Season 5 of “Stranger Things” has already boosted the series to a viewership record — before the new episodes have even been released.
As fans rewatch or newly discover the sci-fi series ahead of its final entry premiering on Nov. 26, all four previous seasons have made the Netflix Top 10. This is the first time a Netflix series has ever had four seasons charting at once.
During the week of Nov. 17-23, “Stranger Things” Season 1 was the No. 3 most-watched English-language series with 4.1 million views, followed by Season 4 in fifth place with 3.3 million views. Season 2 landed at No. 7 with Season 3 at No. 9, though both seasons tied (along with No. 8 title “Gabby’s Dollhouse”) with about 3.1 million views.
“Stranger Things” Season 5 can certainly be expected to set its own viewership records at Netflix when it makes its Top 10 debut next week, given the series’ status as one of Netflix’s most important titles ever and how long its been since fans have been waiting for a new installment. Season 4, which was released in 2022, remains Netflix’s third-most popular English-language series of all time with 140.7 million views in its first 91 days of streaming, and 2019’s Season 3 remained on that list at No. 10 until being booted by “Wednesday” Season 2 just a few months ago. (The series debuted in 2016, with Season 2 following in 2017.)
In a first for a Netflix series, “Stranger Things” Season 5 also looks to turn a profit at the box office. After the debut of Season 5 Part 1 on Nov. 16 and Part 2 on Christmas Day, Netflix will release the series finale concurrently on streaming and in theaters on New Year’s Eve.
The only shows to beat “Stranger Things” Season 1 on the Netflix Top 10 during the week of Nov. 17-23 were “The Beast in Me,” which led with 14.1 million views in its second week on the chart, and Season 1 of “Absentia,” the Amazon Prime Video series that recently landed on Netflix. In its second week on the streamer, Season 1 took second place with 8.2 million views. “Absentia” Season 2 came in between “Stranger Things” Seasons 1 and 4, landing at No. 4 with 4 million views. And Season 3 of “Absentia” was the No. 10 title on the chart with 2.3 million views.
Also of note on the Netflix Top 10 for Nov. 17-23 was the film “Champagne Problems,” which debuted as the most-watched title overall with 20.5 million views.
See the Netflix Top 10 for Nov. 17-23 below, beginning with English-language shows and movies and followed by non-English-language shows and movies.
