UPSIDE DOWNED

‘Stranger Things’ Dethroned by Netflix’s Big Surprise Hit

The newcomer ended the fan-favorite show’s seven-week streak at number one.

Stranger Things was streaming’s most-watched show for seven consecutive weeks after it debuted its Season 5 on Netflix in November—but a surprising six-episode limited series knocked it out of its top spot for the first time.

Crime thriller His & Hers took over the number one spot as the most-streamed show following its Jan. 8 premiere, according to new Nielsen numbers reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The site reports that between Jan. 12-18, the series, which stars Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, pulled in 2.24 billion viewing minutes, while Stranger Things fell to 1.91 billion. The one-season series follows two estranged spouses who each suspect the other of murdering an old acquaintance.

The series also beat out Paramount+’s Billy Bob Thornton series Landman, HBO’s The Pitt, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Netflix movie The Rip.

His & Hers, based on the 2021 psychological thriller novel by Alice Feeney and executive-produced by Thompson and Jessica Chastain, drew both social media praise and derision for its many twists and turns, the biggest of which is revealed at the very end of the last episode. Executive producer William Oldroyd told TV Insider that there were no plans to extend the story beyond its six episodes, but also didn’t rule it out.

“It was conceived as a limited series. We didn’t think beyond that. I think we’ve created some great characters. The twist is terrific, and the audience is really reacting to it. They’re really responding to this series,” he explained, adding, “I think you have to ask Netflix to see what plans they have.”

The series held the number one spot on Netflix’s top 10 for three weeks straight—an unusual feat for a show of its kind—until it was dethroned on the platform by WWE Raw.

Season 5 of Stranger Things, meanwhile, set an all-time record with the debut of its first batch of episodes, becoming the biggest English-language premiere ever for Netflix with 59.6 million views in its first five days, according to The Wrap.

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Eboni Boykin-PattersonEntertainment Reporter

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