The most popular Netflix title dominating the platform this week is Adolescence — a tense and thought-provoking British drama that explores the dark side of toxic masculinity, online radicalization, and violence through the story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his classmate. This four-part Netflix series, which has reviewers absolutely raving, is also unique as far as crime dramas go, in that each episode was filmed in a single continuous take, providing an immersive real-time experience as the narrative unfolds.
Netflix publishes its ranking of the hottest TV shows each week, and we’ll take a closer look at Adolescence below, as well as the rest of what’s hot on the streamer at the moment.
Netflix Top 10 shows
Here’s this week’s complete list of the Top 10 English-language shows on Netflix, based on the latest updated data from the company:
- Adolescence — 17.8 million views
- Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer — 13 million views
- Pulse (Season 1) — 6.5 million views
- Devil May Cry (Season 1) — 5.3 million views
- The Residence (Season 1) — 4.6 million views
- Love on the Spectrum (Season 3) — 3.5 million views
- Million Dollar Secret (Season 1) — 3 million views
- Raw: 2025 (March 31, 2025) — 2.9 million views
- Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Season 3) — 2.5 million views
- Ms. Rachel (Season 1) — 2.3 million views
To learn more about some of this week’s other most-watched series, you can go deeper by checking out our previous coverage of some of the Netflix originals above, such as the chilling docuseries Gone Girls, the medical drama Pulse, and the White House-based murder mystery drama The Residence. For now, though, let’s focus on the biggest Netflix TV release in the world at the moment.
Adolescence — #1 on Netflix
The current top-ranked Netflix title globally by viewership, Adolescence is a Top 10 show in 93 countries this week, and a #1 show in 68 countries. It’s also proven such a big release for Netflix that the show has joined the streamer’s chart of the Top 10 English-language TV shows of all time, coming in at #4.
The series, written by Jack Thorne, has been praised for its unflinching portrayal of the dangers of online extremism and how vulnerable young minds can be shaped by toxic influences. Its innovative storytelling — filming each episode in a single continuous take — creates an intense experience that makes the unfolding tragedy feel disturbingly real. Its high-profile fans also include UK prime minister Keir Starmer, who said he’s watched the series with his own children in addition to telling reporters that the series raises important questions about the effects of toxic masculinity.
“1 set. 2 main actors. No cgi, no fancy music score , no fancy camera cuts. Just brillliant screenwriting and astonishing acting skills,” raves one fan about the show on Threads. Adds another: “Almost every single post I’ve seen across my social media platforms is about [Adolescence]. Believe the hype. THE most important drama for decades.”
The series meticulously unravels the events leading up to the crime, exploring Jamie’s interactions, the investigation process, and the profound impact on his family and community. “One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?’” star Stephen Graham said in a Netflix promotional interview. “And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.”
