Netflix have put out their annual lists of the most popular content on their streaming platform, marking what’s been another bumper year of material for the company. Split into the most popular general releases and various other categories, the names on the US lists are fairly predictable, including Stranger Things, The Witcher and The Irishman, but also contain some surprisingly popular hits such as the Adam Sandler vehicle Murder Mystery.
The ratings are believed to be based on a Netflix metric using the number of individual accounts that have watched at least two minutes of their content in its first 28 days of release. For the breakdown of most popular content across all categories, Sandler’s popularity on the streamer is borne out by Murder Mystery topping the list, followed by the third season of Stranger Things, Ryan Reynolds’ 6 Underground, The Incredibles 2 and The Irishman.
The full top ten list is available below:
1) Murder Mystery
2) Stranger Things 3
3) 6 Underground
4) The Incredibles 2
5) The Irishman
6) The Witcher
7) Triple Frontier
8) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
9) The Umbrella Academy
10) The Highwaymen
In terms of series programming, Stranger Things leads over recent release The Witcher, with the latter already confirmed for new seasons. Super-power show The Umbrella Academy was apparently a big hit with Netflix viewers as well, with the critically acclaimed When They See Us miniseries also entering this list.
1) Stranger Things 3
2) The Witcher
3) The Umbrella Academy
4) Dead to Me
5) You: Season 2
6) When They See Us: Limited Series
7) Unbelievable: Limited Series
8) Sex Education
9) 13 Reasons Why: Season 3
10) Raising Dion
For movies, Netflix will be pleased in the popularity of their original films, which are holding their own against major studio pictures:
1) Murder Mystery
2) 6 Underground
3) The Incredibles 2
4) The Irishman
5) Triple Frontier
6) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
7) The Highwaymen
8) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
9) Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
10) Secret Obsession
In the non-fiction category, the appeal of Marie Kondo’s decluttering series is evident, with Netflix content again dominating the lineup.
1) Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
2) Jailbirds
3) Rhythm + Flow
4) You vs. Wild
5) Nailed It!: Season 3
6) Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: New 2019: Freshly Brewed
7) Awake: The Million Dollar Game
8) Sugar Rush Christmas
9) Prank Encounters
10) Sugar Rush: Season 2
While you can see the full set of lists over on Deadline via the link below, it’s clear that Netflix’s investment in high-quality original programming is still paying off as it continues to compete with Disney Plus and other streaming services for audiences. Despite losing a chunk of its value in 2019, Netflix are steadily building subscribers, even if it has to contend with some of its user base switching to other services.
In 2020, Netflix will continue to bank on its original shows to keep subscribers happy, too, including a new Dracula series, a possible Halloween show, a new anthology program from Guillermo del Toro, Ryan Murphy’s Ratched, new episodes of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Joe Hill’s Locke & Key, more of Altered Carbon and The Haunting of Bly Manor and many (many) more.
Tell us, though, what were some of your Netflix favorites for 2019? As ever, share your thoughts in the comments section down below.
