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- The 30 most popular shows from Netflix and other streaming services in 2019, so far
The 30 most popular shows from Netflix and other streaming services in 2019, so far
- Analytics company Jumpshot provided Business Insider a list of the most popular streaming shows of 2019 so far, based on viewership.
- Netflix dominated the list, but some popular Hulu shows snuck in, as well.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Netflix has been on a cancellation spree lately, but that hasn't stopped viewers from tuning in.
Analytics company jumpshot provided Business Insider a list of the most popular original streaming TV shows of the year so far, and many of Netflix's recent cancellations - including "The Punisher" and "One Day at a Time" - made the list.
The canceled series weren't attracting large audiences prior to getting axed. For instance, "The Punisher's" second season dropped 40% in viewership in the first weekend after release compared to season one, according to data from Jumpshot.
Netflix dominated the list, showing that its investment in original content is paying off. Netflix is expected to spend up to $15 billion on original content in 2019. Netflix's hit superhero series, "The Umbrella Academy," came out on top. The streaming giant recently renewed the show for a second season.
But Hulu slid in with several of its own popular shows like "The Handmaid's Tale," "Pen15," and "Marvel's Runaways."
Jumpshot created the list based on number of views each series got in the first quarter of 2019 only on desktop devices, but the data can be used as a proxy of a show's relative popularity.
Below are the 30 most popular streaming shows of 2019, so far:
30. "Pen15" (Hulu)
Number of views: 1,594,047
Description: "PEN15 is middle school as it really happened. Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle star in this adult comedy, playing versions of themselves as thirteen-year-old outcasts in the year 2000, surrounded by actual thirteen-year-olds, where the best day of your life can turn into your worst with the stroke of a gel pen."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 95%
What critics said (Season 1): "The creators' commitment to their bit pays off, not merely with Y2K-era realism but emotionally, giving every humiliating moment a double edge." — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker
29. "The OA" (Netflix)
Number of views: 1,602,808
Description: "Seven years after vanishing from her home, a young woman returns with mysterious new abilities and recruits five strangers for a secret mission."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 84%
What critics said (Season 2): "The OA is kind of genius, while simultaneously being incredibly silly. And you know what? I love it! I love its goofy, loopy vibe." — Todd VanDerWerff, Vox
28. "Altered Carbon" (Netflix)
Number of views: 1,609,107
Description: "After 250 years on ice, a prisoner returns to life in a new body with one chance to win his freedom: by solving a mind-bending murder."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 66%
What critics said (Season 1): "Big issues of body, mind, identity and technology shuffle around the 'Altered Carbon' universe, but the show often drags its feet in order to fill its individual episodes' running times." — Adam Graham, Detroit News
27. "Santa Clarita Diet" (Netflix)
Number of views: 1,743,230
Description: "They're ordinary husband and wife realtors until she undergoes a dramatic change that sends them down a road of death and destruction. In a good way."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%
What critics said (Season 3): "Thanks to the writing and Barrymore and Olyphant's performances, Sheila and Joel's marriage has always been of the best on TV; the real-life problems they faced were given a fresh, comedic twist by this supernatural premise." — Andrea Reiher, AV Club
26. "Marvel's Runaways" (Hulu)
Number of views: 1,897,760
Description: "Every teenager thinks their parents are evil. What if you found out they actually were? Marvel's Runaways is the story of six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other but who must unite against a common foe – their parents."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 86%
What critics said (Season 2): "In pulling the kids away from their parents, Runaways' second season actually puts itself in an excellent position to further explore what it means to be a family rather than a team." — Charles Pulliam-Moore, io9
25. "Peaky Blinders" (Netflix)
Number of views: 2,221,132
Description: "A notorious gang in 1919 Birmingham, England, is led by the fierce Tommy Shelby, a crime boss set on moving up in the world no matter the cost."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 95%
What critics said (Season 4): "It's witty, thrilling and a total pleasure to watch. Peaky Blinders is brilliant TV." — Rebecca Nicholson, Guardian
24. "Narcos" (Netflix)
Number of views: 2,658,954
Description: "The true story of Colombia's infamously violent and powerful drug cartels fuels this gritty gangster drama series."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%
What critics said (Season 3): "Narcos gains something it never really had: an emotional throughline. This ratchets up the tension considerably." — Johsua Rivera, GQ
23. "House of Cards" (Netflix)
Number of views: 2,746,777
Description: "With Frank out of the picture, Claire Underwood steps fully into her own as the first woman president, but faces formidable threats to her legacy."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 78%
What critics said (Season 6): "It sounds like a compelling story, but Claire remains an icy, tough-to-read cipher through much of it, despite flashbacks to her childhood and that fourth-wall-breaking, talking-to-the-viewers thing that Spacey once did so well." — Eric Deggans, NPR
22. "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu)
Number of views: 2,805,710
Description: "A woman forced into sexual servitude struggles to survive in a terrifying, totalitarian society."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%
What critics said (Season 2): "The most compelling scenes in the new season are the ones that explore how exactly Gilead took over America, and that draw on contemporary events and figures with eerie relevance." — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic
21. "Stranger Things" (Netflix)
Number of views: 2,888,976
Description: "When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 95%
What critics said (Season 2): "Stranger Things provides a form of escapism that has nothing to do with alternate dimensions. It invites viewers to indulge in the sweet self-righteousness that can come with getting excluded for being uncool." — Alison Willmore, Buzzfeed
20. "F is for Family" (Netflix)
Number of views: 2,971,555
Description: "Follow the Murphy family back to the 1970s, when kids roamed wild, beer flowed freely and nothing came between a man and his TV."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 86%
What critics said (Season 3): "The third season of F Is for Family continues to deliver on the things that make it such a worthy and unique addition to the Netflix landscape. It's also the season that proves the show has legs and is ready to go the long-haul if given the chance." — Merrill Barr, Forbes
19. "Marvel's Daredevil" (Netflix)
Number of views: 3,503,146
Description: "Blinded as a young boy, Matt Murdock fights injustice by day as a lawyer and by night as the Super Hero Daredevil in Hell's Kitchen, New York City."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 92%
What critics said (Season 3): "What's clear is that [showrunner Erik] Oleson and his staff course-correct after an over-crowded second season, returning the focus to the people who live in this story." — Allison Shoemaker, RogerEbert.com
18. "Future Man" (Hulu)
Number of views: 3,682,506
Description: "Future Man stars Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) as "Josh Futturman," a janitor by day/gamer by night who is recruited by mysterious visitors to travel through time in order to prevent the extinction of humanity."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%
What critics said (Season 2): "Yet while Future Man is inherently serialized, it was nice that its freewheeling, often maddening lack of focus in season 1 also gave it the ability to drop the larger narrative and do, say, a Breaking Bad parody." — Chris Osterndorf, Daily Dot
17. "Ozark" (Netflix)
Number of views: 3,684,613
Description: "A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 70%
What critics said (Season 2): "The degree to which 'Ozark' slams on the breaks is disconcerting; the downshift in pacing creates an antsy viewing experience that transitions into blandness." — Ben Travers, Indiewire
16. "Orange Is the New Black" (Netflix)
Number of views: 3,805,883
Description: "A privileged New Yorker ends up in a women's prison when a past crime catches up with her in this Emmy-winning series from the creator of 'Weeds.'"
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%
What critics said (Season 6): "Fans who hated the fifth season should mostly love the sixth, which is a return to normal, or as 'normal' as OITNB ever gets. But the end does feel a little bit closer." — Verne Gay, Newsday
15. "The Ranch" (Netflix)
Number of views: 4,309,228
Description: "Being a pro athlete didn't pan out for Colt. Now he's helping his dad and brother keep the ranch afloat, and figuring out how he fits into the family."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 63%
What critics said (Season 3): "I wish this piece was just about Sam Elliott's incredible performance." — Ben Travers, Indiewire
14. "Travelers" (Netflix)
Number of views: 5,211,681
Description: "A federal agent tracks four people who suddenly seem to possess entirely new personalities, leading to a startling discovery about humanity's future."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A
What critics said (Season 3): "What we get this year from the show is the best example of what a television series should be. It's not a 13-episode movie. It's not long-form literature. It's a TV show. A TV show with chapters that begin and end within their run time." — Merrill Barr, Forbes
13. "Fuller House" (Netflix)
Number of views: 5,752,765
Description: "The Tanner family's adventures continue as DJ Tanner-Fuller shares a home with her sister Stephanie and friend Kimmy who help raise her three boys."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: N/A
What critics said (Season 4): "The whole series has been all about family, but the first few episodes of Season 4 do a great job of making family bonds a very cohesive thread. It's like the Fullers, Tanners, and Gibblers are finally coming together as one big unit." — Mary Misasi, Tell-Tale TV
12. "BoJack Horseman" (Netflix)
Number of views: 6,773,252
Description: "Meet the most beloved sitcom horse of the '90s, 20 years later. He's a curmudgeon with a heart of ... not quite gold. But something like gold. Copper?"
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 92%
What critics said (Season 5): "Even in the episodes which revel in delightful full-fledged farce, there is such depth of feeling to 'BoJack,' such investment in its message." — Liz Shannon Miller, Indiewire
11. "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" (Netflix)
Number of views: 6,792,736
Description: "When a woman is rescued from a doomsday cult and lands in New York City, she must navigate a world she didn't think even existed anymore."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 97%
What critics said (Season 4): "'Kimmy Schmidt' is itself a kind of anti-fantasy fantasy of New York, celebrating the city's dirt in an era in which even 'Sesame Street' has gotten an expensive face-lift, and Lillian is its indomitable Oscar the Grouch." — James Poniewozik, New York Times
10. "Friends From College" (Netflix)
Number of views: 7,642,904
Description: "Twenty years after graduation, a tight-knit group of college friends reconnects and discovers that love hasn't gotten easier with age."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 24%
What critics said (Season 2): "It is uneasy about taking itself seriously. The problem is that it can't take itself ridiculously, either." — Troy Patterson, New Yorker
9. "One Day at a Time" (Netflix)
Number of views: 8,092,008
Description: "In a reimagining of the TV classic, a newly single Latina mother raises her teen daughter and tween son with the "help" of her old-school mom."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 98%
What critics said (Season 3): "The heartbeat of One Day at a Time was its spirited insistence that beauty can thrive alongside pain. The series blended multicam-sitcom laughs with a fearless willingness to tackle heavy social issues." — Kelly Connolly, The Atlantic
8. "Big Mouth" (Netflix)
Number of views: 8,964,645
Description: "Teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty in this edgy comedy from real-life pals Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 100%
What critics said (Season 2): "The voice cast is incredibly strong, but your enjoyment of 'Big Mouth' really comes down to your tolerance for jokes about bodily fluids and horny teenagers. Personally, I think it's hysterical." — Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
7. "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (Netflix)
Number of views: 9,099,929
Description: "The extraordinary Baudelaire orphans face trials, tribulations and the evil Count Olaf in their fateful quest to unlock long-held family secrets."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 96%
What critics said (Season 3): "A Series of Unfortunate Events delivers its tightest, most exciting season yet in its final run of episodes." — Jonathon Dornbush, Entertainment Weekly
6. "Russian Doll" (Netflix)
Number of views: 9,833,921
Description: "Nadia keeps dying and reliving her 36th birthday party. She's trapped in a surreal time loop — and staring down the barrel of her own mortality."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 96%
What critics said (Season 1): "It's a performance where the actor understands the character so well, down to every little gesture she makes, every twitch of her face, that it's startling, at times, to remember she's fictional." — Linda Holmes, NPR
5. "Sex Education" (Netflix)
Number of views: 15,240,227
Description: "Insecure Otis has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mom. So rebel Maeve proposes a school sex-therapy clinic."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%
What critics said (Season 1): "One of the sweetest and wisest teen sex comedies going." — Matthew Gilbert, Boston Globe
4. "Grace and Frankie" (Netflix)
Number of views: 17,605,861
Description: "They're not friends, but when their husbands leave them for each other, proper Grace and eccentric Frankie begin to bond in this Emmy-nominated series."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%
What critics said (Season 5): "It's not the edgiest concept, but the value of friendship should make for more great TV." — Ben Travers, Indiewire
3. "You" (Netflix)
Number of views: 21,840,492
Description: "Obsessed with an aspiring writer, a charming bookstore manager goes to extreme measures to insert himself into her life."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 93%
What critics said (Season 1): "YOU is actually a wicked satire of social media, self-proclaimed "nice guys" and the twisted ideals of romantic fiction." — Judy Berman, Time
2. "Marvel's The Punisher" (Netflix)
Number of views: 24,569,232
Description: "A former Marine out to punish the criminals responsible for his family's murder finds himself ensnared in a military conspiracy."
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 62%
What critics said (Season 2): "It's a shame such a wild and impulsive character is likely going out on such an underwhelming note." — Alex McLevy, AV Club
1. "The Umbrella Academy" (Netflix)
Number of views: 27,432,411
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: 77%
What critics said (Season 1): "Although the plot wilfully meanders and much of the dialogue comes straight from the Big Book of Script Cliches, this is overall a blast." — Suzi Feay, Financial Times