Summary

  • The biggest Netflix shows have millions of hours viewed, with some breaking the billion-hour mark, proving that viewers are invested in original content.
  • Netflix's success depends on the performance of its original releases, as it faces competition from other streaming services. It produces its own content and acquires series from around the world, ensuring a continuous stream of new shows.
  • Popular Netflix shows come from a variety of genres and countries, including Bridgerton, Squid Game, Stranger Things , and more.

Netflix has released plenty of record-breaking content since it launched, and the biggest Netflix shows have hundreds of millions of hours viewed, with a few shows breaking the billion-hour mark. Netflix releases numerous original series every year, from new content such as Wednesday to continuations of beloved shows such as more seasons of Stranger Things and The Witcher. This is not only domestic shows either, as some of the most popular Netflix shows in history are internationally made, proving that subtitles or dubbed soundtracks won't deter people from watching a good story.

This is also important for a service like Netflix. The biggest Netflix shows need to do well because, with so many streaming services in competition, original releases are more important than ever. Netflix produces its own original movies and shows and also picks up a lot of series from around the world, meaning there is always something new to watch. The massive amount of content also doesn't hurt, as Netflix has broken many of its own viewing records with original shows, and the biggest Netflix showsare just getting more and more popular as the years roll on.

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25 The Glory Season 1 (2022) - 436,900,000 Hours Viewed

Moon Dong-eun in The Glory on Netflix

Released in 2022, The Glory was one of the biggest Netflix shows that no one really talks about. The South Korean series was such a big success that Netflix announced it planned to spend $2.5 billion more on Korean content (via NY Times). The show is about bullying and revenge, a 16-episode drama that ended up as the fifth most-watched Netflix International series at the time. It also reached the top 10 in 91 countries for non-English TV shows. The show features a woman named Moon Dong-eun, whose life mission is to get revenge on the people who bullied her in high school.

24 You Season 2 (2019) - 457,370,000 Hours Viewed

Love looking at Joe seriously on You

You was an interesting Netflix original series because viewers followed the actual villain of the story - a serial killer named Joe. Unlike Dexter, where the killer murdered villains, in You, Joe kills and is no hero by any definition of the word. What kept viewers hanging on was to see how Joe finally went down. Season 2 enjoyed a huge jump over the first with over 457 million hours viewed, and it just got better from there. The second season was the first to be a Netflix original when it moved over from Lifetime, and it never looked back.

23 You Season 3 (2021) - 467,830,000 Hours Viewed

Joe and Love in YOU.

Season 3 of You was even bigger than the second season. The story was an improvement over season 2, which was popular itself. However, what made You one of the biggest Netflix shows was Penn Badgley making Joe someone that people wanted to follow, even as he was a remorseless killer who did terrible things - and seemed to always get away with it. What made season 3 so interesting for fans to watch was that Joe and Love were married and had a child, and it was time to see how his dark secrets would ruin everything in his life once again.

22 Maid (2021) - 469,09,000 Hours Viewed

Alex writing in a notebook on Netflix's Maid

Unlike most of the biggest Netflix shows, Maid was not setting up a multi-season series but was instead a miniseries perfect for binging. The fact that this was not going to be a long-running series might have really helped it pick up a large viewership instantly when it hit the streaming service. The miniseries was based on Stephanie Land's memoir Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive, a woman who escapes an abusive relationship with her daughter and takes a job cleaning houses. With an abusive ex-husband and struggles with the red tape of government assistance, this is a show that really hit home with a lot of people.

21 13 Reasons Why Season 1 (2017) - 475,570,000 Hours Viewed

13 Reasons Why Hannah Baker Poster

13 Reasons Why was one of the most popular Netflix shows in history, even if it has not aged as well in the years since its release. The show is problematic, but at the time, it was like nothing anyone had seen on TV. A teenage girl dies by suicide but leaves recordings with the 13 reasons she ended her own life, all the reasons tied to people she knew in her life. The series then plays out with the people she called out having to take a long look at themselves and their perceived sins and bringing their transgressions to the forefront. It was a hard show to watch, but still brought in over 475 million hours viewed and it ended up renewed for more.

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20 The Witcher Season 2 (2021) - 484,340,000 Hours Viewed

Henry Cavill as a bloodied Geralt with hair in his face in The Witcher season 3, part 2.

The Witcher was one of the biggest Netflix shows for people who love fantasy. While not as widely watched as the first season, The Witcher season 2 still brought in over 484 million hours watched and kept the franchise healthy, as it received another season and a spinoff series. However, in its first weekend, the second season was a monster success, with over 142 million hours viewed in its first few days, before it eventually dropped off and never reached the hours of the first season. The problem was that the second season moved away from the books it was based on, and that is likely what hurt its viewership from hitting the 541 million viewers the first received.

19 Ozark Season 4 (2022) - 491,090,000 Hours Viewed

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in Ozark Season 4

While it remains one of the most popular Netflix shows, only Ozark season 4 has massive viewership numbers, pulling in over 491 million hours viewed. This was the final season of the series, where fans were tuning in to find out what happened to Marty and Wendy. Did they get away with it, and what did their lives look like in the end? It seems shocking that the fourth season had so many viewers, while the first three seasons didn't reach this level. However, that means fans just jumped into the middle of the story, or the final season was good enough to rewatch, with the latter more likely.

18 13 Reasons Why Season 2 (2018) - 496,120,000 Hours Viewed

Tyler talking to Clay in 13 Reasons Why season 2.

Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why actually eclipsed the success of the first season, with over 20 million more hours viewed. This was interesting since it was no longer telling the story of Hannah's death and moved into different areas of bullying in high school. However, the season was also very controversial due to the school shooting storyline and the real-world school shootings that took place around the time of its release. Despite the success, many felt 13 Reasons Why dipped in quality after season 1 and later seasons didn't attract as many views.

17 Ginny & Georgia Season 2 (2023) - 504,780,000 Hours Viewed

Cynthia Shocked After Kissing Joe In Ginny & Georgia Season 2.

Ginny & Georgia is another series that didn't become one of the biggest Netflix shows until season 2. The show is a dramedy about a mother (Georgia) who moves to an affluent town with her teenage daughter (Ginny) and her nine-year-old son, only to find out that they can't run from their problems no matter where they go. The series was a quick success, with 52 million viewers watching the first season in the first month, and season 2 blew those numbers out of the water. The critical reception was only average, but it remained a hit among fans, one of the most popular Netflix shows on the service.

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16 Inventing Anna (2022) - 511,920,000 Hours Viewed

Kacy Duke facing away from Rachel Williams in Inventing Anna.

Released in 2022, Inventing Anna was a miniseries that ended up as one of the biggest Netflix shows, with over 511 million hours viewed after its release. The series is a drama about a con artist named Anna Sorokin who movies from Russia to New York City, where she cons upper-crust members of her new community. With the goal of opening an art-themed club, she scams hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy NYC people by pretending to be a German heiress. The lead performance by Julia Garner was highly praised with her being nominated for many major awards.

15 Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023) - 524,400,000 Hours Viewed

Arsema Thomas as Lady Danbury in black in Queen Charlotte

For anyone who doubted the power of the Bridgerton franchise on Netflix, the spinoff miniseries Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story brought fans of the main series over to see Queen Charlotte's goals of pressuring her kids to produce a total hair after the death of Princess Charlotte. While a spinoff series, it was still extremely popular worldwide for Netflix, hitting number one in 91 different countries including the United States. It also finished as one of the top watched series in its first seven days on Netflix when released in May 2023.

14 All Of Us Are Dead Season 1 (2022) - 560,780,000 Hours Viewed

Lim Jae-Hyuk as Yang Dae-Su in All of Us Are Dead

All Of Us Are Dead was a surprise hit from 2022 as a unique South Korean zombie series. The series takes an interesting take on the zombie genre, taking place in a high school in South Korea where the kids have to find a way to survive. It succeeded because it also contracted the fact that the kids were watching their friends turn into zombies which changed them drastically to the real idea of teenagers watching their friends change once they reach high school. The critical reaction was almost universally positive, and the show picked up 474 million viewers in its first 30 days and word of mouth kept adding to the total after that.

13 Lucifer Season 5 (2020) - 569,480,000 Hours Viewed

The cast of Lucifer standing side by side.

Lucifer season 5 ranks 10th on Netflix’s most-watched list, with 569,480,000 hours viewed in the first 28 days of release. Lucifer follows the Lord of Hell Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) who is bored with ruling Hell and decides to spend time on Earth. Although Lucifer has 6 seasons, season 5 is a clear fan favorite as the other seasons do not come close to the hours viewed of season 5, the season becoming one of the biggest Netflix shows of all time.

Originally supposed to be the last season, Lucifer season 5 was released in June 2019 and its success saw season 6 announced a year later as the cast signed on. Alongside Ellis, Lucifer season 5 starred Lauren German as Chloe Decker, Kevin Alejandro as Dan Espinoza, D.B Woodside as Amenadiel, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Mazikeen, Aimee Garcia as Ella Lopez, and Rachel Harris as Linda Martin. Season 5 of Lucifer explored Lucifer’s relationships with humans but particularly his own kind, as Lucifer’s twin brother Michael (Tom Ellis) causes chaos.

12 Money Heist Part 4 (2020) - 619,010,000 Hours Viewed

An image of the robbers wearing Salvador Dali masks

Money Heist Part 4 was one of the biggest Netflix shows when it comes to non-English releases and managed to beat Stranger Things 3 by over 30,000,000 viewing hours. Featuring beloved characters, Money Heist Part 4 achieved 619,010,000 hours watched in its first 28 days on Netflix and left viewers wanting more by the time Money Heist Part 5 was released. Released in 2017, the Spanish heist drama built up an audience that allowed its fourth part, released in 2020, to make it into Netflix’s top 10.

Money Heist Part 4 continues the chaos of previous seasons as The Professor (Álvaro Morte) believes the gang is all dead or nearly dead, and an enemy arises which puts the heist in danger. Money Heist Part 4 kept audiences glued to their screen by having one of its most ridiculous scenes yet, but also featuring a controversial death as Money Heistkilled off one of the audiences’ favorite characters. Despite the controversy, Money Heist Part 4 has stayed as one of Netflix’s most-watched original series and a fan favorite.

11 The Witcher Season 1 (2019) - 663,600,000 Hours Viewed

The Witcher season 1 Geralt in a bathtub

In 2019, one of the biggest Netflix shows in the epic fantasy genre arrived with The Witcher. The series was based on a fantasy novel series by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich that was turned into a popular videogame series first. The series was an instant hit when it arrived, with Henry Cavill in the lead role of Geralt of Eivia, a Witcher - a magically enhanced monster hunter. The first season had a lot more viewers than the second, but a lot of the reason it lost viewers might be because the first season jumped around time a lot and threw off a lot of mainstream viewers. However, both seasons are among the most popular Netflix shows.

10 Stranger Things 3 (2019) - 716,100,000 Hours Viewed

Stranger Things Season 3 promo image.

Stranger Things 3 unsurprisingly takes a position as one of the biggest Netflix shows globally. In its first 28 days of viewing, Strange Things 3 achieved 582,100,000 hours of viewing and is still a solid fan favorite with the success of Stranger Things 4. One of Netflix’s most successful original shows, Stranger Things 3 mixes subjects of growing up and changing relationships with the sci-fi horror that entices audiences. Stranger Things 3 was released in 2016 and still has not been beaten by some of Netflix’s newer shows, proving how beloved it was by audiences at the time. With the first two seasons of Stranger Things being so successful, it is no surprise Stranger Things 3 was able to make it to Netflix’s top 10.

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9 The Queen's Gambit: Limited Series (2020) - 746,400,000 Hours Viewed

Beth playing chess in The Queen's Gambit.

Released in 2020, The Queen's Gambit told the story of a chess prodigy named Elizabeth in the 1950s and 1960s who rose up and made her name in the competitive chess world, all while struggling with addiction issues and emotional difficulties. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, the miniseries was an immediate success, becoming the most-watched Netflix limited series in history in its first month. It was also a critical success, on top of a streaming juggernaut. The Queen's Gambit won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and was the first limited series on a streaming service to win for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.

8 Money Heist Part 5 (2021) - 792,230,000 Hours Viewed

Money Heist's cast holding guns

As the final part in the Money Heist series, it is unsurprising Money Heist Part 5 ranks among the biggest Netflix shows of all time. Beating Bridgerton season 2 by just under 140,000,000 hours watched, Money Heist Part 5 had 792,230,000 hours viewed in its first 28 days of viewing. Money Heist Part 5 is made up of ten episodes, split into two volumes, and follows the traumatic death of one of their own gang. Money Heist Part 5 is the most explosive and emotional season of them all.

Money Heist Part 5 manages to tie up all its loose ends by the finale, but not before the army becomes their final, and toughest, enemy yet. The final part of Money Heist lived up to its earlier seasons among critics but, despite its viewing hours, audiences were less impressed but still managed to achieve good ratings across the board. Plus, with many of the cast of Money Heistcontinuing their roles, audiences were keen to see how the gang ended up in the big finale.

7 Bridgerton Season 2 (2022) - 797,200,000 Hours Viewed

Kate and Anthony embracing in Bridgerton season 2 finale

Beating its predecessor by nearly 25,000,000 hours of viewing is Bridgerton season 2, which saw 656,260,000 hours watched in its first 28 days of release. The second season of the Netflix original was highly anticipated, especially with Sex Education star Simone Ashley joining the cast as lead Kate Sharma. Many fans loved the dynamic between Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and felt their connection grew more organically than the first season couple with more focus on romance than on sexual scenes.

Plus, the supporting cast of Bridgerton season 2 was able to develop even further with Penelope and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) romance starting to take shape (as their story will be the core of Bridgerton season 3), and Eloise’s character becoming even stronger both independently, and through her romance with commoner Theo (Calam Lynch). However, with the Bridgerton fan base continuing to grow, it would be no surprise if the highly anticipated season 3 could still top the first two seasons once released.

6 The Night Agent Season 1 (2023) - 803,200,000 Hours Viewed

Ellen and Dale hunt for Peter and Rose in The Night Agent

Released in 2023, The Night Agent became one of the most popular Netflix shows when it landed on the streaming service. Created by Shawn Ryan (The Shield), the show starred Gabriel Basso as FBI agent Peter Sullivan, a man who works at the White House as a Night Action telephone operator. The story then follows a conspiracy concerning a mole in the highest levels of the United States government. Peter then has to set out to find the traitor and bring him down before it is too late.

The show was an immediate hit, the third most-watched debuting series in Netflix history, which earned it a quick renewal for a second season. It ended up as the seventh-most viewed season of any show in Netflix history, with over 626 million hours viewed. Critics praised the series as a routine spy thriller done with great bravado, and it looks like the second season of The Night Agent will keep Peter out of the office and in the field for more adventures.