‘Stranger Things’ Dethroned In Netflix’s Top 10 List By A New Show

Well, it finally happened, and it took another juggernaut to knock Stranger Things season 4 off the #1 spot on Netflix’s top 10 list after nearly a month planted there.

That would be season 3 of The Umbrella Academy, Netflix’s hyper-successful non-Marvel or DC superhero series about an odd band of brothers and sister dealing with time travel paradoxes upon their return.

Stranger Things season 4 almost lasted in the #1 spot until July 1, which is when part 2 of the season airs with the final two episodes, which will no doubt propel it to #1 yet again for a period of time. Right now, the show is slowly inching toward Squid Game’s viewership record, but it will need those final two episodes to perform even better than the previous seven if it hopes to catch it.

Regardless, Stranger Things season 4 has set all manner of English-language records for the service, and even if Netflix often sees conversations about its series fade after a week or weekend, that really has not happened with Stranger Things, given the short gap between part 1 and part 2, and “cultural moments” being created out of the first seven episodes, like how Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill is now charting #1 globally after 30+ years due to its use in the one of the season’s best moments.

As for The Umbrella Academy, HBO has DC, Disney has Marvel, Amazon has The Boys and Invincible and Netflix has these misfits. But unlike the failed experiment of Netflix’s Jupiter’s Legacy, The Umbrella Academy has proven to be a great, highly-watched series over the last three years, and given its insta-placement at #1 after its debut, that suggests more of the same from season 3 here, as the gang is forced to take on an altered-timeline version of their own team, the Sparrow Academy. I’m only three episodes in, but it’s great so far.

The Umbrella Academy is low key one of Netflix’s most successful shows, routinely landing inside the top 10 for its yearly English language offerings. The Umbrella Academy does not have a pre-greenlit season 4, but it seems likely the series will continue on as long as it wants, a rare opportunity for only the most successful Netflix programs. Stranger Things, we know, will conclude at the behest of its showrunners in season 5.

Before this, Stranger Things had held off multiple comers who never made it past the #2 slot like, All American, Keep Sweet, God’s Favorite Idiot and First Kill. I figured it would take something big to move it, and yes, The Umbrella Academy certainly qualifies as that. I’m only three episodes into the 10 episode season, but it’s as fantastic as ever so far. I expect to see it remain on top until Stranger Things returns for part 2.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to my free weekly content round-up newsletter, God Rolls.

Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.