Stranger Things Leads U.S. Streaming Charts in First Half of 2026

The final episode of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” aired on the last day of 2025, and the series remained the most-watched streaming title in the United States through the first six months of 2026. Nielsen’s biannual report shows the show accumulated 23.26 billion minutes of viewing from December 29 2025 through June 28 2026, including a single-week peak of 8.65 billion minutes during the debut week of the finale. After falling out of the weekly Top 10 in early March, the series still added 3.81 billion minutes over the next 17 weeks, averaging about 224 million minutes per week.

Hollywood Reporter

Nielsen’s data separates original series from library titles and ranks both by total minutes viewed. “Stranger Things” topped the overall list, while Disney+’s “Bluey” placed second with 22.81 billion minutes. Among Netflix originals, “The Pitt” (HBO Max) ranked third with 21.12 billion minutes, and “Bridgerton” was the only other Netflix original in the Top 10, landing at sixth with 17.15 billion minutes. Library shows “Grey’s Anatomy” (20.41 billion) and “The Big Bang Theory” (20.40 billion) each surpassed the 20-billion-minute mark, maintaining their long-standing presence in the weekly Top 10.

Hollywood Reporter

Other notable performers included “Landman” (12.4 billion minutes) and “The Lincoln Lawyer” (10.53 billion minutes) among originals, while “Love Island USA” (7.62 billion minutes) achieved a strong surge after its season-eight launch in early June. In the acquired-series category, “Bluey” led the rankings and also held the overall second spot. Unscripted titles such as Peacock’s “The Traitors” (7.74 billion minutes) and “Love Island USA” (7.62 billion minutes) ranked within the Top 20, with “The First 48” taking the unscripted crown at 11.33 billion minutes across multiple platforms.

Hollywood Reporter

The sustained dominance of “Stranger Things” underscores Netflix’s ability to generate long-tail viewership beyond a series finale, influencing platform-wide engagement metrics and advertising valuations. The close competition from “Bluey” and the continued strength of legacy library shows illustrate a diversified streaming ecosystem where both new originals and established catalog titles can command billions of minutes.

Deadline Hollywood

Nielsen will release its full-year streaming rankings later in 2026, which will reveal whether “Stranger Things” can maintain its lead through the second half of the year and how emerging releases may shift the hierarchy of top-streamed content.

Hollywood Reporter