It's Officially The End Of An Era For Wednesday

Published Sep 19, 2026, 11:40 AM EDT

Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering everything from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi epics.

Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the TV and movies team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.

Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.

Wednesday is officially Netflix’s most popular show of all time, and the viewing figures prove it. Across its first two seasons, the Addams Family reimagining has amassed a combined 371.4 million views during Netflix’s 91-day post-release measurement windows (via Netflix). Season 1 accounts for 252.1 million of those views, while season 2 added another 119.3 million, giving the Jenna Ortega-led series a level of two-season consistency no other Netflix original series can match.

For a while, that success also gave Wednesday a grip on Netflix’s all-time English-language TV rankings. Season 1 occupied the number one position, while season 2 sat at number five. That has now changed thanks to 2026 limited series I Will Find You. The Harlan Coben adaptation may not have generated the same level of pop-culture conversation, but its 120.3 million views have quietly pushed Wednesday season 2 down to sixth place, ending its stay in the top five.

On the surface, moving from fifth to sixth hardly looks like a seismic change, especially when Wednesday season 1 remains comfortably ahead of everything else. However, I Will Find You breaking up Wednesday’s top-five double act says something interesting about both shows. More importantly, it highlights a wider truth about Netflix’s original TV content.

Wednesday No Longer Has Both Seasons In Netflix’s Top 5

I Will Find You has officially displaced Wednesday season 2 from Netflix’s five most popular English-language shows ever. The eight-episode Harlan Coben Netflix thriller, starring Sam Worthington, Britt Lower, and Milo Ventimiglia, reached 120.3 million views within its first 91 days, narrowly passing Wednesday season 2’s 119.3 million and taking the number 5 spot. That is a remarkable achievement for a limited series, even one with a name like Harlan Coben attached.

However, I Will Find You’s success also puts Wednesday’s previous accomplishment into perspective. Both of its existing seasons were simultaneously among Netflix’s five biggest English-language seasons ever. Even now, season 1 remains comfortably number one with 252.1 million views, almost 110 million ahead of second-place Adolescence. What’s more, Wednesday season 2 has only slipped one position to sixth. It may not be fifth, but it’s still an impressive ranking

Most Popular Netflix Show	Season	Millions Of Views
Wednesday	1	252.1
Adolescence	-	142.6
Stranger Things	4	140.7
Stranger Things	5	133.8
I Will Find You	-	120.3
Wednesday	2	119.3
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story	1	115.6
Bridgerton	1	113.3
The Queen's Gambit	-	112.8
Bridgerton	3	106

That consistency is unusual even among Netflix’s biggest TV franchises. Stranger Things currently has seasons 4 and 5 at numbers three and four, while Bridgerton has seasons 1 and 3 at numbers eight and ten. Neither has matched Wednesday’s achievement of placing every season released so far within the top six, while simultaneously possessing Netflix’s biggest English-language TV season by an enormous margin.

So, Wednesday’s era of controlling two spots in Netflix’s top five is officially over, but its broader dominance certainly is not. I Will Find You has demonstrated just how difficult remaining in that elite group can be. The fact that Wednesday managed it twice only makes the show’s combined 371.4 million views more impressive.

The Success Of I Will Find You Reveals An Important Truth About Netflix’s Content

The dominance of Wednesday is impressive, and I Will Find You beating season 2 for the number five spot equally so. However, the upset also exposes another side of Netflix’s success. It is hardly surprising that Wednesday, Stranger Things, and Bridgerton occupy multiple positions in the top 10. Stranger Things and Wednesday especially are pop culture powerhouses, and even those who have no interest in small screen entertainment are aware that Netflix is the only place to watch them.

The popularity of these shows has given Netflix a reputation and created the impression that its success depends on sprawling franchises and recognizable IP. However, the all-time rankings tell a more complicated story. I Will Find You is a comparatively grounded crime thriller rather than another effects-heavy franchise designed to run indefinitely, yet it’s still comfortably in the top 10. It’s not alone there, either.

Limited series Adolescence is currently Netflix’s second-biggest English-language show ever with 142.6 million views, while The Queen’s Gambit remains ninth with 112.8 million despite releasing way back in 2020. Alongside I Will Find You at number five, that means three of Netflix’s current all-time top 10 are self-contained limited series rather than seasons of ongoing franchise properties. That variety is an important part of Netflix’s strength.

Shows such as Wednesday and Stranger Things provide the streamer with instantly recognizable global franchises, but they aren’t carrying its original television output alone, despite what the streamer’s reputation for original small-screen content suggests. I Will Find You proves that focused and grounded thrillers and dramas are just as popular as Netflix’s most pop-culture dominating sci-fi, fantasy, and period drama franchises. Shows like Wednesday may place Netflix’s original content on the map and draw in new subscribers, but it’s shows like I Will Find You that are keeping existing members entertained.

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  Wednesday Addams / Goody Addams

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  Enid Sinclair