Netflix says 'Stranger Things' sets new viewing milestones

The latest season of Netflix Inc’s Stranger Things has pushed total viewership for the series to more than 1.15 billion hours, the streaming service said on Tuesday.

The science-fiction drama starring Winona Ryder and Millie Bobby Brown has become the most popular English-language series on Netflix. The only other Netflix show to cross 1 billion viewing hours is South Korean drama Squid Game.

Stranger Things also hit #1 on Netflix’s Top 10 lists in 91 countries, a first for an English-language TV series, the company said.

The show’s fourth season concluded with the final two episodes released last week, briefly crashing the Netflix app as fans rushed to view it. The series debuted in 2016.

Earlier in August 2020, when the pandemic hit, the creators of the cult-hit show confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter that it will continue after season four.

"Season 4 won't be the end. We know what the end is, and we know when it is," said co-creator Ross Duffer. "The pandemic has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story," he added.