2022 was often considered a tough year for Netflix, between plummeting stocks and declining subscribers. But just as it prepares to crack down on passwords and introduce ad-supported tiers, the streamer can find solace in the fact that several of its original series topped Nielsen’s 2022 streaming chart.
To the surprise of no one, leading the charge was Stranger Things. Viewers spent a staggering 52 billion minutes “Running Up That Hill,” led by its splashy fourth-season debut over the summer. Just behind the kids of Hawkins, Indiana, for original streaming series was the final season of Ozark, earning 31.3 billion minutes. Wednesday, for its part, spooked up 18.6 billion minutes in its debut season. (Naturally, a second installment is on the way.) Other Netflix titles to populate the top 10 included Bridgerton, The Crown, Cobra Kai, Virgin River, Love Is Blind, and the controversial Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Non-streaming series to be acquired by other platforms also filled viewers’ queues. The second most-watched show overall in 2022 was CBS’ long-running crime procedural NCIS, whose 356 episodes commanded 38.1 billion minutes on Netflix. Rounding out the top three was Moonbug Entertainment’s popular kids program CoComelon with 37.8 billion minutes viewed. Other legacy shows with sky-high streaming numbers were Grey’s Anatomy with 26.8 billion, Criminal Minds with 24.9 billion, and Bluey with 21.1 billion, followed by binge watching staples such as Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Seinfeld.
Disney’s Oscar-winning animated Encanto was the only movie to crack the most-streamed titles of the year list with 27.4 billion minutes following its December 2021 debut on Disney+. That watch time doubled its nearest competitors, Pixar’s Turning Red, also on Disney+, and Universal’s Sing 2 on Netflix. Nielsen’s ratings only cover U.S. viewing on TV sets—no laptops or mobile devices. Even still, Americans streamed more than 19.4 million years of content in 2022, a 27% increase from 2021’s paltry 15 million years. That’s a whole lot of time in the Upside Down.
Full lists of the most streamed titles of 2022, which captured the period between Dec. 27, 2021 and Dec. 25, 2022 are below.
Overall
1. Stranger Things (Netflix), 52 billion minutes viewed
2. NCIS (Netflix), 38.1 billion
3. Cocomelon (Netflix), 37.8 billion
4. Ozark (Netflix), 31.3 billion
5. Encanto (Disney+), 27.4 billion
6. Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix), 26.8 billion
7. Criminal Minds (Netflix/Hulu/Paramount+), 24.9 billion
8. Bluey (Disney+), 21.1 billion
9. Gilmore Girls (Netflix), 20.8 billion
10. Seinfeld (Netflix), 19.3 billion
11. Supernatural (Netflix), 18.8 billion
12. Wednesday (Netflix), 18.6 billion
13. Heartland (Netflix), 18 billion
14. Cobra Kai (Netflix), 16.7 billion
15. The Simpsons (Disney+), 15.9 billion
Original Series
1. Stranger Things, 52 billion minutes
2. Ozark, 31.3 billion
3. Wednesday, 18.6 billion
4. Cobra Kai, 16.7 billion
5. Bridgerton (Netflix), 14 billion
6. Virgin River (Netflix), 13.6 billion
7. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (Netflix), 13.4 billion
8. Love Is Blind (Netflix), 13.1 billion
- Inventing Anna (Netflix), 12.9 billion
10. The Crown (Netflix), 12.7 billion
11. The Boys (Prime Video), 10.6 billion
11 (tie) The Great British Baking Show (Netflix), 10.6 billion
13. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix), 10.5 billion
14. The Last Kingdom (Netflix), 10.4 billion
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video), 9.4 billion
Acquired Series
1. NCIS, 38.1 billion minutes
2. Cocomelon, 37.8 billion
3. Grey’s Anatomy, 26.8 billion
4. Criminal Minds, 24.9 billion
5. Bluey, 21.1 billion
6. Gilmore Girls, 20.8 billion
7. Seinfeld, 19.3 billion
8. Supernatural, 18.8 billion
9. Heartland, 18 billion
10. The Simpsons, 15.9 billion
11. Friends (HBO Max), 14.5 billion
12. The Blacklist (Netflix), 14 billion
12 (tie) New Girl (Netflix), 14 billion
14. SpongeBob SquarePants (Prime Video), 13.9 billion
15. Shameless (Netflix), 13.6 billion
Movies
1. Encanto, 27.4 billion
2. Turning Red (Disney+), 11.4 billion
3. Sing 2 (Netflix), 11.3 billion
4. Moana (Disney+), 8.6 billion
5. The Adam Project (Netflix), 6.1 billion
6. Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney+), 5.7 billion
7. Don’t Look Up (Netflix), 5.1 billion
7 (tie) Frozen (Disney+), 5.1 billion
9. Luca (Disney+), 5 billion
9 (tie) The Gray Man (Netflix), 5 billion
11. Zootopia (Disney+), 4.4 billion
12. Coco (Disney+), 4.3 billion
13. Eternals (Disney+), 4.24 billion
14. Frozen II (Disney+), 4.2 billion
15. Uncharted (Netflix), 4.18 billion
