Pictures via Netflix – Illustration by What’s on Netflix
It’s been a strange first half of the year for Netflix. Sure, some hits entered Netflix’s all-time top 10, but Netflix’s slate issues mean there are not quite as many as you’d expect. Let’s break down the most-watched series, movies, documentaries and docu-series released so far in 2024.
For this analysis, we used our Complete Viewing Equivalent metric following the first 14 days (2 weeks) of release. The numbers are all sourced from Netflix’s top 10 website. The CVE metric is obtained by dividing the number of hours viewed released by Netflix every week by the series’ runtime. That’s what Netflix now calls “Views.”
If you enjoy this post, don’t forget that you can find a weekly recap of the biggest stories from the Netflix top 10s in our top 10 reports published on Wednesdays.
1. Most Watched English Language Series of 2024 So Far
- Fool Me Once – 61M
- Griselda – 46.3M
- Avatar: The Last Airbender – 45.7M
- The Gentlemen – 37.8M
- 3 Body Problem – 30.7M
The first half of 2024 has been quite a good run so far for Netflix, with the series performing well, although the ranking of the first five most-watched is quite surprising.
Nobody would have bet on Fool Me Once to do that well, whilst 3 Body Problem is a good hit but not the hit Netflix probably thought it would be.
Out of those five series, Griselda and Fool Me Once are limited series and won’t be coming back. Still, Avatar: The Last Airbender and 3 Body Problem have already been renewed for multiple seasons (not something we see a lot when it comes to Netflix).
The last remaining unknown is the British series The Gentlemen, which did great in the charts but hasn’t been renewed yet. It had a “limited series” feel, but it is still labeled as a regular series on Netflix, so who knows?
Finally, where is the phenomenon of Baby Reindeer? Well, it fell in a blind spot of my methodology since it soared starting with its third week, hence missing the Top 5 charts based on its first 14 days alone.
- Bridgerton Season 3 – 76.1M (and counting)
- Sweet Tooth Season 3 – 12.9M
- Heartbreak High Season 2 – 6.1M
- Blood & Water Season 4 – 4.5M
- That 90s Show – 4M
When it comes to returning series, the massive success of season 3 of Bridgerton hid the fact that not a lot of English-speaking series came back for a new season in the first half of 2024.
The final season of Sweet Tooth did what it could on the heels of the first two seasons, the same as season 2 of Heartbreak High, but season 2 of That 90s Show wildly underperformed, and season 3 of Girls5Eva is missing in action. Sure, last year’s strikes can be to blame, but it’s not just returning English-speaking series afflicted by the scarcity of releases.
2. Most Watched International Series of 2024 So Far.
- The Asunta Case – 20.7M
- Raising Voices – 18.9M
- Parayste: The Grey – 18.7M
- The Signal – 13.2M
- Furies – 12.8M
On the International series side, Netflix did not have a massive runaway success in the first six months of 2024 but instead had a slew of solid hits, led by the Spanish series The Asunta Case and Raising Voices.
Parasyte: The Grey did very well in South Korea, and in Europe, the German series The Signal and the French series Furies round out the top five series.
Out of those five shows, three are over as they’re listed as limited series (The Asunta Case, Parasyte the Grey, and The Signal), while the remaining two are yet to be renewed, which is one of the true marks of what success looks like for Netflix.
- Wrong Side of the Tracks Season 2 – 6.9M
- Good Morning, Veronica Season 3 – 6M**
- Alrawabi School for Girls Season 2 – 5M
- Alpha Males Season 2 – 4.5M
- Young Royals Season 3 – 4.1M**
For returning international series, it is also quite dire with no hits either and weaker new seasons. The end of Young Royals was relatively uneventful, for that matter. Now, the strikes can’t be blamed for that lack of content in the first half of 2024, so maybe Netflix is starting to be at a point when the lack of renewals is beginning to show on an international level.
Looking ahead, the second half of 2024 will look starkly different, with season 2 of Squid Game set to release.
3. Most Watched English Language Movies of 2024 So Far
- Damsel – 99.1M
- Lift – 80.5M
- Atlas – 66M
- A Family Affair – 65M
- Trigger Warning – 57.7M
Netflix released way fewer English-speaking films in the first half of 2024, but there are some solid hits among them, starting with Damsel, which managed to enter the all-time Top 10.
Lift also proved Kevin Hart’s remaining star power. One disappointment could be Atlas with Jennifer Lopez, which failed to do better than The Mother, which was released last year. The rom-com A Family Affair and the action film Trigger Warning also had solid numbers.
Like last year, women are the driving force of hits in Netflix films. Now, there’s a flop we have to mention here: Rebel Moon Part 2, which did not improve on the numbers of the first film (far from it), and it will be interesting to see how the rerelease of the two movies in August in a new (and improved?) cut will shake out in the charts.
4. Most Watched International Movies of 2024 So Far
- Under Paris – 73.8M
- Society of the Snow – 57.8M
- Colors of Evil Red – 36.6M
- Badland Hunters – 36.5M
- The Tearsmith – 36.4M
That’s the bright spot in Netflix’s programming schedule so far in 2024 as international films blew it out of the water (pun intended) with the success of the shark movie Under Paris and the critically-acclaimed Spanish film Society of the Snow, both of which ended up on the podium of the all-time Top 10 international films.
Beyond the first two films, the three others did solid results in genres ranging from Italian young adult fare to South Korean post-apocalyptic film. A very diverse slate, to be sure.
5. Most Watched Documentaries of 2024 So Far
- What Jennifer Did – 36.5M
- Lover Stalker Killer – 27.5M
- Einstein and the Bomb – 18M**
- The Greatest Night in Pop – 17M
- Hack Your Health – 12.3M
True crime is still the reigning documentary genre on Netflix, with What Jennifer Did and Lover Stalker Killer doing the best numbers during the first half of 2024. On the heels of Oppenheimer (presumably), Einstein and the Bomb was the bomb, while The Greatest Night in Pop did very well and is currently the most highly ranked Netflix documentary of 2024 on IMDB so far.
6. Most Watched Docu-series of 2024 So Far
- American Nightmare – 36.5M
- Testament: The Story of Moses – 20M
- Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal – 18M**
- Dancing for the Devil – 16.5M
- Worst Roommate Ever – 13M**
Unsurprisingly, true crime also rules the most-watched documentary series charts, with American Nightmare leading the way so far in 2024. One genre gaining steam on Netflix is faith-based docuseries, with the success of Testament: The Story of Moses. One genre missing in this chart is sports-adjacent docuseries, which failed to resonate even though Netflix released several of them in the first half of the year.
Most Watched Original Series in 2024 So Far
Most Watched Original Films in 2024 So Far