Arnold Schwarzenegger’s ‘FUBAR’ Season 2 Earns Hugely Disappointing Ratings on Netflix

He said he’d be back — but it looks like audiences weren’t exactly waiting for him. Despite a bigger budget, bolder storylines, and a newly improved Rotten Tomatoes score, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s spy-action comedy FUBAR has returned with a whimper rather than a bang. Season 2 of the Netflix series debuted on June 12, but it only managed to scrape together 2.2 million views in its opening weekend — a dramatic drop from the roughly 11 million views the first season pulled in during its 2023 premiere. That’s a nearly 80% decline.

For context, FUBAR Season 2 only just made it into the Netflix English TV Top 10 for the week, squeaking in at No. 10. It was thoroughly eclipsed by the triumphant return of Ginny & Georgia, which landed a staggering 16.9 million views and handily claimed the top spot.

In fact, FUBAR didn’t just lose to a teen dramedy. It was also beaten by an Australian whodunit (The Survivors, 9 million views), two international thrillers (Dept. Q and Sirens, both with 4.3 million), and the Ginny & Georgia back catalog — with Season 2 (4.2 million) and Season 1 (3.3 millio) ranking well above the latest Schwarzenegger outing. It’s not a great result for a series that signalled the return of one of the world’s most beloved action stars.

Is ‘FUBAR’ Worth Watching?

By most metrics, FUBAR Season 2 improved on its predecessor. The Rotten Tomatoes critic score ticked up from 56% to 63%, and the show retained its well-liked cast, including Monica Barbaro, Milan Carter, Travis Van Winkle, and Fortune Feimster. New additions like Carrie-Anne Moss and Guy Burnet (as the gloriously chaotic villain Theodore Chips, an unbelievably great name) added freshness and flair.

But it might just be that the novelty has worn off and the show’s outstayed its welcome at this point. The cast is enormous now and, although the fight scenes are still suitably bone-crunching and the jokes are funny, it isn’t quite clicking. The writing, from showrunner Nick Santora (Reacher), leans heavily on the spy-family-love-triangle chaos formula, and while it occasionally works, it also feels a bit bloated. As Collider’s review noted, “FUBAR is an amusing and thrilling watch… but the season does feel strained at times under the weight of so many characters.”

FUBAR Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix. But based on the early numbers, a Season 3 might require more.