Netflix Dominates America's Most Watched TV Shows With 5 Series in Top 10 in 2025-26

Published 06/04/2026, 4:52 PM EDT

via Imago

Netflix has claimed half the spots in the top 10 most-watched TV shows in America in the calendar year 2025-2026. It is the second consecutive season that the streaming giant has dominated the charts. It has been quite a year for Netflix with some of the biggest titles like Squid Game, Wednesday, and Stranger Things not only taking over the platform but the world by far. There were also some unexpected home runs like Adolescence and His & Hers that absolutely stunned the audience.

The year has been eventful for the streaming behemoth, and now is the time to reap the rewards.

Netflix undisputed king of TV shows in 2025-2026

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Netflix has produced the most popular TV show for the second consecutive season. This season, Upside Down was a big hit with TV viewers. Stranger Things is by far the most-watched series across all platforms, according to cross-platform ratings for the 2025–2026 season, as assessed over 35 days of viewing.

In that period, the Netflix series' final season averaged 32.9 million viewers, 7.3 million more than another Netflix original, His & Hers, which came in second with 25.6 million. These figures are derived from Nielsen data up until April 12, the last week for which 35-day ratings are accessible.

With 20.6 million viewers, the streamer's Sean Combs: The Reckoning just missed placing in the top three. But it ultimately proved that documentary storytelling and true crime continue to be strong draws for viewers. Bridgerton secured the sixth position for the streamer with 18.3 million views, while Monster: The Ed Gein Story came in tenth with 13.4 million views.

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With Netflix dominating the charts, CBS also won big, at least in the broadcast network category.

CBS rakes in big numbers despite a slow season

Netflix obviously crushed it this season, outclassing every other streaming platform on the list. CBS, on the other hand, had the most episodes close to the top of the ratings of any broadcast network, even though primetime was down overall this year. With 20.7 million viewers at the halfway point of its first season, CBS's Marshals is the most popular network program and ranks third overall.

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Tracker, another CBS drama, had 16.4 million viewers and is ranked in the top 10 on all platforms, including streaming. Again, excluding sports, CBS had slightly more than half of the top 25 aired programs. The season still belonged to Netflix, which, on the heels of Stranger Things and His & Hers' enormous viewership, shot up to the pinnacle of TV shows in America.

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Which one of Netflix’s series in the list did you like the most? Do let us know.

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Harshit Kumar

407 articles

With nearly two years of experience in content writing, primarily in sports, Harshit has now ventured into the alluring alleys of Hollywood at NetflixJunkie. A true pop-culture fanatic and a certified cheat code for movie trivia night, he brings infectious enthusiasm to every conversation. He has strong opinions about everything from uplifting superhero spectacles to gripping psychological crime dramas, and he is never shy about backing them up.

Edited By: Hriddhi Maitra

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