Now that the 2025-26 television season has wrapped up, it’s time once again to take a look at TV and Streaming’s most popular shows of the year. For the second consecutive season, Nielsen has released its multi-platform data showing how various media outlets compare per episode over a 35-day period, along with a clearer picture than ever of how well each show performed over the TV season as a whole. The results include delayed viewing through DVRs and VOD services, with the measurement date range from September 14, 2025 through April 12, 2026.
This season’s big headline on the Broadcast side is a changing of the guard at the top. NBC has dethroned CBS as the most-watched Network in primetime for the first time since 2001-02, finishing the season with an average of 5.83 million viewers per episode — up approximately 14% on last year.
The turnaround was driven in no small part by what the network itself has called its “legendary February,” which included the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Super Bowl LX, and the NBA All-Star Game.
CBS comes in second with 4.63 million viewers, followed by ABC (4.33 million) and FOX (3.7 million). It should be noted that these figures include sports programming — the primary reason NBC has leapfrogged CBS! — and that CBS continues to lead on the entertainment side, with more shows in the multiplatform Top 25 than any other broadcaster.
On Streaming, the most popular show of the season, by an enormous margin, is the final season of Stranger Things, with a remarkable 32.9 million views per episode. That’s nearly 6 million more than last year’s runaway leader, Squid Game (27.1 million), and a full 7.3 million ahead of the second-place show. The runner-up is Netflix’s limited murder mystery series His & Hers with 25.6 million views per episode.
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On Broadcast, CBS shows again dominate, but with a new name at the top. Marshals (20.7 million), the Yellowstone spinoff starring Luke Grimes, storms straight to number one in its debut season, displacing last year’s champion Tracker (16.4 million), which slips to second. ABC’s High Potential returns strongly in third place with 16.0 million views per episode. All broadcast data includes views from streaming platforms belonging to the Network, so views from Paramount+ contribute to CBS, while views from Peacock contribute to NBC, and so on.
One of the most striking takeaways from this year’s data is the continued strength of Broadcast in the face of streaming competition. Eight Broadcast shows again appear in the top 25 most watched shows across all platforms this season, matching last year’s showing. Of those eight, six come from CBS and two from ABC. Meanwhile Netflix continues to dominate the Streaming landscape, placing seven shows in the multiplatform top 15.
TOP 10 SHOWS ON STREAMING
Streaming ratings for the 2025-26 TV season
| RANK | SHOW | STREAMER | MILLIONS OF VIEWS PER EPISODE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STRANGER THINGS | NETFLIX | 32.9 |
| 2 | HIS & HERS | NETFLIX | 25.6 |
| 3 | SEAN COMBS: THE RECKONING | NETFLIX | 20.6 |
| 4 | LANDMAN | PARAMOUNT+ | 19.8 |
| 5 | BRIDGERTON | NETFLIX | 18.3 |
| 6 | THE PITT | HBO MAX | 13.8 |
| 7 | MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY | NETFLIX | 13.4 |
| 8 | FALLOUT | PRIME VIDEO | 13.3 |
| 9 | THE BEAST IN ME | NETFLIX | 12.7 |
| 10 | THE LINCOLN LAWYER | NETFLIX | 11.4 |
TOP 20 SHOWS ON BROADCAST
Broadcast Network ratings for the 2025-26 TV season
| RANK | SHOW | NETWORK | MILLIONS OF VIEWS PER EPISODE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MARSHALS | CBS | 20.7 |
| 2 | TRACKER | CBS | 16.4 |
| 3 | HIGH POTENTIAL | ABC | 16.0 |
| 4 | MATLOCK | CBS | 11.5 |
| 5 | SHERIFF COUNTRY | CBS | 10.8 |
| 6 | THE ROOKIE | ABC | 10.6 |
| 7 | GHOSTS | CBS | 10.5 |
| 8 | WILL TRENT | ABC | 10.4 |
| 9 | NCIS | CBS | 10.0 |
| 10 | CHICAGO FIRE | NBC | 9.9 |
| 10 (TIED) | GEORGIE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE | CBS | 9.9 |
| 12 | DANCING WITH THE STARS | ABC | 9.8 |
| 12 (TIED) | SURVIVOR 50 | CBS | 9.8 |
| 14 | CHICAGO P.D. | NBC | 9.3 |
| 14 (TIED) | CHICAGO MED | NBC | 9.3 |
| 16 | ELSBETH | CBS | 9.2 |
| 17 | CIA | CBS | 8.9 |
| 17 (TIED) | FBI | CBS | 8.9 |
| 19 | LAW & ORDER: SVU | NBC | 8.7 |
| 19 (TIED) | SCRUBS | ABC | 8.7 |
TOP 20 SHOWS, ALL PLATFORMS
Multiplatform ratings for the 2025-26 TV season
| RANK | SHOW | NETWORK/STREAMER | MILLIONS OF VIEWS PER EPISODE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STRANGER THINGS | NETFLIX | 32.9 |
| 2 | HIS & HERS | NETFLIX | 25.6 |
| 3 | MARSHALS | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 20.7 |
| 4 | SEAN COMBS: THE RECKONING | NETFLIX | 20.6 |
| 5 | LANDMAN | PARAMOUNT+ | 19.8 |
| 6 | BRIDGERTON | NETFLIX | 18.3 |
| 7 | TRACKER | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 16.4 |
| 8 | HIGH POTENTIAL | ABC/HULU/DISNEY+ | 16.0 |
| 9 | THE PITT | HBO MAX | 13.8 |
| 10 | MONSTER: THE ED GEIN STORY | NETFLIX | 13.4 |
| 11 | FALLOUT | PRIME VIDEO | 13.3 |
| 12 | THE BEAST IN ME | NETFLIX | 12.7 |
| 13 | MATLOCK | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 11.5 |
| 14 | THE LINCOLN LAWYER | NETFLIX | 11.4 |
| 15 | SHERIFF COUNTRY | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 10.8 |
| 16 | THE ROOKIE | ABC/HULU/DISNEY+ | 10.6 |
| 17 | GHOSTS | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 10.5 |
| 18 | WILL TRENT | ABC/HULU/DISNEY+ | 10.4 |
| 19 | THE MADISON | PARAMOUNT+ | 10.2 |
| 20 | NCIS | CBS/PARAMOUNT+ | 10.0 |
Source: Analysis of Nielsen Multiplatform Data; Big Data P2+ Prime AA, L+35, 9/14/2025–4/12/2026 + Nielsen SCR, 35-Day Total Flight for streaming. Does not include series with less than 4 telecasts, sports or specials.
