Record-Breaking Netflix Series Loses Top Spot in Weekly Streaming Rankings

The second season of Bridgerton doubled down on the momentum earned in Season 1 and became an absolute behemoth for Netflix. Season 2 of the acclaimed romance saga delivered the biggest four-week debut of any original English-language series in Netflix history, earning a place in the streaming record books. For a while, no other TV show in the world of streaming could touch it. That changed the week of April 11th, when Bridgerton was finally unseated as the biggest title on the Internet.

This week, Nielsen released its streaming date from the week of April 11th to April 17th. Bridgerton was the second most-watched streaming series that week after spending three weeks at the top of the rankings. It was replaced in the number one spot by another Netflix reality show, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On.

The Ultimatum follows in the footsteps of Love Is Blind and Too Hot to Handle, further cementing Netflix as a go-to source for reality relationship TV. During the week of April 11th, The Ultimatum was viewed for 1.1 billion minutes here in the United States, making it the only shot to eclipse the one billion minute mark in that span. Bridgerton came in second in the Streaming Originals category with 885 million minutes viewed. If you count acquired titles (those that first aired on TV), Better Call Saul was the second overall series that week, racking up 950 million minutes.

Even as Bridgerton starts losing some of its steam, it has firmly established itself as one of the premiere franchises on Netflix. There is already a third season on the way, as well as a prequel/spinoff series. The new series focuses on a young version of Queen Charlotte, years before the events of the main Bridgerton series.

"Bridgerton swept us off our feet. The creative team, led by Shonda [Rhimes], knew the material and delivered a beautiful, emotional, romantic drama for our members," Bela Bajaria, Netflix's VP, Global TV, said in a statement when the show was renewed. "They have some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We're planning to be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come."

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