Technologies

Netflix’s Biggest Hit Shows and Movies, Ranked (According to Netflix)

Every week, Netflix publishes stats on its most watched series and films. We keep track of an all-time ranking.

Netflix, for years, was notoriously tight-lipped about its viewership. But after a few years of dropping stats for some of its programming, Netflix launched a website in mid-November posting charts of its most popular shows and movies from the past week, as well as a global ranking of its all-time most watched titles.

The charts, which are updated every week and ranked by the total number of hours that subscribers spent watching them, represent an unprecedented trove of data about what’s popular on Netflix. The site details the most popular titles in the last week not only globally but also for more than 90 countries. And it’s meant to help subscribers like you get a better sense of the biggest hits on the world’s largest subscription streaming service, in the hopes you’ll discover something new to watch.

The company updates its weekly «Top 10 on Netflix» every Tuesday, based on hours viewed from Monday through Sunday the previous week for original and licensed titles. Netflix’s rankings are broken down into top 10 charts for films in English, TV in English, films in non-English languages and TV in non-English languages.

A ranking of all-time most watched titles also lives on the site, detailing shows that have the most viewing hours in their first 28 days of release. Netflix also has these split into films in English, TV in English, films in non-English languages and TV in non-English languages — but for our charts below, we don’t differentiate between language.

If a new season releases its episodes in two parts on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days. These all-time rankings are also updated every Tuesday, whenever any programs make it into the charts during the week prior.

Why you won’t see Glass Onion in the rankings (yet)

Shows and movies need sustained popularity in many countries to crack into the all-time most watched charts. That means you can see titles with «Top 10» badges in Netflix’s app for days, but they still may not be generating enough hours of viewing to make the all-time rankings.

For example, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the whodunit film sequel to 2019’s Knives Out, has generated 82.1 million hours in the first three days since its release Friday. It still has lots more time in its 28-day window to generate watch-time. But films need more than 200 million hours streamed and TV shows need nearly half a billion hours to make it onto the all-time list. Even the most popular shows and movies need multiple weeks and enduring attention to accumulate enough.

Netflix’s most watched TV series, ranked

The following are Netflix’s most watched series, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Again, if a new season releases its episodes in two volumes on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days.

Any changes in the rankings from the previous week are in bold text.

Squid Game (season 1), a Korean survival thriller — 1.65 billion hours.
Stranger Things (season 4), a retro sci-fi series — 1.35 billion hours.
Wednesday, a coming-of-age supernatural dark comedy — 1.24 billion hours
Dahmer, a true-crime serial killer series — 856.2 million hours.
Money Heist (part 5), a Spanish-language thriller — 792.2 million hours.
Bridgerton (season 2), a period romance — 656.3 million hours. >
Bridgerton (season 1) — 625.5 million hours.
Money Heist (part 4) — 619 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 3), a retro sci-fi series — 582.1 million hours.
Lucifer (season 5), a fantasy police procedural — 569.5 million hours.
All of Us Are Dead, a Korean zombie thriller taking place in a high school — 560.8 million hours.
The Witcher (season 1), a fantasy show — 541 million hours.
Inventing Anna, a true-crime limited series about a fake socialite — 511.9 million hours
13 Reasons Why (season 2), a controversial teen drama — 496.1 million hours.

Former top-ranking shows that have been bumped out of Netflix’s official all-time charts:

Ozark (season 4), a crime drama series — 491.1 million hours.
The Witcher (season 2) — 484.3 million hours.
13 Reasons Why (season 1) — 475.6 million hours
Maid, a limited series about a young mother fleeing abuse — 469.1 million hours.
You (season 3), a psychological thriller — 467.8 million hours.
You (season 2) — 457.4 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 2) — 427.4 million hours.
Money Heist (part 3) — 426.4 million hours.
Sex Education (season 3), a British teen dramedy — 419 million hours.
Ginny & Georgia (season 1), a dramedy about a young mom and kids — 381 million hours.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (season 1), a South Korean legal drama — 402.5 million hours.
Café con Aroma de Mujer (season 1), a Colombian telenovela — 326.9 million hours.
Lupin (part 1), a French heist show — 316.8 million hours.
Elite (season 3), a Spanish teen drama — 275.3 million hours.
Who Killed Sara? (season 1), a Mexican mystery thriller — 266.4 million hours.
Elite (season 4) — 257.1 million hours.
The Queen of Flow (season 2), a musical Colombian telenovela — 230.3 million hours.
Lupin (part 2) — 214.1 million hours.
Dark Desire (season 1), a Mexican dramatic thriller — 213 million hours.

Netflix’s most watched movies, ranked

The following are Netflix’s most watched movies, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Any changes are in bold text.

Red Notice, an action movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds — 364 million hours.
Don’t Look Up, a dark comedy with a star-packed cast — 359.8 million hours.
Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic movie starring Sandra Bullock — 282 million hours.
The Gray Man, a CIA action thriller — 253.9 million hours.
The Adam Project, a sci-fi adventure comedy — 233.2 million hours.
Extraction, an action movie starring Chris Hemsworth — 231.3 million hours.
Purple Hearts, a romantic drama about a musician marrying a Marine — 228.7 million hours.
The Unforgivable, a drama about a woman rebuilding her life after prison — 214.7 million hours.
The Irishman, a period Mafia epic directed by Martin Scorsese— 214.6 million hours.
The Kissing Booth 2, a teen rom-com sequel — 209.3 million hours.

Former top-ranking movies that have been bumped out of Netflix’s official all-time charts:

6 Underground, a Michael Bay explosion-fest starring Ryan Reynolds — 205.5 million hours.
Spenser Confidential, an action-comedy starring Mark Wahlberg — 197.3 million hours.
Enola Holmes, a period detective film — 189.9 million hours.
Army of the Dead, a heist set in a zombie apocalypse — 187 million hours.
The Old Guard, an action-thriller starring Charlize Theron — 186 million hours.
Murder Mystery, a comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston — 170 million hours.

Netflix appears to have never released a non-English-language film that generated enough viewing hours to make it into an overall top-watched ranking. But additional widely watched non-English language movies on Netflix have included:

Troll, a Norwegian monster movie — 152.4 million hours.
Blood Red Sky, a German/British action horror film set during a plane hijacking — 110.5 million hours.
The Platform, a Spanish social commentary wrapped in a horror film — 108.1 million hours.
All Quiet on the Western Front, a German war drama — 101.4 million hours.
Black Crab, a Swedish apocalyptic war thriller starring Noomi Rapace — 94.1 million hours.
Through My Window, a Spanish teen romance — 92.4 million hours.
The Takedown, a French cop comedy — 78.6 million hours.
Below Zero, a Spanish action thriller about a breakout from a prison transport vehicle — 78.3 million hours.
Loving Adults, a Danish thriller about an extramarital affair — 67.3 million hours.
My Name is Vendetta, an Italian crime/action film — 67.3 million hours.

Former top-ranking non-English movies that have been bumped out of the non-English top 10 include:

Rogue City, a French action thriller about an unorthodox team of cops — 66.6 million hours.
Carter, a South Korean action thriller about a man who wakes up with no memories and a voice in his ear — 65.4 million hours
The Forgotten Battle, a Dutch World War II film — 60.9 million hours.
Restless, a French action thriller — 59.1 million hours.
Lost Bullet, like a Fast & Furious movie but French — 58.3 million hours
Spoiled Brats, a French comedy about rich siblings tricked into earning their own living — 56.9 million hours.
#Alive, a South Korean movie about a gamer’s bid to survive the zombie apocalypse — 54.6 million hours.
Space Sweepers, a South Korean space western with a weaponized child-android — 53.3 million hours
The Last Mercenary, a French action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme — 52.1 million hours.
Just Another Christmas, a Brazilian Christmas comedy — 48 million hours.

Technologies

This Two-Faced Watch Band Lets You Hide an Apple Watch Under Your Rolex

The $418 Smartlet literally bridges the gap between your elegant analogy and your nerdy smartwatch.

The Consumer Electronics Show is never short on ambitious ideas, but Smartlet may be one of the more unusual ones this year: a modular watch strap that lets you wear a traditional mechanical watch and a smartwatch on the same wrist, simultaneously. One on top of the other.

The Paris-based startup announced Smartlet at the 2026 CES in Las Vegas, pitching it as a solution for people who love the look of an analog watch but also want the practicality of a smartwatch for notifications, fitness tracking and mobile payments. Instead of choosing between the two, Smartlet’s system lets you mount an old-school timepiece on the front of your wrist while hiding a smartwatch or fitness tracker on the underside.

The stainless steel strap starts at $418 and doesn’t include a smartwatch or a mechanical watch. What you’re really buying is the strap system, which is compatible with most major smartwatches and fitness trackers, including Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, Google Pixel Watch, Garmin models, Fitbit Charge devices and Whoop. On the analog side, it supports watches with lug widths from 18 to 24 mm, which includes high-end models from brands such as Omega, Tudor, TAG Heuer and Rolex.

The idea comes from founder David Ohayon, who says he was tired of having to play favorites every morning, choosing between his analog and Apple Watch. Smartlet, in theory, offers the best of both worlds, letting you toggle from fitness nerd to polished executive with the flick of a wrist.

In practice, it raises some serious questions, the biggest one being bulk. Smartlet says the system adds between 9 and 12 mm of height to the underside of the wrist once a connected device is attached. As someone who already manages to scratch watches without trying, the idea of strapping a second device to the underside of my wrist, where it regularly comes in contact with desks, armrests and tabletops, sounds like a walking nightmare.

There’s also the aesthetic. Smartlet is clearly aimed at what it calls the «modern gentleman,» with marketing language that leans heavily into luxury watch culture and phrases like «from the boardroom to the weekend.» Translation: This is a watch for wealthy men who want to show off their investment piece without sacrificing their gym gain tracking.

And while it may not be the most practical, or budget-friendly solution for most people, Smartlet is one of those highly niche, standout products that had us doing a double take at this year’s CES.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Dec. 25 #662

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Dec. 25, No. 662.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has a holiday theme, and if you know a certain Christmas carol, you’ll quickly determine which words to hunt down. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Carolers count.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Five golden rings.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

RIMS, HIMS, MARS, CHIME, CHIMES, MADS, DATE, DIAL, WAIL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

LORDS, MAIDS, SWANS, LADIES, PIPERS, DRUMMERS

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is CHRISTMASDAYS. To find it, look for the C that’s three letters down on the far-left row, and wind across.

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Toughest Strands puzzles

Here are some of the Strands topics I’ve found to be the toughest in recent weeks.

#1: Dated slang, Jan. 21. Maybe you didn’t even use this lingo when it was cool. Toughest word: PHAT.

#2: Thar she blows! Jan.15. I guess marine biologists might ace this one. Toughest word: BALEEN or RIGHT.

#3: Off the hook, Jan. 9. Similar to the Jan. 15 puzzle in that it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Technologies

Judge Blocks Texas App Store Age-Check Law

A preliminary injunction found the Texas law, set to begin Jan. 1, is «more likely than not unconstitutional.»

A new Texas state law set to take effect on Jan. 1 would have required app stores to implement age verification processes. But the law has been put on hold, at least temporarily, by a federal court judge.

As reported by the Texas Tribune, Senate Bill 2420, also known as the Texas App Store Accountability Act, is the subject of a temporary injunction issued by US District Judge Robert Pitman.

Pitman said in his decision that the law as written is broad, vague and «more likely than not unconstitutional.» However, he also wrote the court «recognizes the importance of ongoing efforts to better safeguard children when they are on their devices.»

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The Texas law, signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in May, requires app store operators — including Apple, Google, Nintendo, Steam and more — to build age verification processes for the storefronts and to only allow downloads to minors who obtain parental consent. The injunction is a ruling in an October lawsuit filed by the Computer & Communication Industry Association.

CCIA senior vice president Stephanie Joyce said in a statement, «This Order stops the Texas App Store Accountability Act from taking effect in order to preserve the First Amendment rights of app stores, app developers, parents, and younger internet users. It also protects parents’ inviolate right to use their own judgment in safeguarding their children online using the myriad tools our members provide.»

Other individuals and the advocacy group Students Engaged in Advancing Texas also filed suits over the law, the Texas Tribune reported.

App Store Accountability Act

The bill author, State Senator Angela Paxton, said the bill was meant to give parents «common sense tools to protect their kids and to survive court challenges by those who may have lesser priorities.»

The language of Texas Senate Bill 2420 does not only include mobile app stores from Apple or Google, but any «website, software application, or other electronic service that distributes software applications from the owner or developer of a software application to the user of a mobile device.»

By that definition, websites with links to browser games or mobile game consoles with download options would fall under the Texas law as written. The law also defines mobile devices as including phones and tablets, as well as any other handheld device capable of transmitting or storing information wirelessly.

The parental consent aspect of the law requires those under 18 to have an app store account affiliated with a parent or guardian to purchase or download applications.

Age verification elsewhere

In an effort to keep adult materials out of reach of minors and to protect children from potentially harmful content and interactions, tech companies have been compelled by law or through legal action to verify the age of users.

Roblox, which has a huge audience of minors, began rolling out stricter age verification after investigations and lawsuits hurt its reputation as a safe gaming space. Australia is perhaps the most large-scale example of a government restricting access to online content. In December, Australia began restricting social media access to those 16 and older. Reddit recently challenged that law.

In the US, age verification laws have primarily targeted adult sites. Texas already has a law on the books that requires adult sites to age-block their content. The Supreme Court upheld that law in a June ruling. The UK has also enacted age restriction rules for adult sites as have other US states.