Mental Floss

The 20 Most Watched Shows on Netflix in 2019

By Ellen Gutoskey

Andrew Scott stars in an episode of Netflix's Black Mirror.
Andrew Scott stars in an episode of Netflix's Black Mirror. / Netflix
facebooktwitterreddit

In the era of unlimited streaming services and food delivery apps, it’s easier than ever to press play on the first episode of a television show and not emerge from your home until many hours—or even days—later. Having said that, there are so many incredible shows to choose from that it’s not quite so easy to decide what to binge-watch in the first place.

So what did people actually end up watching in 2019? To find out, Insider analyzed data from TV Time, a television and film tracking app with 12 million users, and compiled a list of Netflix’s most watched shows from the year so far.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Stranger Things clinched the top spot. Not only did Netflix drop season 3 over the Fourth of July holiday—perfect timing for those looking to binge-watch over a long weekend—but the “What happens next?” nature of the retro sci-fi thriller seems to have motivated people to watch it quickly, before coming across spoilers on social media.

In addition to highly anticipated returning series like Orange Is the New Black, Mindhunter, 13 Reasons Why, and Black Mirror, the list has some of Netflix’s brand-new original series, too. The Ellen Page-led superhero series The Umbrella Academy was Netflix’s sixth most watched show, and Dead to Me, the Will Ferrell-produced dark comedy starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, came in at number 18.

Though the list is definitely heavily weighted toward thrillers, superhero stories, and overall pretty dark shows, it’s not completely lacking in lighter content: Ashton Kutcher’s sitcom The Ranch, Nick Kroll’s animated coming-of-age comedy Big Mouth, and the feel-good makeover series Queer Eye are all in the top 20.

See the full list below to find out what’s worth a binge before the year is over, and check out 25 Netflix hacks to enhance your viewing experience here.

  1. Stranger Things
  2. Lucifer
  3. Orange Is the New Black
  4. 13 Reasons Why
  5. The Punisher
  6. The Umbrella Academy
  7. Jessica Jones
  8. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
  9. Santa Clarita Diet
  10. Black Mirror
  11. Designated Survivor
  12. Mindhunter
  13. The Ranch
  14. Big Mouth
  15. Grace and Frankie
  16. You
  17. Queer Eye
  18. Dead to Me
  19. Love, Death & Robots
  20. GLOW

[h/t Insider]

Home/ENTERTAINMENT