Netflix's new #1 show with a great Rotten Tomatoes score breaks a streaming record

Netflix’s original series Bridgerton has broken a major streaming record with the release of its third season, which is currently sitting at number 1 on the site’s global top 10 series chart.

According to Tudum, since it hit the streamer on May 16, season three of Bridgerton has racked up 45.05 million views recorded during the week of May 13 to 19, 2024. That’s about 165.2 million hours of viewing time, almost double the amount that season 2 had which opened in 2022 to 22.7 million views. This means that season 3 has broken the show's own record. 

But the impressive part is that only four episodes have been released so far, with Bridgerton season 3 part 2 scheduled to drop in mid-June, meaning these stats are just for half of a season. In comparison, the second season managed to tally just over 193 million hours of viewing time globally, but that was for a full season. Unfortunately, the viewing stats for season 1 are not available.

But it doesn't stop there, as Bridgerton season 3 has also recorded the highest single weekly view count for any Netflix series since the streamer started ranking its titles by views in June 2023, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. In terms of all content across the board, it sits behind the fantasy movie Damsel starring Millie Bobby which had 50.8 million views in mid-March.

The London-based Regency-era drama, which currently sits at an impressive 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, follows eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they each attempt to find love in high society. Season 3 focuses on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and his slow-burn friends-to-lovers relationship with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), who just so happens to be the town’s secret gossip.

The only hurdle to pass now is the coveted overall top 10 most popular list where the rankings are worked out based on the amount of views a title has views over its first 91 days of release. Both prior seasons of Bridgerton currently rank among Netflix’s 10 most popular English-language series, with season 1 in fourth place and season 2 in ninth. 

Bridgerton season 3 part 2 will premiere on Netflix on June 13. Seasons 1, 2, and part 1 of 3 are available to stream on Netflix right now. For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows, or keep up with new TV shows hearing your way this year.