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 Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Feb. 21
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 21.
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 long Saturday version, and some of the clues are stumpers. I was really thrown by 10-Across. 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: «Jersey Shore» channel
Answer: MTV
4A clue: «___ Knows» (rhyming ad slogan)
Answer: LOWES
6A clue: Second-best-selling female musician of all time, behind Taylor Swift
Answer: MADONNA
8A clue: Whiskey grain
Answer: RYE
9A clue: Dreaded workday: Abbr.
Answer: MON
10A clue: Backfiring blunder, in modern lingo
Answer: SELFOWN
12A clue: Lengthy sheet for a complicated board game, perhaps
Answer: RULES
13A clue: Subtle «Yes»
Answer: NOD
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: In which high schoolers might role-play as ambassadors
Answer: MODELUN
2D clue: This clue number
Answer: TWO
3D clue: Paid via app, perhaps
Answer: VENMOED
4D clue: Coat of paint
Answer: LAYER
5D clue: Falls in winter, say
Answer: SNOWS
6D clue: Married title
Answer: MRS
7D clue: ___ Arbor, Mich.
Answer: ANN
11D clue: Woman in Progressive ads
Answer: FLO
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 21, #516
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 21, No. 516.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. I actually thought the purple category, usually the most difficult, was the easiest of the four. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Old Line State.
Green group hint: Hoops legend.
Blue group hint: Robert Redford movie.
Purple group hint: Vroom-vroom.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Maryland teams.
Green group: Shaquille O’Neal nicknames.
Blue group: Associated with «The Natural.»
Purple group: Sports that have a driver.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is Maryland teams. The four answers are Midshipmen, Orioles, Ravens and Terrapins.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is Shaquille O’Neal nicknames. The four answers are Big Aristotle, Diesel, Shaq and Superman.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is associated with «The Natural.» The four answers are baseball, Hobbs, Knights and Wonderboy.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is sports that have a driver. The four answers are bobsled, F1, golf and water polo.
Technologies
Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill
The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing «harmful material.»
Following a wave of criticism, Wisconsin lawmakers have decided not to include a ban on VPN services in their age-verification law, making its way through the state legislature.
Wisconsin Senate Bill 130 (and its sister Assembly Bill 105), introduced in March 2025, aims to prohibit businesses from «publishing or distributing material harmful to minors» unless there is a reasonable «method to verify the age of individuals attempting to access the website.»
One provision would have required businesses to bar people from accessing their sites via «a virtual private network system or virtual private network provider.»
A VPN lets you access the internet via an encrypted connection, enabling you to bypass firewalls and unblock geographically restricted websites and streaming content. While using a VPN, your IP address and physical location are masked, and your internet service provider doesn’t know which websites you visit.
Wisconsin state Sen. Van Wanggaard moved to delete that provision in the legislation, thereby releasing VPNs from any liability. The state assembly agreed to remove the VPN ban, and the bill now awaits Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers’s signature.
Rindala Alajaji, associate director of state affairs at the digital freedom nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, says Wisconsin’s U-turn is «great news.»
«This shows the power of public advocacy and pushback,» Alajaji says. «Politicians heard the VPN users who shared their worries and fears, and the experts who explained how the ban wouldn’t work.»
Earlier this week, the EFF had written an open letter arguing that the draft laws did not «meaningfully advance the goal of keeping young people safe online.» The EFF said that blocking VPNs would harm many groups that rely on that software for private and secure internet connections, including «businesses, universities, journalists and ordinary citizens,» and that «many law enforcement professionals, veterans and small business owners rely on VPNs to safely use the internet.»
More from CNET: Best VPN Service for 2026: VPNs Tested by Our Experts
VPNs can also help you get around age-verification laws — for instance, if you live in a state or country that requires age verification to access certain material, you can use a VPN to make it look like you live elsewhere, thereby gaining access to that material. As age-restriction laws increase around the US, VPN use has also increased. However, many people are using free VPNs, which are fertile ground for cybercriminals.
In its letter to Wisconsin lawmakers prior to the reversal, the EFF argued that it is «unworkable» to require websites to block VPN users from accessing adult content. The EFF said such sites cannot «reliably determine» where a VPN customer lives — it could be any US state or even other countries.
«As a result, covered websites would face an impossible choice: either block all VPN users everywhere, disrupting access for millions of people nationwide, or cease offering services in Wisconsin altogether,» the EFF wrote.
Wisconsin is not the only state to consider VPN bans to prevent access to adult material. Last year, Michigan introduced the Anticorruption of Public Morals Act, which would ban all use of VPNs. If passed, it would force ISPs to detect and block VPN usage and also ban the sale of VPNs in the state. Fines could reach $500,000.
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