{"id":696089,"date":"2026-07-17T05:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696089\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T05:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T05:12:23","slug":"10-most-watched-netflix-shows-in-the-first-half-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/696089\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Most-Watched Netflix Shows in the First Half of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026 may be half over, but the standout storytelling has just begun. The year\u2019s most-watched original\u00a0series are bursting with intriguing premises, immersive settings, unpredictable twists, and characters who stick with you long after the credits roll. And in some cases, epic needle drops<\/a> or\u00a0a viral dance sequence<\/a> only add to the buzz.<\/p>\n

According to Netflix\u2019s What We Watched Report<\/a>, audiences are hitting play on shows featuring action-packed adventures, swoonworthy romances, thrilling mysteries, and sci-fi spectacles. (Plus lessons from everyone\u2019s favorite kids\u2019 educator, of course.) The report measures all viewing in the first half of 2026, representing 97 billion hours watched on Netflix.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t streamed these shows yet, catch up with the rest of the world and add them to your watchlist. And check out this list of the\u00a010 most-watched movies of the year so far<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Night Agent\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 10
Gabriel Basso stars in\u00a0this spy thriller<\/a> as Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent assigned to an emergency hotline for field agents. One night, the phone rings, and he teams up with a cybersecurity expert (Luciane Buchanan) to untangle a web of political conspiracies. The third season sees Peter tracking down a young treasury agent who fled to Istanbul with sensitive government intel after killing his boss \u2014 a hunt that leads him to a dark-money network and a relentless journalist. It rang in 36.1 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ms. Rachel\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 9
Hi, friends! Your kids\u2019 favorite educator \u2014 Rachel Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel on her phenomenally popular YouTube channel \u2014 famously helps children learn to talk and express themselves and their emotions.\u00a0Her playful, research-backed videos<\/a> inspire \u201clittles\u201d and their families to learn and bond together while singing, dancing, and playing. These episodes are\u00a0available in English with subtitles in 33 languages, and include interactive lessons on letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and more. They\u2019ve amassed 37 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Man on Fire\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 8
Meet John Creasy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a former Special Forces mercenary battling extreme PTSD after an operation gone wrong. He takes on a job at the request of an old friend, Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale). But\u00a0when a skyscraper is flattened by a mysterious group of bombers,\u00a0John finds himself back in the fire to protect\u00a0Paul\u2019s daughter, Poe (Billie Boullet), who witnessed the crime.\u00a0The seven-episode adaptation<\/a> of A.J. Quinnell\u2019s book series includes Alice Braga and Scoot McNairy in the cast. It ran up 40.4 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>ONE PIECE\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 7
This live-action adaptation<\/a> of the popular manga centers on Monkey D. Luffy (I\u00f1aki Godoy), a young pirate who, with his signature straw hat and ragtag crew, goes on an epic voyage searching for treasure. The second season sees Luffy and the Straw Hats setting sail for the extraordinary Grand Line \u2014 a legendary stretch of sea where danger and wonder await at every turn. They encounter bizarre islands and a host of formidable new enemies \u2014 to an audience of 47.3 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Teach You a Lesson\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 6
In this action-packed K-drama<\/a>, school bullies are wreaking havoc on students and teachers alike. Enter the Teachers\u2019 Rights Protection Bureau, a government agency created to teach respect via sharp, no-nonsense lessons you won\u2019t find in textbooks. Kim Moo-yul, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, and Pyo Ji-hoon play the highly trained officials who use unconventional tactics to stamp out bullying for good. In short? They\u2019re not afraid to fight back \u2014 seriously. The show punched up 48.2 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Run Away\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 5
Simon Greene (James Nesbitt) seems to have a picture-perfect life. It all comes crumbling down when his eldest daughter, Paige (Ellie de Lange), suddenly runs away. Complicating the situation even further: The person she was last seen with is found dead. Simon\u2019s search for Paige takes him into a dangerous underworld, revealing deep secrets that could tear his family apart forever. The cast of the Harlan Coben adaptation<\/a> includes Ruth Jones, Minnie Driver, Alfred Enoch, and Lucian Msamati. It earned 50.3 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Stranger Things\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 4
The sci-fi series<\/a> starts with four middle school boys in Hawkins, Indiana, who meet a mysterious young girl with psychokinetic abilities named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). Nearly a decade later, the show\u2019s fifth season sees the group of friends fighting Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)<\/a> and the Mind Flayer for the last time. It all comes to an end with an epic battle, one complicated by a huge discovery regarding the Upside Down and the military\u2019s quarantine of the town as they hunt down Eleven. This final season accumulated 55.6 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I Will Find You\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 3
Sam Worthington plays David Burroughs, a father serving a life sentence for the murder of his own son \u2014 a crime he didn\u2019t commit. When David receives evidence that his child may still be alive, he embarks on a truth-finding mission that leads him out of prison and into a world of deceit and despair. Britt Lower, Milo Ventimiglia, Logan Browning, and Madeleine Stowe are among the cast of the eight-episode thriller<\/a>, adapted from Coben\u2019s 2023 novel<\/a>. It chased down 63.9 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Bridgerton\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 2
The fourth season of the Regency-era romance series<\/a>, about eligible aristocratic singletons on the highly competitive marriage mart, focuses on the titular family\u2019s bohemian second son, Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down \u2014 until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother\u2019s masquerade ball, only to later learn she\u2019s actually Sophie (Yerin Ha), a resourceful maid with her own secrets and dreams. The season notched 100.2 million views.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>HIS & HERS\"\"<\/p>\n

No. 1
In this twisty adaptation<\/a> of Alice Feeney\u2019s psychological thriller, Tessa Thompson plays Anna, a reporter, opposite Jon Bernthal as Jack, a detective. The two are married but estranged, and when a body is discovered in their sleepy Georgia town, they compete to solve the case \u2014 with each believing the other is a prime suspect. Pablo Schreiber, Crystal Fox, Marin Ireland, and Sunita Mani are also part of the six-episode mystery, which collected 104 million views.<\/p>\n

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