There are some TV shows that everyone just expects to be at the top of the list when it comes to top picks for streaming. “Stranger Things” on Netflix was always going to be one of them.
Despite the long wait for the fifth and final season, fans were eager to see how the story would end. It didn’t even matter that the final season was split into three parts. Christmas Day and New Years’ Eve of 2025 became all about the 1980s-set horror series, which remains debated about when it comes to a satisfying ending.
‘Stranger Things’ Is 2026’s Most Streamed Series So Far
GettyThe Netflix sci-fi horror series took the title of most-streamed series throughout the first six months of 2026, Deadline shares. It pulled in 23.36 billion minutes viewed. It’s rare that fans get to see the streaming figures, but Nielsen has a biannual report that collects the numbers the streaming platforms share.
While “Stranger Things” became the most-streamed series of the year, its fifth and final season failed to make it into the Top 10 most-watched shows of all time on the platform. It also only ranked in the Top 10 for four consecutive weeks, compared to Harlan Coben’s “I Will Find You,” which is now in the global all-time Top 10 and sat in the main Top 10 charts for five weeks in a row.
That being said, a good amount of the “Stranger Things” views came during the first week of its drop. Week commencing Dec. 29. 2025, it pulled in 8.56 billion viewing minutes. Only those from 2026 are counted in this current ranking, but it shows just how strong the fanbase was for the series to immediately jump into the finale.
‘Bluey’ and ‘The Pitt’ Dominate the Charts
GettyAfter “Stranger Things,” it’s over to a children’s show. “Bluey” was the next most-streamed show across all the platforms, and that’s not too surprising when you consider the hit it has been with families. The Disney+ series is perfect for preschoolers and younger school-aged children, and that shows with 22.81 billion minutes viewed.
“The Pitt” comes in third, making it clear that the HBO Max medical drama is a must-watch. It pulled in a respectable 21.12 billion minutes watched, with a season that saw a lot of change and touched heavily on mental health and suicidal thoughts. It also brought one of the most heartbreaking deaths of 2026, allowing that death to highlight the work that nurses do in the hospital.
Just behind it, another medical drama is on the list, but this one isn’t a streaming show! It’s just a popular one for fans of many ages. “Grey’s Anatomy” is available on both Hulu and Netflix, and throughout the first half of 2026, it pulled in 20.41 billion minutes watched. It’s just ahead of HBO Max’s “The Big Bang Theory,” which may have ended in 2019, but it remains to be popular in syndication. It had 20.40 billion minutes watched, so there is time to take over in the second half of 2026.
There are a number of shows not in the Top 10 that are a shock for many, including “Landman” on Paramount+ and “Fallout” on Prime Video. They do sit in the Top 20, though.
