scorecardThe top streaming TV series this week on Netflix, Disney Plus, and others show the dominance of sci-fi and fantasy
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The top streaming TV series this week on Netflix, Disney Plus, and others show the dominance of sci-fi and fantasy

Travis Clark   

The top streaming TV series this week on Netflix, Disney Plus, and others show the dominance of sci-fi and fantasy
"Lucifer"John P. Fleenor/Netflix
  • Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with a list of the nine most in-demand original TV shows on streaming services in the US.
  • Netflix's "Lucifer" surged in audience demand this week with its season 5 debut.

Netflix's "Lucifer" surged in audience demand this week after its fifth season debuted on the streaming giant on Friday.

But it's still lagging behind Netflix's other hit, "The Umbrella Academy."

Every week, Parrot Analytics provides Business Insider with a list of the nine most in-demand TV shows on streaming services in the US.

The data is based on "demand expressions," Parrot Analytics' globally standardized TV-demand measurement unit. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement, and viewership weighted by importance. The list is ranked by how much more in demand the top series are than the average TV show in the US.

The collection of shows this week highlight how sci-fi and fantasy — superheroes, monsters, and more — dominate streaming TV. From the "Star Wars" series "The Mandalorian" to Netflix's fantasy hit "The Witcher," TV audiences generally gravitate toward genre moreso than traditional dramatic fare.

Below are this week's nine most popular original shows on Netflix and other streaming services:

9. "Dark" (Netflix)

9. "Dark" (Netflix)
Ulrich Nielsen in 2019.      Netflix

Times more in demand than average show: 26.4

Description: "A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 97%

What critics said: "Watching Dark's third and final season is like clutching the hand of a person who's dangling from a helicopter over a vast canyon-you're just holding on for dear life, desperate to maintain your grip on the wild situation." — Daily Beast (Season 3)

Season 3 premiered on Netflix on June 27. See more insights for "Dark."

8. "The Witcher" (Netflix)

8. "The Witcher" (Netflix)
"The Witcher"      Netflix

Times more in demand than average show: 28.2

Description: "Geralt of Rivia, a mutated monster-hunter for hire, journeys toward his destiny in a turbulent world where people often prove more wicked than beasts."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 1): 67%

What critics said: "Even with the hardcore fantasy elements and mesmerizing sword fighting, The Witcher feels like both a high stakes fantasy drama and a bit of a western, nailing down the lone ranger trope with Geralt fairly easily." — The Young Folks (Season 1)

Season 1 premiered on Netflix on December 20. See more insights for "The Witcher."

7. "Harley Quinn" (DC Universe)

7. "Harley Quinn" (DC Universe)
DC Universe

Times more in demand than average show: 29.5

Description: "Harley Quinn has taken down the Joker and Gotham City is finally hers for the taking…whatever's left of it that is. Gotham has become a desolate wasteland, left in ruins, following the huge earthquake caused by the collapse of Joker's tower. Harley's celebration in this newly created chaos is cut short when Penguin, Bane, Mr. Freeze, The Riddler, and Two-Face join forces to restore order in the criminal underworld. Calling themselves the Injustice League, this group now stands in the way of Harley and her crew from taking sole control of Gotham as the top villains of the city."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 100%

What critics said: "It turns out the only thing I needed to truly love Harley Quinn was to see that she, too, could be another single gal in the city, getting over a bad breakup, trying to have it all. Who knew?" — Vox (season 2)

Season 2 premiered April 3 on DC Universe. See more insights for "Harley Quinn."

6. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney Plus)

6. "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (Disney Plus)
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" season 7      Disney Plus

Times more in demand than average show: 31.0

Description: "From Dave Filoni, director and executive producer of 'The Mandalorian,' the new 'Clone Wars' episodes will continue the storylines introduced in the original series, exploring the events leading up to 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.'"

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 7): 100%

What critics said: "In the endgame, the show is better than ever." — Memphis Flyer (season 7)

Season 7 premiered on February 21 on Disney Plus. See more insights for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars."

5. "Titans" (DC Universe)

5. "Titans" (DC Universe)
"Titans"      DC Universe

Times more in demand than average show: 40.8

Description: "'Titans' follows young heroes from across the DC Universe as they come of age and find belonging in a gritty take on the classic Teen Titans franchise. Dick Grayson and Rachel Roth, a special young girl possessed by a strange darkness, get embroiled in a conspiracy that could bring Hell on Earth. Joining them along the way are the hot-headed Starfire and lovable Beast Boy. Together they become a surrogate family and team of heroes."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 81%

What critics said: "It's a bit cartoonish, and low-tech, sure. But once the veil is lifted, and the eyeliner is wiped off, it feels as if Titans can at last breathe." — CBR (Season 2)

Season 2 premiered on DC Universe on September 6. See more insights for "Titans."

4. "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus)

4. "The Mandalorian" (Disney Plus)
Goldblum's "Thor: Ragnarok" director Taika Waititi stars in "The Mandalorian" as IG-11 (left).      Disney Media Distribution

Times more in demand than average show: 47.4

Description: "After the fall of the Empire, a lone gunfighter makes his way through the lawless galaxy."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 1): 93%

What critics said: "It is a relief and a joy to see that The Mandalorian knows what it is here to do; it knows who it is fighting for." — Vanity Fair (Season 1)

Season 1 premiered on Disney Plus on November 12. See more insights for "The Mandalorian."

3. "Lucifer" (Netflix)

3. "Lucifer" (Netflix)
Netflix

Times more in demand than average show: 55.3

Description: "Bored with being the Lord of Hell, the devil relocates to Los Angeles, where he opens a nightclub and forms a connection with a homicide detective."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 5): 83%

What critics said: "Feels like the erstwhile 'finality' of the show gave the cast a lot more permission to explore their characters. Not only are they clearly having a blast, they're given room to flesh out what each of them mean to each other in a way they never have before." — Den of Geek (Season 5)

Season 5 premiered on Netflix on August 21. See more insights for "Lucifer."

2. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)

2. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)
Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton play Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, respectively, on Netflix's "Stranger Things."      Netflix

Times more in demand than average show: 60.0

Description: "When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 3): 89%

What critics said: "With risk comes reward, and in the end, the show feels all the more fresh because of it." — Film School Rejects (Season 3)

Season 3 premiered July 4, 2019 on Netflix. See more insights for "Stranger Things."

1. "The Umbrella Academy" (Netflix)

1. "The Umbrella Academy" (Netflix)
Robert Sheehan, Justin H. Min, Aidan Gallagher, Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Casteñada, and Emmy Raver-Lampman in a behind-the-scenes photo from season two, episode one of "The Umbrella Academy.      Christos Kalohoridis/Netflix

Times more in demand than average show: 90.2

Description: "Reunited by their father's death, estranged siblings with extraordinary powers uncover shocking family secrets — and a looming threat to humanity."

Rotten Tomatoes critic score (Season 2): 90%

What critics said: "Though the second season doesn't pull an immediate 180 for those left cold by what came before, it nevertheless feels like a mostly superior follow-up which changes just enough while further emphasising everything that worked about the first year." — What Culture (season 2)

Season 2 premiered July 31 on Netflix. See more insights for "The Umbrella Academy."

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