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14 most successful Netflix series of all time: from favourite seasons of Stranger Things, Lucifer, Money Heist and Bridgerton, to The Witcher, Ozark, 13 Reasons Why and new viral smash Dahmer

Recognise these characters from Netflix’s greatest hits? Nairobi from Money Heist, Eleven in Stranger Things, a guard in Squid Game and Queen Charlotte in Bridgerton. Photos: Netflix
Netflix’s Korean-language series Squid Game is (still) its biggest show ever by a wide margin – but there’s competition catching up fast. In the first three weeks after its release, Dahmer was already declared Netflix’s second-biggest English-language series.

Netflix handily ranks all seasons of shows by total viewing hours globally in their first 28 days of availability. So, which shows have raked in the most views ever on Netflix?

14. Ozark season four – 491 million hours

Ozark outlines the story of a financial adviser who drags his family from Chicago to Missouri. Photo: Netflix

Description: “A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder US$500 million in five years to appease a drug boss.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 84 per cent

What critics said: “A chilly, thrilling narco saga told from the perspective of the mob’s money launderer, Ozark deserves its place among the very finest TV takes on American dope, crime and corruption.” – Empire

13. 13 Reasons Why season two – 496 million hours

13 Reasons Why is directed by Selena Gomez. Photo: Netflix

Description: “High school student Clay Jensen lands in the centre of a series of heartbreaking mysteries set in motion by a friend’s tragic suicide.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 28 per cent

What critics said: “13 Reasons Why is not fundamentally interested in starting a conversation. It’s interested in shocking, and it does not care how cheaply it might go about creating that shock.” – Vox

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12. Inventing Anna (limited series) – 512 million hours

Inventing Anna tells the tale of Anna Sorokin, the fake heiress who posed as Anna Delvey. Photo: Netflix
Description: “Audacious entrepreneur or con artist? A reporter digs into how Anna Delvey convinced New York’s elite she was a German heiress. Based on a true story.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 64 per cent

What critics said: “The show certainly provides indulgence (if maybe not enough for my taste). Its failure is in the framing of Delvey’s story: it’s depicted as a quasi-feminist, girlboss-adjacent revenge fantasy.” – Vox

11. The Witcher season one – 541 million hours

Anya Chalotra in The Witcher. Photo: @anyachalotra/Instagram

Description: “Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 68 per cent

What critics said: “In contrast to its half-hearted approach to exposition, the series finds its footing in the graphic depiction of violence.” – Slant Magazine

10. Lucifer season five – 570 million hours

Scott Porter (left) and Tom Ellis in the TV series Lucifer. Photo: @scottporter/Twitter

Description: “Bored with being the Lord of Hell, the devil relocates to Los Angeles, where he opens a nightclub and forms a connection with a homicide detective.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 81 per cent

What critics said: “This second half feels stronger than the first, in part because it does what Lucifer does best.” – IGN

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9. All of Us Are Dead season one – 560 million hours

Yoon Chan-young and Park Ji-hu in the K-drama series All of Us Are Dead. Photo: Netflix
Description: “A high school becomes ground zero for a zombie virus outbreak. Trapped students must fight their way out – or turn into one of the rabid infected.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 83 per cent

What critics said: “This 12-part South Korean Netflix series about zombies invading a high school is gruesome, thrilling and highly addictive.” – The Daily Beast

8. Stranger Things season three – 582 million hours

Stranger Things season three stars many of the original cast members. Photo: Netflix

Description: “When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89 per cent

What critics said: “Even while some things go a bit too predictably, the last two episodes tie everything and everyone together in spectacular, emotional fashion.” – Dallas Morning News

7. Money Heist season four – 619 million hours

Money Heist season four received critical acclaim. Photo: Netflix/YouTube

Description: “Eight thieves take hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain as a criminal mastermind manipulates the police to carry out his plan.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 80 per cent

What critics said: “We love to see talented people overcome the odds and perform the impossible, even if in this case, they’re ripping off the mint and printing stolen money. With Money Heist, we’re offered a pleasure-driven, rollicking, charming mix of all of the above.” – Globe and Mail

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6. Bridgerton season one – 625 million

Bridgerton (2020) looks into the lives of fictional characters in London’s high society. Credit: Netflix
Description: “The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 87 per cent

What critics said: “Bridgerton gives us everything we’re craving right now: extravagant parties, elaborate outfits, salacious gossip, human touch.” – Chicago Reader

5. Bridgerton season two – 656 million hours

Charithra Chandran, Simone Ashley, Shelley Conn and Jonathan Bailey in season two of Bridgerton. Photo: Netflix

Description: “The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 77 per cent

What critics said: “This sophomore run is simply not as effusive a watch … That said, many of the series pleasures still remain intact.” – Rolling Stone

4. Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story – 701 million hours

Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Photo: Netflix

Description: “A young Jeff contends with troubles at home and school. Years later, his strange behaviour evolves into murderous deeds that slip past the police.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 52 per cent

What critics said: “While the series respectfully mourns and inveighs all the loss that surrounds him, it also turns Dahmer into a hideously immortal thing: an icon.” – Vanity Fair

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3. Money Heist season five – 792 million hours

Cast members of Money Heist in season five. Photo: @lacasadepapel/Twitter

Description: “Eight thieves take hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain as a criminal mastermind manipulates the police to carry out his plan.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 90 per cent

What critics said: “For every wrong move it makes, it gives you a dozen reasons to feel giddy over its sheer audacity and how high it’s getting off its own genre fumes. It manages to keep stealing you back to its side. That’s the real heist.” – Rolling Stone

2. Stranger Things season four – 1.35 billion hours

Strange Things is one of the streaming giant’s most successful series ever. Photo: Netflix

Description: “When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91 per cent

What critics said: “Amid the show’s ballooning scale and scope, Stranger Things finds an unexpected anchor not in its ensemble of fan favourites but in its latest villain.” – The Atlantic

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1. Squid Game season one – 1.65 billion hours

Squid Game has only released its first season and is already Netflix’s most successful show ever. Photo: Netflix

Description: “Hundreds of cash-strapped players accept a strange invitation to compete in children’s games. Inside, a tempting prize awaits – with deadly high stakes.”

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 94 per cent

What critics said: “Its messages hit like a sledgehammer to the head, yet this vibrant, vicious series holds a surprisingly big heart at its core. A winning blend of spectacle and sentiment.” – Empire Magazine

This post has been updated with the most recent data from Netflix. This article originally appeared on Insider
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Netflix
  • Korean smash hit Squid Game is Netflix’s biggest TV show ever, while new release Dahmer is already charting near the top – above both seasons of period drama Bridgerton
  • The streaming giant has also raked in millions of viewers for popular series like Inventing Anna and All of Us Are Dead, and boasts cult favourites like Lucifer