Netflix has been the most iconic streaming service ever since its launch in 1997. Yes, it’s that old. There is a never-ending search for what to binge-watch next, and with so many choices on Netflix alone, it can be a little overwhelming to decide.
Over the last year, Netflix has seen its stocks and subscriber counts decline. Despite that fact, it still managed to release some heavy hitters, such as Stranger Things season 4, debut seasons for Wednesday, and The Sandman, as well as Oscar winner, All Quiet on the Western Front and The Gray Man. But which of these performed the best? Which Netflix Originals were we most excited about?
Our experts at the online casino and online slots site Spin Genie have researched which Netflix original shows and movies have been at the forefront of our minds and screens. We’ve researched the number of viewing hours, Google searches, TikTok and Instagram engagement, as well as media coverage to reveal Netflix’s most popular original productions.
The Best Netflix Original Shows
1. Stranger Things Season 4
Netflix Score: 9.58/10
Coming out as the top Netflix original series since 2022 is Stranger Things Season 4, scoring 9.58 out of 10 across the factors we looked at. Season 4 of the series was Netflix’s most viewed TV show in 2022, which is no surprise considering the show’s growing success since season 1 premiered in July 2016. Season 4 also placed in the top 10 for media coverage with almost 21,000 articles, partly due to the use of Kate Bush’s song, “Running up that Hill”, as well as the sheer overwhelming popularity of the series.
2. Bridgerton Season 2
Netflix Score: 9.4/10
The second-best Netflix original series since 2022 is Bridgerton’s season 2, scoring 9.4 out of 10 across all factors. The series didn’t reach the freakishly high viewing hours of Stranger Things, however, it still ranked within the top 5 with 746.4 million views. Recently a spin-off series was released for Bridgerton, titled, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
3. You Season 4
Netflix Score: 8.95/10
The fourth, and penultimate, season of You placed third, scoring 8.95 out of 10 across all of the factors we researched. It was the third-most Google Netflix original series since the start of 2022, with around 10.5 million searches. Additionally, You season 4 had the most media coverage, with around 180,000 news articles on Google News.
The Best Netflix Original Movies
1. Purple Hearts
Netflix Score: 8.87/10
Purple Hearts, despite its low critic score of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes, was one of the best-performing Netflix original movies, scoring 8.87 out of 10 across the factors we researched. It placed in the top five for the movies with the most viewing hours and on TikTok, the only movie that was talked about more was Enola Holmes 2.
2. The Gray Man
Netflix Score: 8.19/10
Next, we have The Gray Man, the movie by the Russo brothers that was also responsible for giving Chris Evans that moustache. It scores 8.19 out of 10 across all of the factors, being the Netflix original movie with the most media coverage, 246,000 articles in total, and the second-highest number of viewing hours.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
Netflix Score: 8.11/10
Thirdly, we have the Oscar-winning movie, All Quiet on the Western Front, based on the novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. Overall, it scored 8.11 out of 10 across all the factors we looked at, it was the eighth-most viewed Netflix original movie with 175.2 million viewing hours and the third-most talked about on both TikTok and Instagram.
The Most-Watched Netflix Original Series
1. Stranger Things Season 4
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 1,887,310,000
As previously mentioned, Stranger Things was Netflix’s most-watched TV series of 2022, with nearly 1.9 billion viewing hours. It remained in Netflix’s top 10 for 19 weeks, perhaps partly because the season was released in two halves, with part one released in May and the second part in July.
2. Wednesday Season 1
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 1,806,850,000
Wednesday was the only other show to compete with Stranger Things here, amassing just over 1.8 billion viewing hours. Despite releasing their episodes all at once, Wednesday managed to stay in Netflix’s global top 10 for 20 weeks.
3. Dahmer Season 1
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 962,470,000
It felt like everyone was talking about Dahmer at one point or another, with the series amassing almost 1 billion viewing hours during its seven weeks in the top 10. There are rumours that Netflix has ordered a second season of this controversial series.
The Most-Watched Netflix Original Movies
1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 301,730,000
The first Knives Out Mystery movie was a decent success, but many critics thought Glass Onion improved the who-dun-it, a genre in the vein of Agatha Christie’s works. The movie amassed over 300 million viewing hours in its 7 weeks in the top 10.
2. The Gray Man
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 265,980,000
The Russo brother's movie The Gray Man takes the second spot, having amassed more than 265 million viewing hours on Netflix. The movie was in the top 10 for 6 weeks, again, either due to or despite Chris Evans’ moustache.
3. The Adam Project
Number of viewing hours on Netflix (whilst in the top 10): 260,520,000
The Adam Project had quite a star cast, featuring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldaña, which was a recipe for success. In its first week alone the movie amassed more than 92 million viewing hours. Overall, it remained in the top 10 for 8 weeks and during this period managed just over 260.5 million viewing hours globally.
The Most Googled Netflix Original Series
1. Stranger Things Season 4
Number of Google Searches: 51,813,000
Stranger Things season 4 once again tops the rankings, with more than 51 million searches globally since January 2022, all the way up until April 2023. A further mark to show the overwhelming popularity of this series.
2. Bridgerton Season 2
Number of Google Searches: 13,345,000
Bridgerton was Netflix’s second-most searched-for original series since January 2022, with more than 13.3 million searches globally.
3. You Season 4
Number of Google Searches: 10,452,000
Third, we have You season 4, which had a total Google search volume of around 10.4 million from January 2022. Perhaps illustrating that we couldn’t keep this series off our minds, how very Joe-like.
The Most Googled Netflix Original Movies
1. The Stranger
Number of Google Searches: 1,942,500
The Stranger was Netflix’s most searched-for original movie since January 2022, amassing more than 1.9 million searches globally. The film was based on the non-fiction book, The Sting: The Undercover Operation That Caught Daniel Morcombe's Killer by Kate Kyriacou.
2. Troll
Number of Google Searches: 1,246,700
Kaiju, or monster movies, have always been a big hit, with the likes of King Kong and Godzilla featuring, but Netflix released their own Norwegian monster movie, Troll. The movie amassed almost 1.3 million Google searches globally since the start of 2022.
3. Hustle
Number of Google Searches: 1,178,400
Hustle is a sports comedy-drama featuring Adam Sandler as an NBA scout, and LeBron James was also a producer on the movie, through his company SpringHill. The movie was searched for almost 1.2 million times globally since January 2022.
The Most Popular Netflix Series on TikTok
1. Dahmer Season 1
Number of TikTok views: 8,700,000,000
Dahmer once again ranks high, this time on TikTok as its most talked about Netflix series. There were around 8.7 billion views on posts talking about Dahmer’s first season.
2. Wednesday Season 1
Number of TikTok views: 7,900,000,000
Wednesday season 1 had a rather iconic moment in it, a dance which was choreographed by Jenna Ortega. The dance in question went viral on TikTok, contributing to the 7.9 billion views for posts talking about this series.
3. Stranger Things Season 4
Number of TikTok views: 1,800,000,000
And in third place, we have Stranger Things’ fourth season, with the penultimate season of the hit series amassing around 1.8 billion views on TikTok.
The Most Popular Netflix Movies on TikTok
1. Enola Holmes 2
Number of TikTok Views: 2,000,000,000
Enola Holmes 2, featuring Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown and Superman star Henry Cavill amassed around 2 billion views on TikTok. This was way more than any other Netflix original movie released since the start of 2022.
2. Purple Hearts
Number of TikTok Views: 832,100,000
Taking the second spot for the most talked about Netflix original movie is Purple Hearts, which is based on the book of the same name by Tess Wakefield. The movie has more than 832 million views on TikTok.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
Number of TikTok Views: 543,600,000
The Oscar winner is back again, All Quiet on the Western Front was a huge hit, having more than 543 million views on TikTok.
The Most Popular Netflix Series on Instagram
1. Wednesday Season 1
Number of Instagram posts: 159,831
Wednesday season one is once again one of the most talked about Netflix series on social media, this time on Instagram. There are almost 160,000 posts on the site talking about the series' debut season.
2. Stranger Things Season 4
Number of Instagram posts: 113,255
And, of course, our other usual suspect, we have Stranger Things' penultimate season as the second-most talked about Netflix original series on Instagram. Almost 114,000 posts are talking about the latest season of Stranger Things.
3. Bridgerton Season 2
Number of Instagram Posts: 53,856
And the third-most talked about Netflix original series on Instagram is Bridgerton’s second season, with almost 54,000 posts.
The Most Popular Netflix Movies on Instagram
1. Enola Holmes 2
Number of Instagram Posts: 108,633
Millie Bobby Brown’s Enola Holmes 2 is back again, this time as the most talked about Netflix original movie on Instagram, with almost 109,000 posts.
2. Murder Mystery 2
Number of Instagram Posts: 23,041
The sequel to the 2019 movie Murder Mystery featuring an iconic duo of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston is the second-most talked about Netflix original movie on Instagram. Just over 23,000 posts are talking about the movie.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front
Number of Instagram posts: 22,779
All Quiet on the Western Front is cleaning up more than just awards, it was the third-most talked about Netflix original movie on Instagram, with a little under 23,000 posts.
Netflix Original Series with the Most Media Coverage
1. You Season 4
Number of news articles: 180,000
Penn Badley’s fourth season of You was the Netflix original series of 2022 to secure the most media coverage. On Google News, there are around 180,000 results talking about the penultimate season of the series.
2. Wednesday Season 1
Number of news articles: 118,000
Wednesday was a total hit across the board, so of course, it secured a lot of attention in the media. On Google News, around 118,000 results are talking about the debut season of Netflix’s new hit series.
3. Partner Track Season 1
Number of news articles: 116,000
Partner Track season 1 got the third-most media coverage, though, not for particularly positive reasons. The first season premiered in August of 2022 and was canceled by November of the same year, likely contributing to the 116,000 news results on Google News.
Netflix Original Movies with the Most Media Coverage
1. The Gray Man
Number of news articles: 246,000
The Gray Man was the Netflix original movie with the most media coverage. On Google News, there are around 246,000 results talking about the movie.
2. You People
Number of news articles: 193,000
Since its release, You People featuring Jonah Hill, Lauren London and Eddie Murphy has been widely discussed. Some love it, others hate it. But, all that chatter has resulted in media attention, with 193,000 results on Google News already, as the movie was released in January 2023.
3. The Big 4
Number of news articles: 91,500
The Big 4 is an Indonesian action comedy from Netflix, released in December 2022. The movie has gone on to be covered in the media quite widely, gaining around 91,500 results on Google News.
The Most Googled Netflix Original Series in Canada
1. Stranger Things Season 4
Number of Google Searches: 1,939,100
The most Googled for Netflix original series since January 2022 in Canada is Stranger Things season 4, illustrating the series' reach as a worldwide hit. The latest season of the series amassed over 1.9 million Google searches since the start of 2022.
2. Bridgerton Season 2
Number of Google Searches: 656,500
Bridgerton’s second season is the second-most searched-for Netflix original series in Canada. Since the start of 2022, it has been searched for on Google more than 656,000 times in Canada.
3. You Season 4
Number of Google Searches: 605,700
Third, we have You season 4, having over 600,000 Google searches in Canada since the beginning of 2022.
The Most Googled Netflix Original Movies in Canada
1. The Stranger
Number of Google Searches: 76,000
Taking the number one spot for the most Googled Netflix original movies in Canada, we have The Stranger, with around 76,000 searches since the start of 2022.
2. Persuasion
Number of Google Searches: 50,000
In second place, we have Persuasion, another adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel of the same name. Since the start of 2022, this Netflix original movie has been searched for around 50,000 times.
3. Hustle
Number of Google Searches: 41,770
And in third place for the most Google Netflix original movie in Canada, we have Adam Sandler’s Hustle. Since the start of 2022, the movie has had more than 41,000 searches on Google.
Methodology
To begin, we took a list of Netflix original movies and series that premiered on or after January 1, 2022. To do so, we used Wikipedia.
We then used Netflix’s Global Top 10 to take the number of viewing hours for each title while they were in the top 10.
Using Google Keyword Planner we were able to take the search volume for each title, both globally and for Canada. We used the date range January 2022 to April 2023. This data was taken on 24/05/2023.
Using TikTok and Instagram we took the number of posts for Instagram and views for TikTok for each title. This data was taken on 24/05/2023.
We took the number of results displayed for each title on Google News to tell us how much media coverage each title received. This data was taken on 24/05/2023.
We then ranked each title on all of the aforementioned factors to give them an overall score out of 10. Each factor was given equal weighting. We ranked the series and movies separately.
