Technologies

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

Netflix publishes weekly stats for its most watched series and films — we track the top rankings of all time.

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. The 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. 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 Wednesday or 1899 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, Wednesday, a coming-of-age supernatural comedy show based on the character of Wednesday Addams, racked up an eye-popping 341.2 million hours of viewing in just five days. 1899, a period mystery series, has generated 167.2 million in 11 days. Both have much more time in their 28-day windows to generate watch-time. But TV series need nearly half a billion hours watched to make it onto the all-time list, and 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.
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.
Ozark (season 4), a crime drama series — 491.1 million hours.

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

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:

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.
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.

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

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

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for March 14 #741

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for March 14, No. 741.

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.

Does today’s date seem memorable to you? If so, today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be easy. 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: A math teacher’s favorite dessert.

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: 3.14

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:

RITE, SPIT, TIPS, STAT, STATE, GIVE, RUST, FINE, LAZE, SURE, PEAL

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:

VENT, CRUST, FRUIT, EDGES, GLAZE, FILLING, LATTICE

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is HAPPYPIDAY. To find it, start with the H that’s six rows down and three to the right from the upper-left corner, and make — well, a pie shape.

Toughest Strands puzzles

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

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

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

#3: Off the hook. Again, it helps to know a lot about sea creatures. Sorry, Charlie. Toughest word: BIGEYE or SKIPJACK.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, March 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 14.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the extra-long Saturday version, and a few of the clues are tricky. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Book parts: Abbr.
Answer: PGS

4A clue: Silicon Valley company that operates a fleet of robotaxis
Answer: WAYMO

6A clue: To a much greater degree
Answer: WAYMORE

8A clue: Contents of a scuba diver’s tank
Answer: AIR

9A clue: South Korean automaker
Answer: KIA

10A clue: Stop on a train route
Answer: STATION

12A clue: Actress Merman of «Anything Goes»
Answer: ETHEL

13A clue: Find another purpose for
Answer: REUSE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Employee’s hourly calculation
Answer: PAYRATE

2D clue: Workout spot
Answer: GYM

3D clue: «Great» mountains of Tennessee, familiarly
Answer: SMOKIES

4D clue: One giving you the dish?
Answer: WAITER

5D clue: Baltimore M.L.B. player
Answer: ORIOLE

6D clue: Used to be
Answer: WAS

7D clue: Suffix with Caesar or Euclid
Answer: EAN

11D clue: Night that NBC once aired «30 Rock» and «The Office»: Abbr.
Answer: THU

Technologies

AI Toys Can Pose Safety Concerns for Children, New Study Suggests Caution

When one child told the toy, «I love you,» it responded, «As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided.»

A new study from the University of Cambridge found that AI-enabled toys for young children can misinterpret emotional cues and are ineffective at supporting critical developmental play. The conclusions could be concerning for parents.

In one report examining how AI affects children in their early years, a chatbot-enabled toy struggled to recognize social cues during playtime. Researchers found that the toy did not effectively identify children’s emotions, raising alarm about how kids might interact with it.

The report recommends regulating AI toys for kids and requiring clear labeling of their capabilities and privacy policies. It also advises parents to keep these devices in shared spaces where kids can be monitored while playing.

The research behind the study had a limited number of participants, but was done in multiple parts: an online survey of 39 participants with kids in their earlier years, a focus group with nine participants who work with young children and an in-person workshop with 19 leaders and representatives from charities that work with early-years kids. That was followed by monitored playtime with 14 children and 11 parents or guardians with Gabbo, a chatbot-enabled toy from Curio Interactive.

Some findings indicated that the AI toy supported learning, particularly in language and communication skills. But the toy also misunderstood kids and sometimes responded inappropriately to emotional requests.

For instance, when one child told the toy, «I love you,» it responded, «As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided. Let me know how you would like to proceed,» according to the research.

Jenny Gibson, a professor of neurodiversity and developmental psychology at the Faculty of Education at Cambridge, who worked on the study, said that while parents may be excited about the educational benefits of new technology aimed at children, there are plenty of concerns.

Gibson posed overarching questions about the reason behind the tech.

«What would motivate [tech investors] to do the right thing by children … to put children ahead of profits? she said»

Gibson told CNET that while researchers are exploring the potential benefits of AI-based toys, risks remain.

«I would advise parents to take that seriously at this stage,» she said.

What’s next for AI toys

As more playthings are enabled with internet connectivity and AI features, these devices could become a major safety risk for children, especially if they replace real human connections or if interactions are not closely monitored.

Meanwhile, younger people are increasingly adopting chatbots such as ChatGPT, despite red flags. Multiple lawsuits against AI companies allege that AI companions or assistants can impact young people’s psychological safety, including some chatbots that have encouraged self-harm or negative self-image.

AI companies such as OpenAI and Google have responded by adding guardrails and restrictions for AI chatbots.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Gibson said she was surprised by the enthusiasm some parents showed for AI toys. She was also alarmed by the lack of research on AI’s effects on young children, noting that companies making such products should work directly with children, parents, and child development experts.

«What’s missing in the process is that expertise of what is good for children in these kinds of interactions,» she said.

Curio Interactive, the company behind the Gabbo toy, was aware of the research as it was happening but was not directly involved, Gibson said. The toy was chosen because it’s directly marketed to young kids, and the company had an understandable privacy policy. Gibson said the company seemed supportive of the project.

A representative for Curio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.