The 10 Most Popular Netflix Shows in 2019

Louisa Ballhaus

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2019 was a great year for television — but with so many new shows coming out every month, it can be hard to keep track of all the series you were looking forward to watching. Luckily, Netflix has released its 10 most popular shows of 2019, so you can have a viewer-curated list of the can’t-miss shows to catch up on in 2020.

Some of these shows were so popular it’s no surprise they made the list (Stranger Things, anyone?). But others — like end-of-year stealth hits The Witcher and You —may still be floating around unwatched in your queue. You’ll also be pleased to know that one of Netflix’s most-watched shows, Unbelievable, made another highly prominent list: Barack Obama’s best TV shows of the year.

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So, with only a short time left in 2019, why not take these remaining hours and spend them the way you really want to? Binge these Netflix shows, pre-approved by hundreds of thousands of viewers, and let yourself bask in what may have been 2019’s best offering.

10. Raising Dion

This superhero drama (and heartwarming mother-son story) starring Alisha Wainwright and Ja’Siah Young swept Netflix in October. Bonus: recurring appearances from Michael B. Jordan.

9. 13 Reasons Why

This controversial teen show told the story of a high school girl’s suicide, and the reactions from her classmates, in Season 1. Now in its third season, the show has tackled a wide range of teen issues — and gained a massive audience along the way.

8. Sex Education

This British teen show captured our hearts in February with a quirky spin on a classic teen story. When awkward teen (and son of a sex therapist) Otis Milburn gives some unexpectedly good sex advice to a high school friend, he finds himself setting up a secret business to give advice to all his high school classmates.

7. Unbelievable

This harrowing series based on a true story from 2015 stars Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart), Toni Collette (Hereditary), and Merritt Wever (Nurse Jackie). The show has been hailed for its exceptionally sensitive (and accurate) portrayal of what it’s like to report a sexual assault to the police and the process that follows.

6. When They See Us

Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us tells the story of the Central Park five: five men falsely accused and prosecuted on charges related to a 1989 rape and assault case. DuVernay’s portrait of events lays bare the injustice of how they were treated and reexamines a relevant chapter of our legal system.

5. You

This Penn Badgley-led stalker thriller was largely ignored when it came out on Lifetime — but soared to the top of our radars when it came out on Netflix. Badgley plays Joe, a stalker and obsessive with a violent streak with a mounting list of female victims in his wake. We swear, it’s not as dark as it sounds — somehow, it’s actually kind of funny?

4. Dead to Me

This series stars Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, and James Marsden. Recent widows Applegate and Cardellini bond in a grief support group — but as the two women become more entangled in each other’s lives, Applegate realizes that Cardellini has been keeping a secret.

3. The Umbrella Academy

This superhero series based on comic books of the same name came out in February and stars Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, and more. An elite team of seven superheroes are raised at “The Umbrella Academy,” taught to fight crime and sent off on their separate ways. Years later, the siblings reunite and uncover the truth of their past.

2. The Witcher

The Witcher is an impressive #2 on this list — impressive both because it’s only been available on Netflix for 10 days (released Dec. 20), and because the second season was announced before the first season was even released. Starring Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan, The Witcher is set in a medieval world of monster hunters, princesses, and sorceresses. Season 1 tells the origin story of these main three characters.

1. Stranger Things 3

And of course, we all know and love Stranger Things, whose third season came out in July of this year. While the season left plenty of open questions (Hopper can’t really be gone, right?), there’s one thing we know for sure: kid stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, and Caleb McLaughlin aren’t getting any less fun to watch as they come into their own.

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