A pioneer in the field of streaming services, Netflix is one of the most popular platforms to this day. Filled with incredible works in its catalog, it is a guaranteed presence in the leisure time of many people around the world, even though it only started as a DVD rental service by mail in the United States in 1997.
Given the great success of the titles it makes available, we've put together this list of the 11 most-watched Netflix series according to the hours watched published by the company itself, in ascending order. Follow us to discover incredible titles that you may not have marathoned yet and, who knows, find one of your favorite titles on the podium!
Ginny & Georgia second season (2023)
Despite doing well in its debut season, it was the second season of Ginny & Georgia that earned the drama its place among the most-watched Netflix series. Released on January 5, 2023, the second part of this family's adventures has 504,780,000 hours watched and was the platform's most watched series for two consecutive weeks.
In the plot, we follow Ginny Miller (Antonia Gentry), a 15-year-old teenager who has to be responsible for two, since her mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey), isn't the best example in the world in this regard. The two of them move quite often and Ginny's greatest desire is to put down roots somewhere, which seems to be her mother's worst nightmare.
Inventing Anna (2022)
The drama series based on the life of scammer Anna Delvey (played by Julia Garner) couldn't be left out of the most-watched Netflix series with its 511,920,000 hours viewed. The company had to pay the real Anna 320,000 dollars to produce the series, which aired on February 11, 2022.
The title was released as the biggest opening of an English-language series since Netflix started counting its data by hours viewed, having accumulated 196 million hours between February 14 and 20 of that year. During the episodes, we follow a reporter who tells the story of Anna, a woman who managed to convince the entire New York elite that she was part of them, being a German heiress.
All Of Us Are Dead (2022)
All of us Are Dead is another highly acclaimed title among the most-watched Netflix series. The South Korean horror drama is based on the manhwa written and illustrated by Joo Dong-Geun called Now at your School and has collected 560,780,000 hours watched around the world. It is the third most-watched non-English language series on the platform since its launch on January 28, 2022.
The story revolves around a group of students who find themselves trapped at school as a zombie apocalypse begins to spread through the town where they live. While they struggle to make it out alive, the local authorities are looking for a way to eliminate this threat before it spreads elsewhere.
The Witcher season one (2019)
With a budget of around ten million dollars per episode, The Witcher ranks among the most-watched Netflix series with 663,600,000 hours viewed. Released on December 20, 2019, the action-adventure series had 76 million accounts watching its content in its first four weeks of release.
Geralt of Rivia, played by Henry Cavill, is the main focus of the series. Geralt of Rivia is the main focus of the series. He is a mutant monster hunter, struggling to find his place in an intolerant world where the inhabitants can be crueler than the creatures he hunts.
The Queen's Gambit (2020)
The drama series that grossed around 25.6 million dollars and was an absolute critical success also deserves its place among the most-watched Netflix series, with 746,400,000 hours watched. It was released on October 23, 2020 and broke the record for the most-watched fictional miniseries on the platform at the time.
The Queen's Gambit follows a chess prodigy living in an orphanage in the 1950s. She must fight against addictions as she continues her journey to become the best player in the world.
La casa de papel fifth season (2021)
La Casa de Papel was a fever at the time of its release in December 2017, but it was its fifth season that generated the most views, accumulating a total of 792,230,000 hours. The show is one of Netflix's most-watched series and has been nominated for several awards such as best drama series at the 46th International Emmy Awards and was also the platform's most-watched non-English language series for a long time.
In the story, eight thieves take over the Spanish Mint and take several hostages inside. Behind them is a criminal mastermind who pulls the strings to get the police to carry out his plan. The series is full of suspense and criticism and remains a favorite of many people to this day.
Bridgerton first season (2020)
For those who like romance, we also have a representative of the genre among the most-watched Netflix series! Bridgerton has clocked up 929,300,000 hours of viewing worldwide and its second season even broke the platform's own record, which had previously been held by Inventing Anna.
Launched in December 2020 with a budget of 7 million per episode, Bridgerton is based on the book series written by author Julia Quinn. In it, a large family attends balls in England during the season in order to obtain a quality marriage for their eldest daughter. However, she is unwilling to give in, so she makes a deal with a Duke to try and free them both from the social pressure on the subject.
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022)
And we also have the representative of true crime series among the most watched Netflix series. Dahmer clocked up 1,031,100,000 hours watched around the world, second only to Wandinha, Stranger Things and Round 6, who own the podium on this list.
Here we are introduced to the real-life case of a serial killer called Jeffrey Dahmer (Evan Petters) who managed to spend more than 10 years unpunished for murdering 17 boys without raising any suspicion. The series is heavy and we don't recommend watching it if you're sensitive or have a weak stomach.
Wandinha first season (2022)
Wandinha was a tremendous success when it was released. The title is among the most watched Netflix series of all time and takes the bronze medal on the podium with 1,718,800,000 hours viewed. Launched in November 2022, Wandinha still wins fans around the world today.
The series brings back the Addams family, beloved in the entertainment industry for decades. This time the focus is on the eldest daughter of Moticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and Gomes (Luis Guzmán), Wandinha (Jenna Ortega). The apathetic and seemingly dead inside girl has to be transferred to a monster school called Nunca Mais (Never Again) after an incident at her old school and will have to learn to live with the new people around her.
Stranger Things season four (2022)
Stranger Things is, without a doubt, one of the first most-watched Netflix series that comes to mind when the name of the platform is mentioned. The platform's first original production was released on July 15, 2016. The fourth season, which was released in 2022, has remained among the most-watched Netflix series of all time.
The fourth season alone had a budget of over 270 million dollars, which could exceed the amount spent even on major Disney productions. The plot itself revolves around a group of children in a town where a great mystery involving frightening secret experiments and supernatural forces surrounds the disappearance of a boy.
Round 6, first season (2021)
The success of Round 6 took everyone by surprise. The South Korean drama owns the gold medal among Netflix's most-watched series by far, boasting 2,205,200,000 hours watched. It was so successful that it became the most-watched series in the platform's history and took home the 2022 Emmy in the categories of best actor in a drama series for Lee Jung-jae and best direction for Hwang Dong-hyuk.
Round 6 had a budget of 21 million dollars, which equates to 2.4 million per episode. Hardly anything compared to other big streaming productions, and yet it has achieved a surprising return. In the story, people considered "failures" in society are summoned to a kind of reality show where they have to play children's games adapted to be deadly so that, in the end, the winner takes home a cash prize.
But what about you? How would you put together your podium of the best Netflix series according to your own criteria? Share your opinion with us in the comments! Also check out our article on the 11 best Christopher Nolan movies and the video below, which might interest you!
