Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 becomes Netflix's most-watched English TV show of all time within a month of debuting on the streaming platform. Matt and Ross Duffer’s period sci-fi series follows the inhabitants of Hawkins, Indiana, and their misadventures with a telekinetic teenager named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and the Upside Down, an alternate dimension existing beneath the human world. In addition to Eleven, Stranger Things’ cast of characters includes Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Erica (Priah Ferguson), Max (Sadie Sink), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery), Robin (Maya Hawke), Jim Hopper (David Harbour), and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder).
Stranger Things season 4 picks up three months after the supposed death of Hopper and Eleven losing her powers following the battle with the Mind Flayer in the Starcourt Mall. Eleven and the Byers are now in California, Hopper is in a Russian prison, and Hawkins is plagued by a Vecna, an Upside Down villain reminiscent of Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, and Pennywise. After a three-year wait for its arrival, Stranger Things season 4 finally hit Netflix last month to rave reviews from critics, and this success is stemming even further for the platform.
Just under a month after making its long-awaited premiere, Deadline has brought word that Stranger Things season 2 has become Netflix’s most popular English-language TV series. The new chapter of the hit homage to ‘80s nostalgia has drawn in over 781.04 million hours viewed in its first 28 days of airing on Netflix, eclipsing Bridgerton season 1 (625M) and season 2 (656M). Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 garnered 335.01 million hours viewed in just its first week.
The viewership success of Stranger Things season 4 shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given how well previous seasons of the series have done. However, season 4 appears to take that cake as it had the biggest premiere weekend ever for an English-language TV show on Netflix and hit #1 on the Top 10 lists in 91 countries. Its 781.04 million hours put Stranger Things season 4 in second place on Netflix’s overall all-time list for programming behind Squid Game, which had a staggering 1.65 billion hours viewed in the first 28 days.
Stranger Things season 4 saw a positive critical response, landing an 84 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As the penultimate season, season 4 is not only darker and more mature than previous seasons but expands the series’ mythology in exciting ways. Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 is set to release its final two massive episodes on July 1 and, given the success of volume 1, everyone should expect it to put up impressive numbers as well.
Source: Deadline