For many people, Netflix has become synonymous with TV and taken the place of expensive cable packages. As such, the streaming giant programs for a wide variety of tastes, with TV shows that appeal to pretty much every kind of viewer. Those titles range from low-brow reality shows to record-breaking TV dramas, the most-watched seasons of which underscore the platform’s global appeal.
These five TV seasons below, ranked by views, represent some of the most captivating storytelling to ever hit the small screen. Netflix regularly adjusts the data for these TV shows, and this latest snapshot is attributable to the long-awaited return of Netflix’s biggest show of all time.
1. Squid Game Season 1 (265.2 million views)
South Korean drama Squid Game has been such a triumph for Netflix that it redefined what TV success looks like on the platform. Racking up more than a quarter of a billion views, the show’s mix of edge-of-your seat suspense and social commentary gripped viewers with its story of desperate individuals competing in deadly games for the chance of a huge cash prize. And almost four years after its initial release, it’s still unquestionably a worldwide sensation.
2. Wednesday Season 1 (252.1 million views)
It still blows my mind that Tim Burton’s gothic spinoff of The Addams Family, reimagining the story with a focus this time on the iconic Wednesday Adams, would explode to such a massive degree on Netflix. With Jenna Ortega in the title role, the show racked up 252.1 million views thanks to a mix of humor, mystery, and a little bit of supernatural intrigue that fans of all ages couldn’t resist. Still, I definitely would have lost money had I bet on this one.
3. Squid Game Season 2 (152.5 million views)
Perhaps the least surprising entry on this list of Netflix’s Top 5 TV shows/seasons of all time, the status of Squid Game as Netflix’s biggest TV show in history meant that expectations for Season 2, released a few weeks ago, were through the roof. The new season thankfully delivered, raising the stakes as well as expanding on the original season’s dark themes — which helped solidify the show’s status as one of the streamer’s all-time greats.
4. Stranger Things Season 4 (140.7 million views)
Over the years, Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers have perfected a nostalgic mix of sci-fi, horror, and heartfelt drama that’s helped their show captivate tens of millions of fans around the world. The show returned with a vengeance in Season 4, racking up more than 140 million views for what’s become a cornerstone of Netflix’s catalog of must-watch shows.
5. Dahmer (115.6 million views)
I’m still not sure how this chilling dramatization of one of the most infamous serial killers of all time, from Ryan Murphy, became one of the biggest Netflix shows in history. Perhaps it’s the result of Jeffrey Dahmer’s crimes now being so long ago that younger viewers had never even heard of him before. Regardless, Evan Peters’ portrayal of the killer, somehow, ensured that this series would explode into pop culture, like it or not.
