Netflix is an extremely popular and highly-influential streaming platform that continuously creates and releases thrilling original content. Some of the most critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite television shows call the media provider home, and many of these engrossing programs have gone on to deliver some seriously spectacular ratings and viewership numbers.
From pop culture juggernauts like Stranger Things and Wednesday, to phenomenal international hits such as Squid Game and Money Heist, Netflix is steadily churning out some of the most entertaining and celebrated original shows. The platform tracks its content viewership over the course of 28 days of a project’s release, and the statistics surrounding its original content and the audiences they attract is truly jaw-dropping. These are Netflix’s most-watched TV shows of all time based on hours watched.
10 Lucifer (Season 5) -- 569.48 Million
Tom Ellis charmed audiences across the world with his delightfully devious portrayal of Lucifer Morningstar in the urban fantasy series Lucifer, which follows the Devil as he trades in the bleak underworld for the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, where he falls for the headstrong LAPD detective Chloe (Lauren German) whom he assists with cases. After initially being canceled by Fox in 2018 after three seasons, the spellbinding program was then picked up by Netflix where it became a ratings hit for three additional seasons, concluding its tenure in 2021.
The fifth season of the show focuses on Lucifer returning to Hell while Chloe attempts to cope with his absence, but she is shocked when his twin brother Michael arrives with his own agenda on how to fix the world and fulfill God's wishes. Fans flocked to Netflix to tune in and see what wild antics and chaos Lucifer would cause next, and enjoyed the many twists and turns of the penultimate season.
9 Stranger Things (Season 3) -- 582.10 Million
Stranger Things became a pop culture phenomenon when it premiered on Netflix back in 2016, with the sci-fi horror show taking place in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana that is a hotspot for terrifying paranormal and supernatural occurrences due to secret government experiences. A colorful group of adolescent misfits join forces to take on the Upside Down and its many dangerous creatures, with the psychokinetic girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) leading the group in their crusade to protect the world.
The groundbreaking hit has gone on to become one of Netflix's flagship series and while each season of the fan-favorite program delivered some seriously impressive viewership numbers, its third season attracted over 582 million viewing hours. The season followed the build-up to the Fourth of July celebration and return of the Mind Flayer, while the gang discovers the new Starcourt Mall sits on top of a nefarious secret Soviet lab.
8 Money Heist (Part 4) -- 610.01 Million
The thrilling Spanish crime drama Money Heist lasted three phenomenal seasons (with five overall parts) and garnered widespread critical acclaim during its tenure, with the series chronicling two dangerous and highly-detailed robberies by a criminal mastermind simply known as the Professor; the enigmatic man assembles a team of 8 people to carry out the lucrative and ambitious robberies, targeting the Royal Mint of Spain and later the Bank of Spain. Money Heist became a cultural hit and by 2018 it established itself as one of Netflix's most-watched non-English language series of all time.
Part 4 picks up with the group robbing the Bank of Spain as they also face off against the authorities, while the Professor sets out to take down the entire Spanish government out of revenge. The installment of the engrossing drama set massive viewership records for a non-English series,with 65 million households tuning in to see what becomes of the Dali-masked gang. At the time, it also became the most watched non-English show on Netflix.
7 Bridgerton (Season 1) -- 625.49 Million
Based on the Julia Quinn novels of the same name, the historical fiction romantic drama Bridgerton is produced by Shonda Rhimes' production company Shondaland and takes place in Regency-era England, centering on the regal and powerful titular family and their individual quests to find love. The first season famously features the romantic relationship between the Bridgerton's eldest daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and London's highly sought after bachelor Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page).
Bridgerton quickly became a breakout hit for Netflix, with 82 million households tuning in to witness the passion and blossoming romance between Daphne and Simon following a severe content drought amid the pandemic. It also was the most-watched original series on the streaming site until it was dethroned later that year by Squid Game.
6 Bridgerton (Season 2) -- 656.3 Million
Unsurprisingly, the highly-anticipated sophomore season of Bridgerton firmly cemented its status as a fan-favorite TV series and went on to surpass its predecessor when it comes to viewership numbers. The season's plot revolves around the eldest Bridgerton son Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) as he sets out to find a wife, and quickly finds himself enamored with the beautiful spinster Kate (Simone Ashley). Though Regé-Jean Page did not reprise his role as Simon, Dynevor returned as Daphne in the steamy series follow-up.
The second season premiered on March 5, 2022 and premiered at number one in a whopping 92 countries on Netflix, amassing a mind-blowing 193 million viewing hours within just its first weekend. It also went on to hold the record at the time for the most-viewed English language series in a week before racking up 656.3 million viewing hours in 28 days.
5 Money Heist (Part 5) -- 792.23 Million
Netflix
Devoted viewers all across the world tuned in to say goodbye to the sensational Spanish drama Money Heist, with part 5 of the lauded program bidding adieu to the Professor and his fellow savvy robbers in a spectacular fashion.
The epic franchise concluded its tenure with fan adoration, critical praise, and numerous accolades, including an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series and seven Iris Awards, a prestigious ceremony that honors Spanish television. Money Heist was just one of two Spanish language shows to land on TV Time's top 50 most followed shows ever, ranking number five on the tracking platform's list.
The series finale attracted over 790 million viewing hours and earned rave reviews, with Metro UK declaring that it "has no intention of going quietly. Just like the gang, this acclaimed drama is going to keep up the good fight until its final breath." A South Korean remake of the show, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, premiered on Netflix last year and a spin-off entitled Berlin is set to be released in 2023.
4 Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story -- 856.2 Million
The massively popular but equally controversial true crime drama series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story chronicles the life of serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer, who between 1978 and 1991 murdered seventeen boys and men before he was captured and sentenced to sixteen life sentences in 1992. Evan Peters won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his chilling portrayal of the infamous killer, and it became the third Netflix original series to surpass one billion views in just 60 days as well as accumulating over 856 million viewing hours in 28 days.
Despite such a large audience, Dahmer received intense backlash from the families of the murderer's victims, with some declaring that the series was "retraumatizing [the families] all over again" and glamorizing Dahmer. Regardless, Monster has been renewed for two additional seasons and has been promoted to an anthology series.
3 Wednesday -- 1.23 Billion
Jenna Ortega became an overnight sensation when she portrayed the mischievous titular teenager in the smash hit coming-of-age supernatural series Wednesday. The series centers on the Addams family daughter as she is sent to attend her mother and father's alma mater Nevermore Academy for causing chaos at her former school.
While trying to navigate her way among her fellow outcasts, Wednesday sets out to solve a local town murder. Ortega's viral dance to "Goo Goo Muck" by The Cramps went viral and helped the show gain even more popularity, with the Tim Burton directed series finishing with 1.23 billion views in its first 28 days.
For her scene-stealing performance as the morbid Wednesday, Ortega nabbed a Golden Globe Award nomination and earned appreciation from critics, with the Wall Street Journal calling the actress "a charismatic performer playing a character who is decidedly anti-charisma, so that’s an accomplishment; she has a face that triumphs over deadpan."
2 Stranger Things (Season 4) -- 1.35 Billion
In the most recent installment of the Duffer Brothers' outstanding sci-fi horror juggernaut Stranger Things, Eleven, Mike, Steve and the rest of the Hawkins gang are in for the fight of their life as they take on the frightening and incredibly powerful villain Vecna, who is hunting down teenagers and murdering them one-by-one in a bloody rampage. Critics were thoroughly impressed by the more dark and mature tone of the season, as well as the stellar cast's phenomenal performances and its electrifying visuals and storytelling.
Within just its first week, the fourth season clocked more than 287 million viewing hours, surpassing the record previously held by Bridgerton. The season introduced Joseph Quinn as fan-favorite town outcast Eddie Munson and Jamie Campbell Bower as the villainous Vecna, and went on to win countless accolades including a Saturn Award, five Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
1 Squid Game -- 1.65 Billion
The South Korean survival drama Squid Game took the world by storm with its electrifying plot and themes, blood-pumping action, and unforgettable characters, and follows money-desperate players who agree to participate in a series of twisted children's games for a lucrative cash prize that if a participant loses at will result in their immediate death. Lee Jung-jae stars as gambling addict and single father Seong Gi-hun, who joins the dangerous games in order to eliminate his death and to become financially stable enough to gain custody of his young daughter.
Jung-jae won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, becoming the first Asian actor to take home the accolade for a non-English role. Squid Game topped Netflix's top ten weekly most-watched TV Shows chart in 94 countries, and it has since become the platform's most-watched series, setting the record with 1.65 billion hours viewed. A highly-anticipated second season is currently in the works, as well as an original reality competition based on the show.