- This week’s top 10 list of the most popular new and returning TV shows has a fairly significant shocker for those who follow popular series on TV and streaming services.
- Netflix shows typically dominate the charts each week, and one of Netflix’s most hotly anticipated premieres of the summer just debuted — yet Netflix’s big premiere wasn’t big enough to reach the #1 spot.
- Instead, a new HBO show accompanied by tons of hype topped the list this week, and Netflix’s big debut came in at #2.
We’ve heard from so many readers over the past few weeks who were surprised by how weak the first half of August had been in terms of new movies and TV series. Sure, there are a few high-profile Netflix originals that have debuted over the past few weeks, and you can check them out for yourself in our roundup of every single new Netflix original movie and series set to premiere during the month of August. Aside from Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s new movie Project Power, a new season of 3%, and the new show Teenage Bounty Hunters that has been popular with young kids, there really isn’t that much to speak of in the first half of the month.
Keep scrolling through the second half of Netflix’s original releases in August, however, and you’ll see some more notable names — including a new season of one show that has been particularly popular for Netflix. In fact, it’s believed to be one of the most popular shows on Netflix’s entire platform… and yet the premiere of Lucifer season 5 this past Friday still wasn’t big enough to top a brand new show that just debuted on HBO.
Each week, Whip Media takes anonymized data from its popular app TV Time to measure the most popular new and returning series on TV, Netflix, and all the other popular streaming services out there. The app is used by more than 14 million iPhone and Android device owners, and the company uses some pretty straightforward methodology to put together its rankings. In a nutshell, the lists are calculated by measuring week-over-week growth in the number of episodes watched for a given series, so new and returning series obviously gravitate to the top.
On this week’s TV Time list of the top 10 shows on the rise, everyone expected Lucifer to skyrocket to the top spot. Interestingly, however, that’s not how things panned out. Instead, the hotly anticipated new show Lovecraft Country on HBO took the #1 spot and Lucifer came in at #2.
Another new Netflix original series also landed in the #3 spot this week — Teenage Bounty Hunters, which premiered nearly two weeks ago but took a little time to pick up steam. Dirty John on USA is #4 on this week’s list, and the British reality show Glow Up is #5 because a new season just hit Netflix. The Korean drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay comes in at #6 while the arrival of The Legend of Korra on Netflix propelled the beloved anime show to #7. The CW’s One Tree Hill comes in at #8, while #9 and #10 are two more Netflix originals: 3% and The Crown.
