In the age of streaming, it can be hard to get a solid grasp of any given show’s overall popularity. But Nielsen is widely seen as providing the most accurate streaming service data, and it has now revealed the top 10 most-watched shows of 2025.
Severance ranks among top 10 original shows across all streaming services
When it comes to comparing one TV show’s success against another’s, it depends a lot on the streaming platform.
Netflix has by far the largest subscriber base, so unsurprisingly its series tend to get the most overall views.
That’s proven true once again in 2025, but Apple TV also managed to make an appearance on the top 10 list.
As reported by Bloomberg, here are the top-performing original shows of the year in the US, as measured by minutes watched.
- Squid Game
- Wednesday
- Love Island
- Reacher
- Ginny & Georgia
- Love Is Blind
- The Night Agent
- Severance
- The Summer I Turned Pretty
- You
The list is dominated by Netflix series, with some Prime Video appearances too. But Severance landed at number 8. It had seven billion minutes of time watched, compared to 18.6b for top-ranking Squid Game.
There’s an important caveat here: Nielsen’s data only runs through November 9. So while Pluribus has been a big hit for Apple, it didn’t premiere until November 7.
On that note, Stranger Things season 5 should also easily make this list when year-end data is finalized.
But those caveats aside, Nielsen’s top 10 list is an interesting summary of the biggest hits of 2025. And Severance making the list despite the much larger subscriber bases of Netflix and Prime Video is an impressive win for Apple.
What are your takeaways from 2025’s top 10 shows list? Let us know in the comments.
Apple TV is available for $12.99 per month and features hit TV shows and movies like Ted Lasso, Severance, Pluribus, and more. You can also get it through the Apple One bundle.
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