Netflix's Stranger Things has been named the most-watched television series of 2026's first half, according to Nielsen viewing data, despite the show's final episode having aired back in December 2025. The finding is notable because it means the Duffer Brothers' sci-fi horror hit outstripped every series that actually premiered new episodes in 2026, underlining the sheer scale and staying power of its farewell run.

Nielsen recorded 23.26 billion minutes of viewing for Stranger Things between 29 December 2025 and 28 June 2026, including a record-breaking 8.65 billion minutes in the week its series finale dropped. The show only fell out of Nielsen's weekly top ten in early March, after amassing nearly 20 billion minutes, and has since added a further 3.81 billion minutes. Its fifth and final season also set Netflix's biggest-ever premiere week for an English-language series, drawing 59.6 million views in November.