There’s so much content now, it’s often hard to know what to watch on Netflix Australia or if it’s worth your precious time. Unlike broadcast television, you can’t go to the ratings to find out how broadly liked a Netflix show is, so you just have to trust the trending column.
However, Netflix does occasionally release viewership numbers, which are a good indicator of how many people are enjoying a show. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos recently appeared at the Code Conference in LA, where he brought with him some interesting statistics on Netflix’s top original titles.
Netflix seems to calculate its viewership based on the total number of hours viewed in the first 28 days of release. We’ve also seen Netflix release data based on how many households watched a movie or show, so you’ll see some of those numbers in this list as well.
These are the best new movies and shows that everyone is watching on Netflix, according to the numbers.
What to watch on Netflix Australia
Bridgerton
Bridgerton really took the world by storm, so it’s no surprise to see it featured as one of Netflix’s top-performing series. Season one of Bridgerton clocked up 625 million hours viewed in its first month, which is a whole lot of sexy period drama.
Thankfully, more Bridgerton is on the way and we can expect season 2 to drop in 2022.
Money Heist
Another hit for Netflix, this time in the Spanish-language department, was Money Heist, which garnered 619 million hours for part 4 and 426 million hours for part 3.
Money Heist is entering its final season later this year — a fact Netflix probably regrets after seeing these numbers.
Stranger Things
Fans have absolutely loved anything and everything Stranger Things since it debuted in 2016, and Netflix has the numbers to prove it. Season 2 raked in 427 million hours and season 3 clocked up 582 million hours. I promise half of those figures weren’t just me watching the show on repeat.
Stranger Things is getting a fourth season next year which you can learn all about in our round-up.
Bird Box
Bird Box definitely benefitted from that holiday juice when it was released at Christmas time in 2018. It’s Netflix’s top-rated movie so far with 282 million hours in its first month.
What is it with our obsession with seeing the world end?
Extraction
It’s hard to deny Chris Hemsworth in an action movie and the 231 million hours that people spent watching Extraction prove it. If you’re hoping to see more of Chris as Tyler Rake then you’ll be glad to know a second movie is on the way.
The Witcher
Book to video game to TV show adaptations aren’t easy to do, but The Witcher’s first season pretty much nailed it with 541 million hours across the board. People really are keen to see Henry Cavill in that bathtub.
Season 2 of The Witcher is coming very soon, so expect some more big numbers.
Enola Holmes
What’s this? More Henry Cavill? You bet. Enola Holmes starring Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill brought in 190 million hours.
The movie is a new take on the traditional Sherlock Holmes story, with the focus moving to Enola, the youngest Holmes sibling.
Spenser Confidential
Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke star in this action-comedy about an ex-cop and ex-con teaming up to uncover a sinister conspiracy.
Spenser Confidential gained 197 million hours of viewing time in its first month. If you’re stumped for what to watch on Netflix in Australia, give this a try!
13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why may have stirred up controversy for a myriad of reasons, but there’s nothing like controversy to make a lot of people watch something.
Season 1 of the series had 476 million hours and season 2 clocked even more at 496 million hours.
The Irishman
Look, The Irishman is no doubt a good movie, but some of its 215 million hours viewed surely have to be attributed to its 3.5-hour runtime.
The movie stars a trio of Hollywood heavyweights in Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, and is directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese.
You
Netflix’s stalker drama You has clearly followed a lot of people home with 457 million hours viewed in the first month of season 2. Season 3 is dropping very soon, but you still have time to catch up on Joe and Love’s antics so far.
Ginny & Georgia
For something a bit lighter, why not check out Ginny & Georgia? Folks spent 381 million hours watching this comedy-drama about a mother and her two kids who attempt a fresh start in a New England town.
The Kissing Booth 2
We’re all partial to a bit of heartwarming teen drama and you can’t go past The Kissing Booth trilogy for that. The Kissing Booth 2 takes the lead here with 209 million hours watched.
6 Underground
6 Underground was undoubtedly a hit for Netflix with 205 million hours worth of views in its first month. The action movie stars Ryan Reynolds as the leader of a group of skilled operatives who embark on a mission to take down a brutal dictator.
The Old Guard
The Old Guard took a successful graphic novel and made it into an equally successful movie on Netflix with 186 million hours.
The movie stars Charlize Theron as one of a group of immortal mercenaries fighting to protect their secrets and freedom.
Murder Mystery
We probably shouldn’t love Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler movies as much as we do, but Murder Mystery’s numbers reveal the truth. The movie managed 170 million hours and a sequel is on the way, so it did something right despite its poor Rotten Tomatoes ratings.
Shadow and Bone
We’ve said it once we’ll say it again – Shadow and Bone is one of the best shows on Netflix.
It’s one of the good young adult fantasy book adaptations from recent years and, according to Netflix’s numbers, over 55 million households agree. It’s already been renewed for a second season so head over to Netflix and catch up on it ASAP.
Sweet Tooth
Not all DC comics are about Batman and Superman, you know? There’s also the beloved Sweet Tooth, which was adapted into a Netflix series last month.
Sweet Tooth puts us in a post-apocalyptic world after a deadly virus (all too real) allows for mysterious animal-human hybrids to emerge. A young lovable hybrid by the name of Gus goes on a journey across this dangerous land after the death of his father and forms a bond with a new protector.
Over 60 million accounts checked out this show on Netflix, so you have it on good authority that Sweet Tooth is worth a shot.
Too Hot To Handle
The second season of reality dating show Too Hot To Handle, which shows us what happens to a bunch of attractive people when sex is banned, gained a casual 29 million viewers in its first month.
This makes it one of the hottest (pun intended) unscripted shows on Netflix.
The Circle
The Circle racked up 14 million views for its second season in its first month.
The strange reality competition show takes online catfishing to a new level as a group of strangers are placed in separate rooms and can only communicate via a social media platform.
Army of the Dead
If you put Zack Snyder and zombies together, the armies will show up to watch it, and that’s exactly what they did for Army of the Dead.
The Netflix movies garnered 187 million hours in its first four weeks, making it one hell of a good year for Zack Snyder. Be warned: Army of the Dead isn’t quite as long as Snyder’s cut of Justice League, but it is just as wild.
The Mitchells vs The Machines
The Mitchells vs The Machines might’ve flown under your radar, but it didn’t for 53 million other households.
You should really trust them because The Mitchells vs The Machines is an amazing animated film on Netflix. It comes from the minds of The Lego Movie creators and follows a family road trip that goes wrong when all the world’s electronic devices come to life and take over Earth.
It’s crazy and you’re gonna love it.
Lupin
The second season of the French Netflix series Lupin broke the bank in the non-English category with 54 million initial views.
The series tells the story of Arsène Lupin, a famous gentleman and thief who sets out to avenge the death of his father.
Fatherhood
Kevin Hart may surprise you in the heartfelt comedy about a single father who must raise his young daughter after the death of his wife.
74 million households laughed and shed a tear over Fatherhood in its first month.
Elite
Spanish teen thriller Elite continued to smash viewership in its fourth season with 37 million watches.
The story of three new students clashing with the wealthy popular teens in a private boarding school clearly had everyone on the edge of their seats for another season.
These are the shows and movies that everyone was watching according to recent Netflix data, but keep an eye out for new results in a few months’ time.
If you’re wondering what else to watch on Netflix Australia, check out which new titles earned Emmy Award nominations or see which movies and shows are deemed the best according to Rotten Tomatoes.
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