Stranger Things 4 is the #2 TV Show of All-Time on Netflix

As they do every Tuesday, Netflix has released updated metrics on the past week of viewership on the streamer, and Stranger Things 4 has taken another jump upward. Last week it was revealed that the series had become the #1 English-language TV series of all-time on the series, sitting behind Money Heist: Part 5 and Squid Game. With the latest update from Netflix however, Stranger Things has quickly eclipsed Money Heist: Part 5 and is now sitting at 883.3 million hours streamed in its first 23 days on the platform. As a result it’s now the #2 TV show of all-time on Netflix.

Five days remain for Stranger Things 4’s trademark “First 28 Days” window, the timeframe that Netflix uses to tout viewership for project’s success, meaning the series could very well eclipse 1 Billion hours streamed by this time next week. Squid Game of course remains the biggest TV show of all-time on the platform, having been watched over 1.65 billion hours on the service in its first month. Stranger Things 4 isn’t totally out of the running for becoming the biggest TV show on the platform either, here’s how it could happen.

As many fans are well aware, Stranger Things 4 has been split into two volumes by Netflix with the first seven episodes premiering on May 25th and the final two episodes debuting on July 1st. These final episodes will premiere after the “First 28 Days” of volume 1, giving them their own window of opportunity to increase the total viewership of the entire season. Netflix previously confirmed that the final episodes are also super sized, boasting extended run times compared to the episodes that arrived previously. 

Stranger Things 4’s second batch of episodes will likely need to be streamed over 700 million hours in the first four weeks to exceed Squid Game. Based on what we know about the final episodes, they have run times of 85 minutes and 139 minutes respectively, it would take a lot of streaming for Squid Game to get beaten, but it’s certainly possible. But even if it does, it won’t be as impressive.

The entire marketing arm of Netflix was pushing Stranger Things season four ahead of its premiere, while Squid Game was built exclusively around word of mouth praise from audiences. Even if Stranger Things 4 beats the series, Squid Game will still be a considerably bigger success. Check back here next week as the story continues to develop.