The Echo season 1 release date has finally been locked down at Disney Plus; however, in announcing the news Marvel Studios dropped a major twist on fans.
2023 has been quite a rollercoaster ride for Marvel fans, and that might be an understatement. Heading into the year, it was looking like 2023 would be one of the biggest years in the history of Marvel Studios; however, things quickly changed.
Entering the year, the assumption was that fans would be getting three Marvel Studios theatrical releases as well as a handful of Marvel Disney Plus originals including new series Echo, Secret Invasion, Ironheart, Agatha: House of Harkness, X-Men 97, and new seasons of What If and Loki.
Instead, the studio came under fire for its turnaround time and the demands it was putting upon its special effects team which seemed to lead to a handful of changes. Instead of getting a handful of Disney Plus shows across the year, reports suggested many shows would be delayed until 2024 or beyond with only Secret Invasion and Loki looking like a lock for the year.
Well, it now seems there is at least one more show guaranteed to release in 2023: Hawkeye spinoff Echo.
Echo season 1 release date
As confirmed by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige during Disney’s Upfront presentation, Echo season 1 will release on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Not only will the show premiere on Nov. 29, but Marvel will be dropping all six episodes of the show on Nov. 29 making it the first Marvel Studios show to release all episodes at launch, rather than weekly.
"“In Hawkeye, fans were first introduced to Maya Lopez, a character played by Alaqua Cox. She will return to get her revenge in Echo, a limited drama from an incredible team of indigenous writers, directors and cast members. And in a first for us all episodes will drop on November 29,” Feige said in annuoucing the Echo seaosn 1 release date (via Deadline)."
This means that fans will be able to stream all six episodes of the limited series when they arrive on Nov. 29 instead of having to tune in weekly for new episodes.
Why is Disney releasing all of Echo season 1 at once?
Disney’s decision to release Echo season 1 at once marks a historic moment for the streaming studios which had typically released new episodes on a weekly basis. The show will become the first major Disney Plus original series to release all episodes at launch in a strategy that seems to have been pulled directly from the Netflix playbook.
The move has many wondering why Disney is releasing all episodes at once. While no direct reason was provided upon announcing the news, it appears the decision could be part of a test by Disney Plus to see how viewers consume content if released all at once rather than weekly.
Netflix has found a lot of success in dropping all episodes of its original series at once, so it’s possible Disney is looking to see if it can capture that same success.
If the test is a success and Echo draws strong viewership numbers, it could open the door for Disney to revisit its release strategy and shake up the release plans for future series.
As fans will recall, it wasn’t until Loki season 1 that Disney Plus tried releasing new episodes on Wednesdays. The show’s success on Wednesday led them to change its release strategy in using the day to drop new episodes of nearly all of its Marvel Studios series on Wednesday, sans a few rare exceptions such as Werewolf by Night.