With a slew of fan-favourite originals, Netflix has been shaping the global content consumption scene like no other. As the streamer launched its revised viewership metrics on 20 June 2023, Wednesday season 1 climbed the ladder to become Netflix’s most-viewed series in the English language. The show surpassed Stranger Things season 4 to clinch the second spot, right after Squid Game season 1, which remains numero uno.
So far, Netflix has largely remained tight-lipped about show stats and viewed hours. However, rising feedback and critics’ comments compelled it to release a list of high-achieving shows. Since November 2021, the streaming behemoth has been revealing a weekly list of 40 titles that have achieved big viewership numbers across film and TV in both English and non-English languages.
Considering each season of a series to be a separate entity, it used the metric data of the total number of hours watched in the first 28 days of the title’s release to determine how popular a show is.
Such a system heavily favoured shows with longer runtimes and the 28-day time period did not provide enough time for a series to gain momentum. However, productions will now get a 91-day window to reach the audience and perform. Additionally, instead of going by the gross viewing hours, the OTT streamer will use an average. The number of hours watched will be divided by the total runtime of each title, levelling the gap for shorter series.
With new series being included and others getting dropped, the leaderboard is seeing some huge shuffles and changes, thanks to the updated Netflix data.
Here are Netflix’s most-watched shows of all time
Jump To / Table of Contents
- 'Squid Game' season 1
- 'Wednesday' season 1
- 'Stranger Things' season 4
- 'DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'
- 'Bridgerton' season 1
- 'The Queen’s Gambit': Limited series
- 'Money Heist' Part 4
- 'Lupin' Part 1
- 'Money Heist' Part 5
- 'The Night Agent' season 1
- 'Stranger Things' season 3
- 'Bridgerton' season 2
- 'The Witcher' season 1
- 'Money Heist' Part 3
- 'The Watcher' season 1
1 /15
'Squid Game' season 1
Created by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Hoyeon, Oh Yeong-su
Release date: 2021
Views: 265,200,000
Synopsis: The series revolves around a bunch of people who failed at life and suddenly receive an invitation to a survival game. The participants are locked up in an unknown isolated place where they take part in several children’s games but with a fatal twist. Only the last remaining contestant stands a chance to win over USD 38 million (INR 312 crore approx.).
About the show: With over 1.65 billion hours of viewership, Squid Game practically had the entire world glued to their devices. Interesting plot, themes such as class divide, survival tactics and heart-racing action sequences made it one of the most-watched shows of all time. Squid Game season 2 is also slated to release soon.
Awards won: Lee won the Best Actor award at the 2022 Emmy Awards and Critics Choice Awards. Hwang also won the Best Director award at the Emmys and in total, the series won six out of 14 Emmy nominations.
Image: Courtesy Squid Game/ Photo by Noh Juhan | Netflix/Netflix/IMDb
2 /15
'Wednesday' season 1
Directed by: Tim Burton
Cast: Jenna Ortega, Hunter Doohan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers
Release date: 2022
Views:252,100,000
Synopsis: This dark coming-of-age comedy series is based on the life of Wednesday Addams (Ortega) who is expelled from her school because of a hideous prank gone wrong. As she navigates her adolescent life at Nevermore Academy, Wednesday tries to cope with her emerging psychic ability, defeat a monstrous killing spree and solve a twenty-five-year-old supernatural mystery that embroiled her parents. And all this while she meanders her way through the oddly diverse student body.
About the series: The second highest most-watched English language show on Netflix, Wednesday is a perfect combination of Burton’s vision, the characteristics of the Addams family and dark humour.
Image: Courtesy Wednesday/ © 2022 Netflix, Inc./ IMDb
Created by: Matt Duffer and Russo Duffer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Joseph Quinn, Jamie Campbell Bower
Release date: 2022
Views:140,700,000
Synopsis: This instalment of the series opens eight months after the Battle of Starcourt that wreaked havoc in Hawkins. However, the town is far from being calm. A series of teenage murders makes Eddie Munson (Quinn) the prime suspect. This is also the first time that Eleven (Brown) and her friends are separated, but the kids in Hawkins begin investigating and find the killer to be a powerful monster from Upside Down, whom they dub Vecna (Bower). Meanwhile, after learning about the events at Hawkins, Eleven goes to a secret facility in Nevada to regain her powers. What follows next is a flurry of mind-boggling events and actions as the friends fight the imminent threat.
About the series: Stranger Things showcased some talented actors and won innumerable accolades throughout its journey.
Image: Courtesy Stranger Things/ IMDb
Created by: Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan
Cast: Evan Peters, Richard Jenkins, Niecy Nash
Release date: 2022
Views:115,600,000
Synopsis: At the fourth spot among the top 10 most-watched series of all time on Netflix, this title takes a plunge into the mind of one of America’s most notorious serial killers. The popular and highly controversial show dramatises the life of murderer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer (Peters) who is believed to have a body count of more than 17 boys and men between 1978 and 1991. It also draws attention to the many criticisms the case received and gives a strong voice to Glenda Cleveland (Nash), who long tried to shed light on his wrongdoings.
About the series: DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story became another major Netflix show of 2022 as it crossed the 1-billion-watching-hour mark within 60 days.
Awards won: A 2023 BAFTA Award for the Production Team
Image: Courtesy DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story/IMDb
5 /15
'Bridgerton' season 1
Created by: Chris Van Dusen
Cast: Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page
Release date: 2020
Views:113,300,000
Synopsis: This soapy period drama, set in London during the Regency era, shows eight elite Bridgerton sisters, marking themselves in society. Bridgerton season 1 shows, the eldest sister, Daphne (Dynevor) is chosen as the most prized spinster of the season by Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Although a bevy of suitors follows her, Daphne’s older brother Anthony (Bailey) is extremely protective and thwarts her chances. To keep Anthony off her back, Daphne fakes a relationship with Rakish Simon (Page).
About the series: Bridgerton is based on the novels by Julia Quinn. It is executive producer Shonda Rhimes’ first fictional show on Netflix.
Image: Courtesy Bridgerton/Photo by LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX/ IMDb
Created by: Scott Frank and Allan Scott
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Marielle Heller, Bill Camp
Release date: 2020
Views: 112,800,000
Synopsis: When a young and sullen orphan, Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy) plays chess for the first time, she finds herself to be confident and in control of her fate. Consumed by her passion for the game, the chess prodigy enters the US Championships at just 16. As the laurels start pouring in, Beth discovers isolation in stardom.
Awards won: Based on a 1983 Walter Tevis novel of the same name, the series has won 11 Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, two Critics Choice Awards and two Golden Globes.
Image: Courtesy The Queen’s Gambit/ IMDb
7 /15
'Money Heist' Part 4
Directed by: Jesús Colmenar
Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Alba Flores, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Rodrigo de la Serna, Rodrigo de la Serna
Release date: 2020
Views: 106,000,000
Synopsis: Money Heist season 4 picks up the threads from the previous season after Nairobi (Flores) is shot. While the Dali-masked gang try to save her, Tokyo (Corberó) takes control of the group. The Professor (Morte) also learns about Lisbon’s (Ituño) whereabouts and is relieved. In the meantime, Palermo (Serna) teams up with the beastly chief of security of the Bank of Spain, Gandia. A series of action, gun fights and chases take place until the group loses a significant member.
Image: Courtesy Money Heist/ IMDb
8 /15
'Lupin' Part 1
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Omar Sy, Ludivine Sagnier, Clotilde Hesme
Release date: 2021
Views: 99,500,000
Synopsis: Several years after a gross injustice had befallen his father, Assane Diop (Sy) vows to take revenge and settle a debt by stealing an invaluable diamond necklace. In the classic style of fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, Assane crafts his heist.
Image: Courtesy Lupin/ IMDb
9 /15
'Money Heist' Part 5
Directed by: Jesús Colmenar
Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Najwa Nimri, Pedro Alonso, Rodrigo de la Serna
Release date: 2021
Views: 99,200,000
Synopsis: Viewers across the world donned their Salvador Dali masks and red broiler suit for a final run of the Professor’s (Morte) detailed plan and the group’s heists in both volumes of the season. The group is able to rescue Lisbon (Ituño), but their plan is on the verge of shattering as Sierra (Nimri) finds out the Professor’s whereabouts and brings him to his knees. For the first time, he might be out of an escape plan. Locked up in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours, the gang is focused on getting the gold out while making the government believe the country’s economy isn’t harmed.
About the series: Money Heist Part 5 is another highly successful most-watched show of foreign language. Its Spanish name is La Casa De Papel.
Award won: In 2022, the crew won a prestigious Iris Award for Best Production.
Image: Courtesy Money Heist/ IMDb
10 /15
'The Night Agent' season 1
Created by: Shawn Ryan
Cast: Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Eve Harlow, Phoenix Raei
Release date: 2023
Views: 98,200,000
Synopsis: Peter Sutherland (Basso) is an FBI agent who is responsible for tending to phone calls late into the night from undercover spies from the White House basem*nt. The phone hardly rings; but when it did one night, it turned his life completely upside down. On the other end of the line was Rose Larkin (Buchanan), with whom he teams up to uncover the truths of the subway bombings that killed many and tarnished his career.
About the series: One of the most-watched shows on the streaming platform, The Night Agent is based on a novel by Matthew Quirk of the same name. After a successful first season, the show has been renewed for its second run.
Image: Courtesy The Night Agent/ Photo by DAN POWER/NETFLIX – © 2023 Netflix, Inc./ IMDb
11 /15
'Stranger Things' season 3
Created by: Matt Duffer and Ruso Duffer
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Dacre Montgomery, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard
Release date: 2019
Views: 94,800,200
Synopsis: Ever since its debut on the OTT, Stranger Things has become a cult series with every season racking up over a few hundred million hours of viewership. Season 3 revolves around a danger lurking below the newly opened mall in Hawkins, Indiana. A Russian lab is working to open a conduit to the Upside Down, and the diabolic Mind Flayer poses a lethal threat when its mind controls Billy Hargrove (Montgomery). Now the kids must reunite to save Hawkins.
Image: Courtesy Stranger Things/ © 8FLiX/ IMDb
12 /15
'Bridgerton' season 2
Created by: Chris Van Dusen
Cast: Jonathan Bailey, Simon Ashley, Charithra Chandran, Nicola Coughlan, Claudie Jesse
Release date: 2022
Views: 93,800,000
Synopsis: The second season of one of Netflix’s favourite period dramas focuses on Anthony Bridgerton (Bailey) as he must look for a wife. The Sharma sisters, Kate (Ashley) and Edwina (Chandran), arrive in town from India, and Anthony finds himself drawn towards Edwina. Although Kate poses as an obstacle, Edwina and the handsome bachelor share unmissable chemistry and growing sexual tension.
Awards won: The series won a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award for Best Hairstyling and was nominated for a 2022 Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Image: Courtesy Bridgerton/ IMDb
13 /15
'The Witcher' season 1
Created by: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Cast: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan
Release date: 2019
Views: 83,000,000
Synopsis: Among the most-watched Netflix fantasy series is The Witcher, which is based on the stories of Geralt of Rivia (Cavill). As destiny would have it, Geralt becomes Princess Ciri’s (Allan) protector. As a witcher, his main job is to battle demons and wild beasts, but often he finds the world around him to be more diabolic than these creatures.
About the series: The Witcher is an adaptation of the book series of the same name penned by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The first season is solely based on the short stories The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which come ahead of the main Witcher Saga. Backed by an existing large band of followers, it comes as no surprise that the Netflix show would garner such a high number of hours watched.
Image: Courtesy The Witcher/ IMDb
14 /15
'Money Heist' Part 3
Created by: Álex Pina
Cast: Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Alba Flores, Miguel Herrán
Release date: 2019
Views: 80,000,000
Synopsis: Two years after the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain, the gang members relax at faraway tropical locations. When Rio (Herrán) is taken in by Europol via an intercepted phone, the Professor (Morte) and Lisbon (Ituño) get the group together to execute Berlin’s (Alonso) plan to capture the Bank of Spain.
Image: Courtesy Money Heist/ IMDb
15 /15
'The Watcher' season 1
Created by: Ian Brennan, Ryan Murphy
Cast: Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Mia Farrow
Release date: 2022
Views: 79,600,000
Synopsis: The bliss of a married couple, Nora (Watts) and Dean (Cannavale) Brannock, is cut short right after they move into their suburban dream home. From strange neighbours to threatening letters signed by a sinister stalker called “The Watcher”, the two start facing ominous incidents.
Image: Courtesy The Watcher/ Photo by COURTESY OF NETFLIX – © 2022 Netflix, Inc./ IMDb
(Hero image: Courtesy Wednesday/ IMDb; Feature image: Courtesy Squid Game/ Photo by Noh Juhan | Netflix/Netflix/ IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: What is the #1 show on Netflix?
Answer: ‘Squid Game’ is the most-watched show on Netflix with 1,650,450,000 viewing hours.
Question: What are the top 10 Netflix shows in India?
Answer: The top 10 Netflix shows in India between 15 and 21 May 2023 include, ‘XO, Kitty’, ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story: Series’, ‘Black Knight’, ‘Wednesday’, ‘Rana Naidu’, ‘Dr Cha’, ‘The Night Agent’, ‘True Beauty’, ‘All of Us Are Dead’ and ‘The Good Bad Mother.’ Other top Indian shows on Netflix include ‘Stories By Rabindranath Tagore’, ‘Delhi Crime’, ‘She’ and ‘Kota Factory.’
Question: What are the top 10 web series on Netflix?
Answer: The top 10 most-watched series on Netflix are ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ (seasons 3 and 4), Money Heist (parts 4 and 5), ‘DAHMER — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’, ‘Wednesday’, ‘Bridgerton’ (seasons 1 and 2), 'The Night Agent' (season 1), ‘Lucifer’, ‘All of Us Are Dead’ and ‘The Witcher’.
(The information in this article is accurate as on the date of publication.)
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