Orange Is The New Black
With 105 million households having seen at least one episode of Orange Is The New Black, it became the most-watched Netflix original in 2019. The comedy-drama is based on the memoir of Piper Kerman, and depicts her experiences in a minimum security women’s federal correctional facility.
Bridgerton
Inspired by the novels by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton is a historical fiction romance, following eight siblings in London’s Regency era in their quest for love, with a modern twist. Season one garnered over 625 million hours of viewing in its first month on Netflix, whilst the season two premiere saw the series become the most watched TV show in the United States for three weeks.
13 Reasons Why
Despite the highly controversial nature of the show, which discusses mental health issues experienced by teens in addition to other serious topics, the first season of 13 Reasons Why garnered over 470 million viewing hours within the first 28 days, with its second season reaching 496 million.
Friends
The Friends series’ finale raked in over 52 million viewers, and throughout the airing of its ten seasons its viewership never dipped below 20 million. Despite a few poorly-aged jokes, the show, which depicts the misadventures of friends Monica, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe, is still widely-regarded as one of the most beloved TV series of all time.
Wednesday
Based on the beloved Addams Family, Wednesday was the first English-language series on Netflix to reach 400 million viewing hours in a week, and is now the second most-viewed Netflix series. The comedy-horror follows Wednesday Addams as she attends supernatural Nevermore Academy in Jericho, Vermont, and attempts to uncover why the mystery surrounding the town seems to follow her everywhere.
Dahmer- Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
The show, which detailed the life and murders of infamous serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, was an undeniable success, reaching over a billion views in 60 days. However, it faced tremendous backlash from family members of his victims, who weren’t contacted at all for their input prior to the making of the series.
Squid Game
Squid Game garnered a record-breaking 1.65 billion streaming hours for Netflix, and it’s not hard to see why. The show provides commentary on poverty, desperation, and humanity, given through the lens of turning beloved childhood games into a brutal bid for survival as 456 people in crippling debt risk their lives to win a total prize of 45.6 billion won- the equivalent of 35 million dollars.
The Walking Dead
According to the LA Times, at its peak, The Walking Dead achieved an audience of more than 17 million viewers. The horror-drama, set in a zombie apocalypse, is a story of survival that gave rise to various spinoffs, such as Fear the Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: Dead City, and Tales of the Walking Dead.
Stranger Things
Netflix’s Stranger Things was the most streamed series of 2022, achieving a total viewing time of 52 billion minutes across the year. The sci-fi/mystery/horror fusion came to screens in 2016, and follows the residents of Hawkins, Indiana as they try to navigate the supernatural world of the Upside Down, an alternate dimension opened by a nearby human experimentation facility.
Game Of Thrones
Based on the fantastical series of A Song Of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin, Game Of Thrones dominated screens from its release in 2011 and brought a record audience to HBO, with its final season averaging 46 million viewers. Though it stirred controversy for its heavy themes of sexual content and graphic violence, as well as for its unexpected season 8 finale, it is still regarded by many as one of the best series of all time.