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Stranger Things has claimed the top spot on the list of the highest-rated TV shows across multiple platforms in the 2025-2026 season. During that period, Netflix's five-season sci-fi had 32.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-sports series.
In claiming the top spot, Stranger Things beats out another Netflix hit, the six-episode mystery thriller His & Hers, starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, which had 25.6 million views. Netflix rounds out the top three on the list with its docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which garnered 20.6 million views.
Stranger Things Tops the Ratings Chart
Stranger Things tops the chart off the hype surrounding its long-awaited final season. Stranger Things Season 5 debuted on Nov. 26. The series returned with a second batch of episodes on Dec. 25, and its feature-length finale on Dec. 31 (the 2025-2026 television season officially spans Sept. 14, 2025 to May 24, 2026, according to Nielsen).
While Stranger Things Season 5 brought in the ratings, its critical reception and fan response were both more mixed. “At a certain point, you kind of run out of story," Stranger Things star David Harbour said of Stranger Things finally ending with Season 5. "We had gone as far with these characters as we could, and we were starting to, in a subtle way, repeat beats.”
Stranger Things Expands Amid Its 10th Anniversary
Despite the mixed reactions to Stranger Things Season 5, Netflix is continuing to expand the franchise. Given the ratings, it's no wonder.
Earlier this year, Netflix debuted Stranger Things: Tales from '85, the first Stranger Things TV spinoff. The new, Saturday-morning-cartoon-like series didn't quite scratch the itch for many Stranger Things fans, but Stranger Things: Tales from '85 will be back with more episodes later this year nonetheless.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the prequel stage play to the Netflix show, will wrap up its run on Broadway and London's West End late this year and in early 2027. A recorded performance of The First Shadow is expected to debut on Netflix eventually, though the streamer has not yet revealed a date.
Netflix also surprised Stranger Things fans with a special 10th anniversary streaming release. Stranger Things VHS Special Edition presents Stranger Things Season 1 with new touches that make the season look like it's been rented from one of the video stores popular at the time the show is set.
“If Stranger Things existed in Hawkins, sitting on a shelf at Family Video, it would look just like this — complete with pan-and-scan,” the Duffer Brothers said of the new release. “And hey, if enough of you nerds watch it, maybe we’ll do the rest of the seasons.”
“We’re feeling so many emotions today. Nostalgic, proud, and a little sad too,” they added of the anniversary. “But above all, we feel grateful — for our amazing cast, who we watched grow into wonderful human beings; for the hundreds of brilliant artists who devoted so much of themselves to bringing the story to life; and for you, the fans, whose dedication, patience, and passion fueled all of us throughout the years.”
Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix.
