After a spring dominated by Max, are we at the beginning of Netflix Summer? The streaming platform has a firm grip on the top of the chart this week thanks to three titles that include a surprise hit, a returning favorite and a documentary about a very bad time at sea.
Up first is “The Waterfront,” a crime drama that arrived with little fanfare yet has topped the chart two weeks in a row. It also marks the fourth consecutive week Netflix has held the top spot, following the two weeks “Straw” spent at number one.
That’s followed by the return of “Squid Game.” The third and final season of the incredibly popular – and hyper-violent – Korean show was added to the platform on June 27. Those three days of viewership were enough to vault the show into second place this week, which is no small feat. The first episode was seen in 1.6 million households in that timeframe. If “Squid Game” keeps up that kind of viewership, it will likely top the chart next week after its first full week of availability.
Capping Netflix’s top-three run is “Trainwreck: Poop Cruise,” a title that really does tell you everything you need to know. The documentary recaps how a 2013 Carnival Cruise went horribly wrong after losing power at sea, leaving the 4,000 passengers without the ability to flush their toilets.
In fourth place this week is “Love Island USA” on Peacock. The American version of the reality show seems to be reaching new heights this season, and a weekly release schedule has helped it stay in the top half of the chart for several weeks now.
“The Gilded Age,” in fifth, marks the return of Max’s Sunday-night programming on the chart. The campy period piece returned for its third season on June 22 and made it onto the chart for the first time this week. It’s followed by another Max entry, “A Minecraft Movie.” The box-office smash has been a streaming success as well, aided in large part by the video game’s multitude of fans.
Seventh place marks the return of another viewer favorite, “The Bear” on Hulu. The prestige series about a Chicago restaurant has been a paragon of consistency, with a new season arriving during the final week of June every year since 2022. This is markedly different from other breakout streaming. For example, “Wednesday” will return to Netflix later this summer after a nearly three-year break.
In eighth this week is “Stick,” the Apple TV+ series that stars Owen Wilson as a down-on-his-luck golf pro. It’s down one spot from last week.
Two debuts close out the streaming Top 10. First, we return to Netflix for “KPop Demon Hunters.” Much like the aforementioned “Poop Cruise,” the title of this animated musical fantasy basically tells you everything you need to know about the plot.
Finally, we come to “Ironheart” on Disney+. The latest Marvel Studios streaming miniseries follows the adventures of the titular superhero character, an MIT student and inventor who was first seen in 2022’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Changing the channel to linear, ABC’s “CMA Fest” broadcast tops the chart. The three-hour concert special captured highlights from the country music festival, which happened earlier in June in Nashville.
Summer favorite “America’s Got Talent” slid down to second this week to make room for “CMA Fest,” while “American Ninja Warrior” held steady in sixth place.
The rest of the chart firmly reflects linear TV’s summer doldrums: perennial favorite “Wheel of Fortune” occupies four spots this week, while “Jeopardy!” accounts for three.
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.
