--- ---  # These Are the Most Popular Netflix Shows and Movies—According to Netflix ## Video: When They See Us Official Trailer [Watch (HLS stream): When They See Us Official Trailer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/esIVtb7C.m3u8) (2:49)  _Published 2019-05-22. When They See Us Official Trailer_ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:13 PM UTCPublished: Oct 17, 2019 3:38 AM UTC  Henry Cavill in 'The Witcher' Henry Cavill in 'The Witcher'Katalin Vermes/Netflix by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:13 PM UTCPublished: Oct 17, 2019 3:38 AM UTC Netflix has earned a reputation for a couple of things: first, releasing a seemingly endless scroll of series and movies, and second, rarely sharing how many people watch said entertainment. Over the last few years, Netflix has selectively shared some viewership details, offering limited peeks into the way its internal system works. These revelations, sometimes offered via social media and sometimes in the company’s quarterly earnings reports, have prompted [some criticism](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/18/media/netflix-viewership-numbers/index.html). For one thing, Netflix does not employ an outside agency to track its viewership. For another, the numbers are often provided in what feels like a vacuum, lacking the context necessary to judge whether the streaming service’s programs are successful. While television networks offer their own analyses of viewership, they also rely on independent firms like Nielsen, which provide viewership data across multiple channels. While Nielsen has also [tracked Netflix data](https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/18/nielsen-will-now-measure-tv-audiences-on-netflix/) since 2017, and has backed up some of Netflix’s own claims about its viewership, the streaming service has [dismissed the company’s findings](https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/bird-box-ratings-netflix-nielsen-1203102316/). Without independent analysis or additional context, questions have arisen over the accuracy of Netflix’s claims and the way the platform counts its viewers. The company said it is counting “views” as household accounts that “chose to watch and did watch for at least 2 minutes” of a title in its [fourth-quarter earnings](https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc%5Ffinancials/2019/q4/FINAL-Q4-19-Shareholder-Letter.pdf) announcement, released in January 2020\. Under the new viewership measurements, Netflix says its new fantasy series, [_The Witcher_](https://time.com/5752962/netflix-witcher-review/), is on track to be its biggest first season of a television series ever, with 76 million member households watching at least two minutes of the show. Previously, Netflix measured views as one member account watching at least 70% of a movie or series episode. Timing also varies in measuring how many people watch something on Netflix—numbers could reveal the total viewers after one week or one month. Alternatively, some data shared by Netflix comprise projections of what a project is expected to garner in views. Netflix’s spate of original movies also complicates the numbers story the company is telling. Films from the streaming service, like _The Irishman_, _Marriage Story_ and _The King_, were released in a limited run in theaters before they become available on streaming, and information on box office performance has not been released by the company. There is no publicly available [box office data](https://www.indiewire.com/2019/03/netflix-roma-box-office-theatrical-release-1202041367/) for the platform’s multiple-Oscar-winning _Roma_, which saw a brief run in theaters before arriving on the platform last year. In December, Netflix head of original films Scott Stuber told _Variety_ the company is working on a way to make its [streaming data more transparent](https://variety.com/2019/film/news/netflix-viewership-numbers-1203426670/). “You’ll see more numbers from us, more transparency, more articulation of what’s working and not,” he said. “Because we recognize it’s important, sometimes to the creative community. It’s important to the press. It’s important to everything. So we were definitely headed in that direction as a company.” Stuber added that Netflix wants to release data in a way that gives audiences and media the right context to evaluate a movie’s success. “I just need us to get good at it, so we can be precise,” he said. Still, the numbers that trickle out of Netflix do provide some insight into what the company is willing to make public and what it considers its flagship shows and movies. Namely, Netflix appears to share results when certain projects do particularly well or set new viewership records. The company released a list of its [top 10 most popular original movies](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-15/netflix-most-popular-original-movies) in July 2020, saying the films _Extraction_ and _Bird Box_ are its top two most-watched original movies. Here are the most popular Netflix series and movies, according to Netflix—bearing in mind that many of the numbers below were measured over unequal periods of time. ## **_Orange Is The New Black_** **(2013-2019): 105 million views**  Danielle Brooks, left, and Dascha Polanco in 'Orange Is the New Black' JoJo Whilden/Netflix With the release of its seventh and last season in July 2019, Netflix said 105 million households watched at least one episode of the show over the course of its run, making the series its [most-watched original ever](https://twitter.com/NetflixUK/status/1154746762852216832?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1154746762852216832&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvguide.com%2Fnews%2Fnetflix-ratings-most-watched-shows-movies-numbers%2F). The show’s popularity was echoed in an [independent poll](https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-orange-is-the-new-black-stranger-things-most-poular-1203267573/) commissioned by MoffettNathanson earlier in 2019, in which users named _Orange_ their favorite Netflix show, followed by _Stranger Things_. > [](https://twitter.com/NetflixUK/status/1154746762852216832) ## _Extraction_ (2020): 99 million views  EXTRACTION, 2020101A5538.CR2 Jasin Boland—Netflix The Chris Hemsworth-starring action movie, which debuted on April 24, 2020, drew 99 million viewers in its first four weeks on Netflix. It marks the largest audience for any of the company’s original movies, according to Netflix’s list, obtained by [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-15/netflix-most-popular-original-movies). ## _Bird Box_ (2018): 89 million views The Sandra Bullock-led thriller was watched by 89 million accounts in its first four weeks on the platform, Netflix said in July 2020\. The film had [more than 45 million views](https://twitter.com/NetflixFilm/status/1078735051406204928?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1078735051406204928&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvguide.com%2Fnews%2Fnetflix-ratings-most-watched-shows-movies-numbers%2F) in its first week on Netflix, and had the best first seven days ever for an original movie on the platform. ## _Spenser Confidential_ (2020): 85 million views  WONDERLAND\_11\_06\_2018-00153.arw Daniel McFadden—Netflix The action movie starring Mark Wahlberg as an ex-cop racked up 85 million views in its first four weeks on Netflix, according to the top 10 list the company released in July. ## _6 Underground_ (2019): 83 million views  "6 UNDERGROUND" (2019) - Pictured: Ryan Reynolds ("One") Photo by: Christian Black/Netflix Christian Black—Netflix Ryan Reynolds leads this action thriller, which amassed 83 million views in its first four weeks on the platform, per Netflix’s top 10 list released in July. ## _The Witcher_ (2019): 76 million views  Henry Cavill in 'The Witcher' Katalin Vermes/Netflix The fantasy series starring Henry Cavill drew 76 million views in its first four weeks on Netflix, according to the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report. The number comes with a caveat — Netflix has changed how it defines “views” from counting accounts that watched at least 70% of a single episode of a series to accounts that watched a show for at least two minutes. Under the new metric, _The Witcher_ becomes Netflix’s most-watched first season of TV ever, according to the company. ## **_Murder Mystery_** **(2019): 73 million views** Netflix said its Adam Sander-Jennifer Aniston vehicle amassed [73 million views](https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/the-perfect-date-always-be-my-maybe-draw-big-crowds-on-netflix-1203270482/) in its first four weeks. The company said the movie was the most successful film from its partnership with Sandler. The actor and comedian signed a [four-film deal with Netflix in 2017](https://variety.com/2017/film/news/adam-sandler-netflix-the-ridiculous-6-1202015571/), adding onto a four-movie deal made between the company and his Happy Madison Productions in 2014\. In 2016, Netflix said _The Ridiculous Six_, one of the films from the Happy Madison Productions deal, was one of the [most-watched original films](https://variety.com/2016/film/news/adam-sandlers-ridiculous-six-is-making-history-for-netflix-1201673572/) to debut on the platform. ## _The Irishman_ (2019): 64 million views  Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Mob masterpiece The Irishman. Netflix Martin Scorsese’s _The Irishman_ is Netflix’s sixth most popular original film and gathered 64 million views in its first four weeks on the platform, exceeding the 40 million views content content chief Ted Sarandos [initially estimated](https://twitter.com/JBFlint/status/1204468340636430337). ## _Stranger Things: Season 3_ (2016-): 64 million views Netflix said in October that 64 million member households watched the third season of its hit series _Stranger Things_ in the season’s first four weeks on the platform. According to Netflix, it’s the most-watched season to date. ## _Triple Frontier_ (2019): 63 million views IndieWire [reports](https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/triple-frontier-flop-netflix-cuts-back-spending-1202155925/) the high-budget film, which counts stars like Ben Affleck and Oscar Isaac among its cast and cost $115 million to make, earned 63 million views, according to a statement from Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos. The film ranked as Netflix’s seventh most popular original movie in July 2020. ## _The Wrong Missy_ (2020): 59 million views The David Spade comedy found 59 million views in its first four weeks on Netflix, the company reported in 2020. ## _The Platform_ (2019): 56 million views The Spanish-language thriller amassed 56 million views in its first four weeks on the streaming service, Netflix said. ## **_The Perfect Date_** **(2019)**: **48 million views** The Noah Centineo rom-com (which followed his breakout 2018 role in Netflix’s _To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before_) was watched by 48 million accounts in four weeks, Netflix said. ## _The Umbrella Academy_ (2019-): 45 million views  The Umbrella Academy Christos Kalohoridis—Netflix Netflix said in April that its series _The Umbrella Academy_ earned 45 million views in its first four weeks. ## **_Money Heist_** **(** **_La Casa de Papel_** **) (2017-): 44 million views** Netflix said in its third-quarter earnings report for 2019 that the third season of the Spanish crime show _Money Heist_ became the most-watched series in its non-English language regions, with 44 million accounts watching. ## **_Tall Girl_** **(2019): 41 million views** A film about a particularly tall high school girl navigating her insecurities, _Tall Girl_ was watched by 41 million households in its first 28 days on Netflix, the company said in October. ## _The Highwaymen_ (2019): 40 million views  Woody Harrelson, left and Kevin Costner in "The Highwaymen" on Netflix. Hilary B Gayle/SMPSP The Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson-led drama, about the Texas Rangers tasked with tracking down Bonnie & Clyde, was projected in April to earn 40 million views in its first month. ## _You_ (2018-): 40 million views The Lifetime original series starring Penn Badgley as a stalker swelled in viewership when it was picked up by Netflix in December last year, with more than 40 million members watching the show in its first four weeks, Netflix said in January. ## _Sex Education_ (2019-): 40 million views  Otis (Butterfield) humors his embarrassing mother (Anderson) Sam Taylor—Netflix The charming British series in which teens and adults alike navigate the awkwardness of sex was watched by 40 million accounts in its first month, Netflix said in January. > [](https://twitter.com/seewhatsnext/status/1086006746387177472) ## **_Secret Obsession_** **(2019): 40 million views** Also in October 2019, Netflix said 40 million households tuned into its Brenda Song-starring thriller _Secret Obsession_ in its first four weeks on the platform. ## _Our Planet_ (2019): 33 million views In its second-quarter earnings report revealed in July, Netflix said [33 million households](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dead-me-gets-30-million-worldwide-viewers-netflix-claims-1224989) tuned in to the nature documentary, surpassing the 25 million views the company had projected. According to Netflix, _Our Planet_ is now the service’s most-watched original documentary series. ## _Always Be My Maybe_ (2019): 32 million The rom-com starring Ali Wong and Randall Park found [32 million views](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dead-me-gets-30-million-worldwide-viewers-netflix-claims-1224989) in its first four weeks, according to Netflix’s July report. ## **_Unbelievable_** **(2019): 32 million views** Based on a 2015 article from ProPublica and The Marshall Project about a real-life serial rapist, the series [_Unbelievable_](https://time.com/5674986/unbelievable-netflix-true-story/) starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever was watched by 32 million member households in its first 28 days on Netflix, the company said in its third-quarter report released in October. ## _Dead to Me_ (2019-): 30 million views The twisty series starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as two women who meet in a bereavement group garnered [30 million views](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/dead-me-gets-30-million-worldwide-viewers-netflix-claims-1224989) in its first month, Netflix said in July. ## **_Otherhood_** **(2019): 29 million views** ![Bassett, Huffman and 
Arquette try to find themselves anew in Otherhood.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt06dd8d09c6121bab/698a00f0457a522757d62990/time-off-otherhood.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp) Anglea Bassett, Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette try to find themselves anew in 'Otherhood,' the next beat in the 50-plus women genre. Netflix The movie about a trio of mothers (Patricia Arquette, Angela Bassett, Felicity Huffman) who feel forgotten by their children found an audience of 29 million households in its first four weeks streaming, Netflix said in October. ## _El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie_ (2019): 25.7 million views  Aaron Paul in "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie" Ben Rothstein / Netflix The [followup to the highly-acclaimed AMC show _Breaking Bad_](https://time.com/5697330/el-camino-breaking-bad-movie-review/) picks up where the series finale left off six years ago, focusing on what happens to the character Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) as he flees his old life in pursuit of a better one. Netflix said in October that 25,734,392 households watched the movie, which launched Oct. 11 both on the platform and in a limited number of theaters, in its first seven days on the service. > [](https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1187050081645580288) Netflix revealed the viewership data after Nielsen estimated that about [8.2 million viewers](https://deadline.com/2019/10/netflix-breaking-bad-movie-opened-with-reach-to-8-2m-unique-u-s-viewers-1202762988/) tuned in to El Camino over its opening weekend. ## _When They See Us_ (2019): 25 million views Directed by Ava DuVernay, the series about the Central Park Five case drew 25 million views in its first four weeks, Netflix said in its earnings report in July. DuVernay said in June 2019 that more than 23 million people had watched the series. > [](https://twitter.com/ava/status/1143665686062886912) ## _Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened_ (2019): 20 million views One of two competing documentaries about the disastrous Fyre Festival (the other one came out on Hulu), Netflix’s take on the music festival that wasn’t found [20 million views](https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/netflix-to-test-top-10-lists-1203191020/) in its first month, the company said in April. ## _Elite_ (2018-): 20 million views In January, Netflix said the Spanish-language series about working-class students who attend a private school got more than 20 million views in its first four weeks. > [](https://twitter.com/seewhatsnext/status/1086006934077988866) Netflix's Most Popular Shows and Movies, By the Numbers ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/"},"headline":"These Are the Most Popular Netflix Shows and Movies—According to Netflix","datePublished":"2019-10-17T03:38:45.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T21:13:01.000Z","description":"Though questions have arisen over the way the platform counts its viewers, here is what we can glean from what data they have released","url":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/","keywords":["streaming","Netflix"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf71954450ac5ea64/698a07c709208f62c04160e2/GRADED_Witcher_101_Unit_06065_RT.p3acwwb7f.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf71954450ac5ea64/698a07c709208f62c04160e2/GRADED_Witcher_101_Unit_06065_RT.p3acwwb7f.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Witcher","caption":"The Witcher","creditText":"Katalin Vermes/Netflix","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/streaming/","name":"streaming"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/","name":"These Are the Most Popular Netflix Shows and Movies—According to Netflix"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Bird Box trailer","description":"Bird Box trailer","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/bqwGLSMb/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-01-02T19:49:26.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bqwGLSMb.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/","duration":"PT2M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5697802/most-popular-shows-movies-netflix/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Murder Mystery Trailer - 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