Streaming Audiences Swoon for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 | Chart

When analyzing the most-watched streaming programs of the week, there are surprises and then there are obvious blockbusters. The return of “Bridgerton” on Netflix counts as the latter, as the third season of the Shonda Rhimes-produced period romance series debuts atop the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report for the week of May 13 to 19.

Viewers were clearly clamoring for poofy dresses and classical covers of pop songs after a long two-year wait between seasons, as 2 million U.S. households watched the first episode in the first four days it was available. That’s on par with the 2 million households that streamed season 2’s premiere back in March of 2022.

Viewers got a spinoff series in the interim, as “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” was added to the library in May 2023. But there’s a clear preference for the flagship series. “Queen Charlotte” drew only 659,000 households for its debut episode — solid numbers, but nothing compared to the main title.

“Bridgerton” led a strong week for Netflix as the streamer claimed seven of the top 10 most-watched streaming programs this week. The rom-com film “Mother of the Bride” stays at No. 2 for the second straight week, while “The Roast of Tom Brady” falls from No. 1 to No. 3.

The comedy series “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” is No. 4 this week, moving up several spots from No. 8 last week. The Irish mystery “Bodkin” makes its debut on the chart this week at No. 5, clearly gaining momentum after it was added to Netflix on May 9.  Meanwhile, the ubiquitous Kevin Hart comes in at No. 6, thanks to an all-star salute to his work in “Kevin Hart: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.”

Finally, the last Netflix entry on this week’s chart is “Baby Reindeer,” the stalker series that has turned into a surprise hit. The black comedy is at No. 8 this week.

Two feature films and one prestige series account for the week’s non-Netlix entries. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which was released theatrically less than two months ago, is No. 7 after rearing its head on video-on-demand. The Anne Hathaway-led rom-com “The Idea of You” on Amazon Prime Video is No. 9. We head to Max for the final entry this week, which is the Vietnam War-era drama series “The Sympathizer.”

The streaming chart has an obvious frontrunner this week, and so does the linear top 10. “American Idol” reigns at the top of the chart yet again, followed by “The Equalizer” on CBS as No. 2. NBC’s singing competition, “The Voice,” proves that it’s got pull as well, with episodes at No. 3 and No. 7.

Back-to-back episodes of “Young Sheldon” aired on CBS on Thursday, May 16, and both of those make this week’s chart, at No. 4 and No. 5. “Chicago Med,” one of the most popular scripted shows we’ve seen lately, follows at No. 6, while its counterpart, “Chicago Fire,” is No. 9. “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is No. 8 this week, and the scripted series, “FBI” on CBS, rounds out the top 10.

Cole Strain is VP and Head of R&D at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more data and analysis from Samba TV.

The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households, balanced to the U.S. Census.

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