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Here are the top 20 most-watched streaming TV series of 2019 – did you see them all?

Updated Jan 15th, 2020 8:51AM EST
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Image: XanderSt/Shutterstock

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There’s no question whatsoever that 2019 was a huge year for streaming services. In fact, we may someday look back at 2019 as a year that set streaming services on a course to overtake traditional broadcast networks. Netflix in particular had a massive year, having released hundreds upon hundreds of original series, movies, and specials over the course of 2019. Among the company’s releases last year were some of its most popular and best-rated shows ever, including Stranger Things and The Witcher, as well as original movies that have been lauded by viewers and critics alike. In fact, two Netflix original films were just nominated for Best Picture Oscars — Marriage Story and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman.

Netflix is obviously the biggest streaming service right now, but it’s hardly the only service finding success. Amazon Prime Video had a few smash hits on its hands in 2019, the most notable of which might be The Boys. We also saw two new massive companies launch streaming services of their own when Apple launched TV+ on November 1st and Disney followed a couple of weeks later with Disney+. The latter has certainly enjoyed more hype and buzz so far, but TV+ will only get better and better thanks to Apple’s drive and its resources. Long story short… streaming is where it’s at right now.

It’s wonderful that the tide is turning and there’s so much great content out there from so many different sources. In addition to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+, there’s also Hulu, YouTube TV, and more, plus more big launches due this year like HBO Max and Peacock. It’s easy to see how people might be overwhelmed by all the options out there, which is why things might slip through the cracks. Today, we’re going to make sure that you didn’t miss out on watching any of the most popular streaming shows of 2019.

TV Time is an app created by a company of the same name, and it’s used to track what shows you’re watching. The app is available on iOS devices and Android devices, and it’s used by more than 12 million people to track the shows they’re watching and save new shows they want to watch. It’s a great tool for end-users, but it’s also handy for us. Why? Because TV Time anonymizes all that data and uses it to rank the most popular shows each week. Now, the company has supplied BGR with a roundup of the 20 most-watched streaming series of 2019 among its millions of users.

Image source: TV Time

Among the top 20 most-watched streaming series, just a single show was created by a platform other than Netflix. It’s Hulu’s award-winning show The Handmaid’s Tale, which came in at #6. Each of the remaining 19 spots is occupied by a series that was created by, and is available exclusively on, Netflix.

There are a few big surprises on the list, but they likely speak more to TV Time’s user base than anything else. For example, Lucifer is #1 but it was nowhere to be found on Netflix’s own top 10 list. Stranger Things and 13 Reasons Why are no surprises in the #2 and #3 spots, and neither is Money Heist at #4. Orange is the New Black rounds out the top 5, which is sort of surprising considering how bad the past few seasons were. The rest of the top 20 list can be seen above so you can make sure you didn’t miss anything.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.