Netflix became the top video streaming service thanks to its vast library of movies and syndicated shows, but it has been the original series that have made a Netflix subscription feel positively necessary. Some of the originals have been among the most critically acclaimed of all recent TV, and then there's the added benefit of whole seasons being available at once for binge-watchers. The hottest original at the moment is sci fi horror series Stranger Things, which, of course, you've heard of if you've ventured near social media over the past few weeks. According to some promising new numbers, an awful lot of people have tuned in to Stranger Things so far.
Netflix is notorious for its unwillingness to release ratings data. Luckily, for the curious, another company has found another way to estimate viewership, and the numbers are encouraging. According to media consumption measurement startup SymphonyAM (via Business Insider), 8.2 million people reportedly watched Stranger Things in its first sixteen days of availability. We can't expect that the numbers from an outside source like SymphonyAM would be quite as accurate as those from Netflix itself, but they're still awfully impressive. Symphony's estimate for Stranger Things only falls behind its estimates for Fuller House and the latest season of Orange Is the New Black. In fact, Stranger Things is well ahead of Marvel series Daredevil and Jessica Jones as well as the star-studded Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Aziz Ansari's fantastic Master of None. Who could have guessed that the niche sci fi series could have been such a hit?
Of course, the SymphonyAM viewership count only takes into account the first couple of weeks after Stranger Things' grand Netflix debut. Some people probably checked it out just because it was the new thing on Netflix and they wanted to give it a try. A second season might see a drop after the initial buzz and novelty wear off.
Hopefully we won't have to wait too long to see a second season. Rumor had it that Stranger Things had gotten the renewal order before the first season even debuted, but Netflix has not yet confirmed if and when we can expect another set of strange things. Still, there are plenty of directions for a Season 2. The numbers and reception are almost certainly enough that a Season 2 will be in the works at some point.
If you haven't caught Stranger Things (and have managed to avoid spoilers), be sure to check out all eight episodes of Season 1 on Netflix. Check out our breakdown of some of the other great Netflix originals to watch while we wait for Season 2 news, and be sure to take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch on the small screen in the not-too-distant future.
