Exploring the thousands of titles on Netflix can be both exciting and overwhelming. Content of all types abounds, from dramas and comedies to reality shows and documentaries. It’s a good thing there’s a list to help narrow your decision by letting you see the most popular Netflix shows. That’s right, every week, Netflix releases its list of the 10 most-watched TV shows over a recent seven-day period.
Baby Reindeer continues to occupy the top spot as Richard Gadd’s moving drama is now an Emmy favorite. This week marks the arrival of Dead Boy Detectives, the newest addition to Netflix’s Sandman universe. Meanwhile, The Asunta Case, a harrowing true crime series, comes in at No. 7 in its first week. Below, we have listed the top 10 shows in the U.S. from April 22 to April 28, along with general information about each show, including genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.
We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, also check out the 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now.
10. Our Living World (2024)
How does life on Earth work? That’s the question at the core of Our Living World, a four-part documentary about the inner workings of an ecosystem. Production on Our Living World took six years, with over 130 shoots in 24 countries. The jaw-dropping visuals in Our Living World are some of the most impressive you’ll ever see.
Narrated by Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett, Our Living World captures the ever-changing world and how human activity affects animals and plants. Standout moments in the series include a rhino trotting through the streets of Nepal, banana fiddler crabs racing to mate, a wolverine hunting after a devastating avalanche, and salmon fighting to swim upstream.
9. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
With the recent news of his passing, O.J. Simpson is back in the news as people revisit the landmark documentary O.J.: Made in America. Directed by Ezra Edelman, O.J.: Made in America uses Simpson to investigate celebrity and race in America starting in the 1960s. The earlier episodes explore Simpson’s football career, highlighted by a Heisman trophy at USC and a 2,000-yard rushing season with the Buffalo Bills.
After football, Simpson became one of the biggest celebrities in America thanks to his television and acting career. Then, it all came crashing down with the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. “The Trial of the Century” becomes more than a murder trial as race relations between the police and the African American community in Los Angeles come to the forefront. O.J.: Made in America is a must-watch and one of the best documentaries of the last decade.
8. Killing Eve season 1 (2018)
Eve Polastri (The Sympathizer‘s Sandra Oh) is an intelligence analyst with MI5 who lives a mundane life. Looking for some spice in her life, Eve agrees to join the foreign intelligence agency MI6 and hunt down assassins. First up on the docket is Villanelle (Jodie Comer), a ruthless and vindictive killer who works for a secret organization called The Twelve.
As Villanelle kills more people, Eve gets closer to finding her, setting off a seductive cat-and-mouse game between the two women. Villanelle and Eve eventually become obsessed with each other, culminating in a face-to-face encounter. Killing Eve season 1 is a stylish thriller written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who turns the assassin genre on its head with a feminine twist.
7. The Asunta Case (2024)
One of the most harrowing true crime cases in Spanish history comes to life in The Asunta Case. On September 21, 2013, Rosario Porto (Candela Peña) and Alfonso Basterra (Tristán Ulloa) filed a missing person report for their 13-year-old adopted daughter, Asunta Fong Yang (Iris Whu).
However, Asunta was found dead outside Santiago, Spain, hours after going missing. The autopsy found that Asunta died from asphyxiation and had nearly 30 Lorazepam pills in her system. During the investigation, the authorities question the parents, as their alibi does not check out. Could Asunta’s parents have played a part in her death?
6. Dead Boy Detectives season 1 (2024)
The Sandman universe is expanding on Netflix with Dead Boy Detectives. Based on characters by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, Dead Boy Detectives follows Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Paine (George Rexstrew), two teenagers who refuse to go to the afterlife. George, who died in 1916, and Edwin, who passed away in 1989, became best friends in death.
After choosing to remain on Earth, the duo moonlight as ghost detectives, investigating supernatural crimes and activity. With the help of clairvoyant Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and their friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), the detectives try to provide answers for unsolvable crimes in this entertaining dramedy series.
5. CoComelon Lane season 2 (2023)
CoComelon is arguably the most popular children’s series on the internet. Originally a YouTube channel, the spinoff CoComelon Lane, returns to Netflix with its second season. In CoComelon Lane, JJ is back for new adventures with several childhood milestones at stake. Joining JJ is his crew of preschoolers, including Bella, CeCe, Cody, Nico, and Nina.
In CoComelon Lane, JJ talks directly to the audience, an action that does not happen in CoComelon. Season 2 is about feelings as JJ learns to apologize, takes care of a pet, and gets a haircut. If your kid loves CoComelon, they’ll enjoy watching JJ and the gang in CoComelon Lane.
4. The Upshaws part 5 (2021)
The Upshaws, a Black working-class family in Indianapolis, return for more hijinks in part 5, the second half of season 3. At the head of the table for the Upshaws is Bennie (Mike Epps), a mechanic who tries his best to support his family any way he can. Bennie’s family includes wife Regina (Kim Fields), daughters Aaliyah (Khali Daniya-Renee Spraggins) and Maya, and son Bennie Jr. (Jermelle Simon). Bennie fathered his son with another woman.
If providing for his family wasn’t hard enough, Bennie has to contend with a cynical sister-in-law (Wanda Sykes), who acts as a thorn in his side. Between financial struggles and health problems, Bennie always knows that, no matter what, family comes first.
3. The Circle season 6 (2020)
The Circle, the successful Netflix reality competition, returns for season 6 with an all-new twist. For the first time, the series will include an AI chatbot named Max, who will attempt to catfish his way to victory. Contestants will compete in various social media challenges to prove they have what it takes to become the top social influencer and win $100,000.
Comedian Michelle Buteau returns as the host. Usually filmed in a secluded house in Northern New England, The Circle season 6 was shot in Atlanta. The first four episodes of season 6 premiered on April 17. Nw episodes will be released every Wednesday before the season finale on May 8.
2. Unlocked: A Jail Experiment season 1 (2024)
What would happen if a prison turned its power over to the inmates? Unlocked: A Jail Experiment takes that hypothetical question and puts it to the test. Arkansas Sheriff Eric Higgins had a radical idea for the prisoners at Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility in Little Rock, Arkansas: give them more freedom.
In the experiment, inmates are allowed out of their cells for six weeks. The prisoners are in charge of the structure of their days, which hopefully will create more camaraderie and a sense of community. Unlocked also focuses on rehabilitation, as the inmates are instructed on how to stay out of prison and live a crime-free life.
1. Baby Reindeer (2024)
Richard Gadd adapted his award-winning play Baby Reindeer into a seven-episode Netflix series. The dramedy stars Gadd as Donny, a comedian who works as a bartender to pay the bills. During one of his shifts, Donny meets Martha (Jessica Gunning). At that moment, the vulnerable Martha needs a friend, so Donny shows her kindness. This simple act ignites a strange relationship between the two as Martha begins to stalk Donny incessantly.
The obsession disrupts the lives of both Donny and Martha. It forces Donny to explore a previous tragedy he buried within himself. The genius of Baby Reindeer is it never paints Donny as the victim and Martha as the villain. The show provides empathy and compassion for both characters, with plenty of laughs along the way.
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