus series to the top of Variety’s Trending TV chart. The Easter egg-filled episode featured Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) making good on his vow to spend Christmas with his family, while also setting up more potential MCU offerings featuring other characters from the cameo- and crossover-heavy miniseries.
Happy Holidays to you all🎄 @disneyplus @hawkeyeofficial 🏹❤️🏹 what are your plans?!? pic.twitter.com/1uZypd9ZdN
— Jeremy Renner (@JeremyRenner) December 24, 2021
As fans speculated about the fate of certain characters and looked for clues about the upcoming Disney Plus series “Echo,” starring Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, they also speculated about the future of Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and whether she will lead a rumored “Young Avengers” spinoff.
YOUNG AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!
kate bishop is rumored to appear in captain america 4 due to a young avengers boost wherein kate might meet elijah bradley. #hawkeye pic.twitter.com/bo60ahE6sF
— best of hailee steinfeld (@archiveshailees) December 26, 2021
Then there was the matter of the mysterious watch from the Avengers compound, which basically confirmed Clint’s wife, Laura Barton (Linda Cardellini), is Bobbi Morse (a.k.a. Mockingbird). The twist took fans on a bit of a ride given that Adrianne Palicki previously played Bobbi Morse in “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD,” leading to even more engagement and debate.
OMG Laura was Mockingbird. She was Agent 19. Great easter egg. #AgentsofSHIELD #HawkeyeFinale #Hawkeye #HawkeyeSeries pic.twitter.com/YANleXKASV
— Book of Boba Fett Era (@WandaMCU1993) December 22, 2021
#HawkeyeFinale Spoiler Alert 🚨🚨🚨
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Agent 19??? NOOOOO- I wanted a Bobbi Morse/Agents of SHIELD tie in for Agent 19! 😭 (I love Laura tho don’t get me wrong!)#Hawkeye #AgentsOfSHIELD pic.twitter.com/so945UkuM0— evil!ric | tv lover (@trandomGO) December 22, 2021
The MCU wasn’t the only topic of hot debate in the Twitterverse during the Christmas break as the second season of Netflix’s “Emily in Paris” dropped in full on Wednesday. The Lily Collins-led series from creator Darren Star has a long history of getting under viewers’ skin, and the 10 new episodes were no exception as the show rose to the second spot on this week’s trending list.
Emily in Paris in season 2 is still as awful as season 1 but I can’t stop watching #EmilyInParis pic.twitter.com/6eWZi7wrIm
— Alaisdair (@alaisdair) December 22, 2021
Indeed, some hate-watched the series to point out flaws, or question the plausibility of certain storylines or character decisions. Others were in it for the love triangle between Emily, Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and new Season 2 character Alfie (Lucien Laviscount).
The romance we should all be rooting for…#EmilyInParis pic.twitter.com/rqYuHVV7M0
— Meghan Doman (@thedomanator) December 23, 2021
And then there were those who just enjoyed the escapist narrative, which came at the perfect time for many trying to forget the current omicron wave of the pandemic (which is completely non-existent in the show’s world). Of course, even Emily’s colorful fashion choices caused a small divide on Twitter.
her stylist really thought she was making a fashion statement but she truly just did emily dirty with these ugly fits 😭😭 #EmilyInParis pic.twitter.com/U67STiMy0f
— post nwh aylin (@periveaykiz) December 23, 2021
5 minutes into #EmilyInParis episode 1 and they’re killing the fashion! Stunning! #EmilyInParis2 #EmilyinParisSeason2 pic.twitter.com/3xBve31I61
— MarTEAnis With Eddy (@MarTEAnisEddy) December 25, 2021
Offscreen, viewers have definitely been feeling the effects of the pandemic in terms of extended delays. Perhaps that’s why a new trailer for the upcoming sophomore season of HBO’s “Euphoria” propelled the series into the third slot on this week’s trending list. The Sam Levinson-created drama was supposed to film its follow-up season in March 2020, but was delayed by several months, prompting two special installments to satiate fans until the Jan. 9 return.
I know its been a long time, but we’ll see you January 9th<3 https://t.co/QceFpcsDP9
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) December 20, 2021
Star and Emmy winner Zendaya fueled that buzz by retweeting the official promo, which features a suitcase full of drugs, a gun and plenty of high-stakes drama. Of course, fans were already paying close attention to the 25-year-old last week, given her starring role in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and an Interview magazine cover story, in which she revealed she wants to one day direct a love story about two Black girls.
“Euphoria” isn’t the only show that will return in 2022 after an extended hiatus. Donald Glover’s critically acclaimed comedy “Atlanta” aired its second season back in 2018, so when FX revealed the Season 3 debut date (March 24) and a new trailer, fans took to Twitter to share their excitement. As a result, the show settled into the sixth slot in this week’s Top 10.
The third season features the return of Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz, and takes place almost entirely in Europe as the group adjusts to its newfound success and navigates new surroundings.
Richer thoughts ahead. 3.24.22. Stream on @Hulu. #AtlantaFX pic.twitter.com/jzmBKG4sfZ
— AtlantaFX (@AtlantaFX) December 26, 2021
As viewers prepared to welcome “Atlanta” back to their screens, they said farewell to another beloved comedy in “Insecure.” The Issa Rae series closed out five seasons on HBO with Sunday’s series finale, which Rae said brought “poetic justice” to the show’s core characters.
That made it an emotional farewell for viewers, who helped the show land in eighth place on this week’s chart. But it was also emotional for the show’s cast and creatives, including Rae, Yvonne Orji and showrunner Prentice Penny, who directed the final episode. The trio took to Twitter to share their feelings on the final episode as well.
This scene in the bathroom was the final scene I shot as molly. During one of the takes, @The_A_Prentice told me to go off script and thank @IssaRae for how she changed my life. We were crying for real FOR REAL. #InsecureHBO pic.twitter.com/ZsjrpDkDLo
— Yvonne Orji (@YvonneOrji) December 27, 2021
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stressed how the finale was received. I did NOT want to direct it. I was scared of the heat it would get if it didn’t measure up. Which is the exact reason why I know I needed to. So glad y’all received it in the spirit it was made. #InsecureHBO
— Prentice Penny (@The_A_Prentice) December 27, 2021
I love y’all. Thank you for 5 seasons. #InsecureHBO pic.twitter.com/2d0v9AopJR
— Issa Rae (@IssaRae) December 27, 2021
Rounding out this week’s Top 10 most-talked-about series was Amazon Prime Video’s “The Wheel of Time,” which unrolled its first-season finale on Friday. The adaptation of Robert Jordan’s fantasy novels is the streaming service’s most-watched original series since “Hunters.” And while fans may be disappointed that the first chapter is over so soon, there’s more to look forward to as the second season kicked off production in Prague this past summer.
Thanks lovely #WheelOfTime fans for your kindness and passion for the show. We are so proud of to be part of this journey and the support you give us is matched by the support we all give each other too. A lovely group of people. It’s a beginning. Love Kate. #Liandrin #AesSedai
— kate fleetwood (@katefleetwood) December 4, 2021
The biggest event of the month#TheWheelOfTime #twitteroftime #wheeloftime pic.twitter.com/1ITxwrwihN
— Gridesé wot show spoilers (@supergride) December 23, 2021
Variety Trending TV Charts, powered by Twitter and sponsored by DIRECTV, reveal the most-talked-about programs each week by measuring engagements — a combination of tweets, retweets, likes and hashtags.