Topped the charts as the highest-rated TV show for the 2025-2026 season. With 32.9 million viewers over its five seasons on Netflix, it was the most popular non-sports series.
With 31.4 million views, Stranger Things was the most popular show on Netflix last week. It surpassed another hit series, the six-part mystery thriller His & Hers, featuring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, which received 25.6 million views. Rounding out the top three was the documentary series Sean Combs: The Reckoning, with 20.6 million views.
Stranger Things Tops the Ratings Chart
The final season of Stranger Things quickly became the most popular show, fueled by anticipation. Season 5 premiered on November 26th, with a second set of episodes released on December 25th. The series concluded with a feature-length finale on December 31st, marking the end of the 2025-2026 television season (which Nielsen defines as running from September 14, 2025, to May 24, 2026).
Despite strong viewership numbers for the fifth season of Stranger Things, reviews from critics and reactions from fans weren’t as enthusiastic. The creators felt they had reached a natural conclusion with Season 5, explaining that they’d explored the characters’ journeys fully and were beginning to revisit old storylines.
Stranger Things Expands Amid Its 10th Anniversary
Even though opinions on Stranger Things Season 5 were varied, Netflix plans to build upon the show’s universe. The series remains popular, and its strong viewership makes that decision understandable.
Netflix released Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 earlier this year, marking the first spin-off series from Stranger Things. While it didn’t fully satisfy many fans hoping for more from the original show, another new installment is planned for release later in the year.
The stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which tells an earlier story from the popular Netflix series, will finish its performances in both Broadway and London’s West End by early 2027. While there’s no exact date yet, a filmed version of the play is planned to be released on Netflix at some point.
Netflix delighted Stranger Things fans by releasing the first season with a special retro makeover for its 10th anniversary. The updated version now appears as if it were a VHS tape rented from a video store in the 1980s, mirroring the show’s setting.
Okay, so the Duffer Brothers themselves have described this new release as exactly what you’d find collecting dust on a shelf at Family Video – complete with that old-school, zoomed-in picture. They’re even playfully hinting that if enough of us fans actually watch it, they might just consider finishing the rest of the seasons. It’s a fun little tease, and honestly, I’m already hooked!
It’s a really emotional day for us – a mix of nostalgia, pride, and a little sadness as we mark this anniversary. But most of all, we’re incredibly grateful. We’re thankful for our fantastic cast, who we’ve seen grow into amazing people, for the hundreds of talented artists who poured their hearts into this story, and especially for you, the fans, whose unwavering support and passion kept us going all these years.
Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix.
2026-07-20 23:36