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With 3.34 billion viewing minutes logged from September 1 to 7, 2025, the second half of Wednesday’s second season put the Addams family spin-off back at the top of the streaming charts. Only its own premiere week and Squid Game’s second season have done better this year.
Wednesday returns in force
It had been awhile since we heard Wednesday Addams’ biting wit echo across Netflix, but that changed dramatically when the final episodes of season 2 dropped on September 3. In just a few days, the teen gothic series garnered 3.34 billion minutes of viewing, proving that interest in the show hasn’t waned since its debut in 2022. That massive total makes it the third-largest weekly performance in 2025, sitting behind Wednesday’s own early-season numbers and Squid Game’s monolithic 4.6 billion minutes back in January.
Personally, I’m not surprised. Jenna Ortega’s magnetic pull on screen, the meticulously designed spooky settings, and the show’s way of reimagining high school tropes through a dark lens make it completely bingeable. When the final four episodes arrived, it’s clear fans couldn’t wait.
New series enter the scene
In the same week, two new original series made a solid entrance in the streaming world, showing that audiences are still deeply invested in familiar universes. To read Pluribus finale shocks fans as season 2 faces long wait
- NCIS: Tony and Ziva debuted on Paramount+ with 371 million minutes watched, landing it in eighth place among original series.
- The Paper, a spiritual successor to The Office, made its own quiet splash on Peacock with 342 million minutes, placing just two spots behind in tenth place.
These numbers might feel modest next to Wednesday, but for new shows in the crowded September landscape, that’s a promising launch. It confirms something I find both comforting and expected: audiences love to return to characters and dynamics they already know.
What also helps, undoubtedly, is that both mother series haven’t vanished from public view. NCIS still makes regular appearances in the Nielsen acquired series charts, and The Office, though no longer on Netflix, maintains a loyal following on Peacock.
Other major players of the week
Beyond Wednesday and the new arrivals, several familiar titles remained strong on the charts, keeping the landscape varied and competitive.
- My Life With the Walter Boys, a Netflix teen drama, climbed to second place with 1.13 billion viewing minutes.
- The documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish reached 1.1 billion minutes, slightly behind in third.
- KPop Demon Hunters, which had topped the charts the previous week, slipped to fourth but still held a solid 1.09 billion minutes.
I watched KPop Demon Hunters out of curiosity when it peaked — it’s one of those rare hybrids of genre that risks everything and somehow delivers. Even as its momentum slows, it deserves credit for bringing something fresh.
Lilo & Stitch make a streaming splash
Among the movies, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch returned in a streaming debut on September 3 and immediately took the third spot in Nielsen’s film charts, racking up 803 million minutes. In a world dominated by drama series and true crime, it’s nice — and kind of nostalgic — to see a warm animated story still capture hearts. To read Taylor Swift opens up in final Eras Tour docuseries episode
And while we’re talking about warm vibes, The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video also reached a personal high with 736 million minutes as fans geared up for its season three finale. This series has quietly built emotional loyalty over time, blending the tension of teen infatuation with a gentle summer melancholy. Not groundbreaking, but undeniably effective.
Nielsen’s numbers reveal what’s really clicking with TV audiences, though it’s still worth remembering they only measure US viewing via television sets — not tablets, phones or computers. That means the real numbers, especially for younger-skewing shows like Wednesday or KPop Demon Hunters, might be even higher.
So while the charts tell a solid story, the full picture, as always, is still just beyond the screen.
