This week’s Samba TV Wrap report is full of signs that the seasons are changing. Nowhere is that more obvious than the top spot, which signals that the Netflix Summer is officially over.
“Alien: Earth,” the Hulu and FX spinoff of the popular “Alien” franchise, tops the chart for the first time, ending Netflix’s streak of 11 consecutive weeks at number one.
Not only is this the title that ended Netflix’s streak, but it’s also the first Hulu title to top the streaming chart since “Shogun” all the way back on the May 2, 2024 edition of the Samba TV Wrap report.
Don’t shed too many tears for Netflix. In addition to those seven chart-topping titles, Netflix also has what is undoubtedly the streaming hit of the summer with “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The animated musical is without precedent for both Netflix and the Samba TV Wrap report. In the past week, the film topped the weekend box office, became the most-watched Netflix movie of all time, and had the number one song in the country. All of that fueled even more streaming viewership, as “KPop Demon Hunters” rose to third on this week’s streaming chart, a new peak.
This is a film that didn’t appear on the chart the week it arrived on streaming, showed up briefly the following week, and then dropped off the chart. It returned in a big way and has now spent seven straight weeks in the Top 10.
Streaks like that are usually the domain of shows with weekly release schedules, not a feature-length film, and certainly not for Netflix, which follows an “all-at-once” model for its TV series. Since the film arrived on streaming on June 22, 17 other Netflix titles have appeared and then disappeared from the streaming chart.
The only other Netflix title to come close to that streak is “The Hunting Wives,” which has been on the chart for five straight weeks now (it’s down to number nine this week). “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” on Prime Video, has now been on the chart six straight weeks (it’s No. 4 this week). But again, that show is aided by a weekly release schedule.
As for the rest of the chart, Netflix is in good standing, with seven total titles in the top 10. While the streamer’s biggest series, “Wednesday,” falls to fifth this week after two weeks at number one, expect a quick return. The second half of season two arrives on September 3.
Meanwhile, the docuseries “Fit for TV: The Reality of the Biggest Loser” is proving to be a surprise hit, rising all the way to number two on this week’s chart.
The bottom half of the chart contains four debuts, with three of them belonging to Netflix. “Hostage” kicks things off, with the political thriller miniseries in sixth. “Night Always Comes,” a crime thriller starring Vanessa Kirby of “Fantastic Four” and “Mission: Impossible” fame, lands at seven this week.
HBO Max sees its latest true crime docu-series, “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” come in at eight this week. The aforementioned “The Hunting Wives” drops all the way down to ninth this week.
Finally, just ahead of the NFL season kickoff, we find “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.” The latest in Netflix’s string of successful sports documentary series looks at the Dallas Cowboys and their owner, Jerry Jones.
This week’s linear chart provides even more proof that summer is truly ending. The 20th season of “America’s Got Talent” has reached its quarter-final round, meaning the show now airs twice a week up until its September 10 finale. This week’s episodes account for the top two spots on the chart.
We’ll likely know the winner of “American Ninja Warrior” by the time this column goes to print, but the competition’s penultimate episode on Aug. 18 drew enough viewers to make it the third-most-watched program this week.
“Wheel of Fortune” claims four spots on this week’s chart, making room for “Celebrity Family Feud” (in seventh), “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (eighth), and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” (tenth).
The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most-watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television, sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households, balanced to the U.S. Census.
