Hit Netflix Show Was the Most Streamed TV Series of 2022

Americans are streaming more than ever, and the list of the most-streamed shows from 2022 makes it clear that Netflix continues to dominate the industry. Stranger Things was by far the most-streamed show during 2022, according to Nielsen’s report on American streaming habits.

According to Nielsen, Americans streamed a combined 19.4 million years of content in 2022, up 27% from l5 million years in 2021. The increase was likely due to the increased original content being available on streaming services more than ever before. However, only two Netflix originals were in the overall Top 10, Stranger Things and Ozark. Wednesday and Cobra Kai also made the overall Top 15. No original programming from Netflix’s rivals made the overall Top 15 chart.

The overall Top 15 chart was also dominated by television shows, but one movie managed to make it. Disney’s Encanto took the fifth spot overall, with 27.4 billion minutes viewed. Netflix’s Wednesday managed to make it to the Top 15 even though it was released in November 2022 and there are only eight episodes. Scroll on for a look at the most streamed shows of 2022. 

2022 Top 15 Streaming Programs Overall

1. Stranger Things – Netflix (52.0 billion minutes viewed)
2. NCIS – various (38.1)
3. Cocobelon – Netflix (37.8)
4. Ozark – Netflix (31.3)
5. Encanto – Disney+ (27.4)
6. Grey’s Anatomy – Netflix (26.8)
7. Criminal Minds – various (24.9)
8. Bluey – Disney+ (21.1)
9. Gilmore Girls – Netflix (20.8)
10. Seinfeld – Netflix (19.3)
11. Supernatural – Netflix (18.8)
12. Wednesday – Netflix (18.6)
13. Heartland – Netflix (18.0)
14. Cobra Kai – Netflix (16.7)
15. The Simpsons – Disney+ (15.9)

2022 Top 15 Streaming Programs (Originals)

All shows in this chart are on Netflix, except the two on Amazon’s Prime Video as noted below.

1. Stranger Things
2. Ozark
3. Wednesday
4. Cobra Kai
5. Bridgerton (14.0 billion minutes viewed)
6. Virgin River (13.6)
7. Dahmer (13.1)
8. Love Is Blind (13.1)
9. Inventing Anna (12.9)
10. The Crown (12.7)
11. The Boys – Prime Video (10.6)
12. The Great British Baking Show (10.6)
13. The Umbrella Academy (10.5)
14. The Last Kingdom (10.4)
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Prime Video (9.4)

2022 Top 15 Streaming Programs (Acquired)

All of these shows are on Netflix, except as noted.

1. NCIS – various
2. Cocomelon
3. Grey’s Anatomy
4. Criminal Minds
5. Bluey – Disney+
6. Gilmore Girls
7. Seinfeld
8. Supernatural
9. Heartland
10. The Simpsons – Disney+
11. Friends – HBO Max (14.54 billion minutes viewed)
12. The Blacklist (14.01)
13. New Girl (13.97)
14. Spongebob Squarepans – Prime Video (13.87)
15. Shameless (13.62)

2022 Top 15 Streaming Programs (Movies)

Surprisingly, most of the movies are on Disney+. There are only five movies from Netflix on the chart, and only three – Don’t Look Up, The Adam Project, and The Gray Man – are Netflix originals. Therefore, all the titles below are from Disney+, except as noted.

1. Encanto
2. Turning Red (11.427 billion minutes viewed)
3. Sing 2 – Netflix (11.347)
4. Moana (8.629)
5. The Adam Project – Netflix (6.141)
6. Hocus Pocus 2 (5.697)
7. Don’t Look Up – Netflix (5.141)
8. Frozen (5.133)
9. Luca (4.974)
10. The Gray Man – Netflix (4.972)
11. Zootopia (4.437)
12. Coco (4.253)
13. Eternals (4.236)
14. Frozen II (4.195)
15. Uncharted (4.179)