Stranger Things season 5 loses number 1 spot in Netflix top 10 shows list in just a week, dethroned by a documentary

A controversial docu series has replaced Stranger Things season 5 at the top of Netflix's most popular TV shows in the US.

Published on: Dec 5, 2025, 13:53:33 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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Stranger Things is Netflix’s biggest English-language show. Over the years, it has become synonymous with the streaming giant in the West, just as Squid Game is in the East. So naturally, when the final season of the show drops, most expect it to top the most popular shows’ list on the streamer for weeks, if not months. But surprisingly, Stranger Things season 5 lost the numero uno spot on Netflix in just a week of its release. And it lost the top spot to a documentary no less.

Stranger Things season 5 pipped from top of Netflix charts

Four episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things released on Netflix on 26 November worldwide. In the five days after that, the so-called Volume 1 of S5 amassed 59.6 million views to top the viewership charts. This is the second-highest views for a Netflix show in the debut week, behind the 60 million achieved by Squid Games season 2 earlier this year. Stranger Things S5 also trended in the top 10 shows on Netflix in dozens of countries across the world.

However, by December 3, just a week after its release, a new release dethroned Stranger Things from the top 10 spot in the most popular shows in the US. The spot was taken by a docu series on the disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Titled Sean Combs: The Recknoning, the docu series aired on Netflix from December 2 despite Diddy’s attempts to block its release.

Sean Combs The Reckoning is the most popular Netflix show in the US.

What is Sean Combs: The Reckoning?

The docu series unpacks the sexual abuse and trafficking allegations faced by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and his Bad Boy empire, spanning decades of his life and career. Produced by 50 Cent, the docu series has been labelled a ‘shameful hit piece’ by its subject, who is behind bars currently. This has only increased its popularity, however. The show is trending in the top 10 on Netflix worldwide, and has displaced Stranger Things as number one in the US.

About Stranger Things finale

Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers, began in 2016 and soon established itself as the most popular show on the platform. Set in the fictitious town of Hawkins, Indiana, the sci-fi thriller deals with a group of kids who stumble upon a world of experiments and parallel dimensions while looking for their missing friends. The show has become a pop culture phenomenon, and turns its young cast into international celebrities. The second volume of episodes will drop on 25 December, with the two-hour series finale releasing on New Year’s Eve.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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