Top Netflix Show and Movie 2025: Most Popular Picks

Adolescence and Back in Action took the top spots as the most-watched Netflix show and movie in the first half of 2025, according to Netflix’s latest engagement report released on Thursday. The report revealed that members streamed over 95 billion hours of TV in the first six months of 2025, a slight increase from the 94 billion hours streamed in the first half of 2024.

“Adolescence,” a British series that premiered in March, captured viewers’ hearts with its gripping storyline about a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller who is accused of a classmate’s murder. What set this show apart was its unique filming style, with each of the four episodes shot in a single take, offering a truly immersive viewing experience unlike any other.

On the movie front, “Back in Action,” starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, made a big splash on Netflix despite receiving mixed reviews after its release in mid-January. The film follows two former CIA agents who re-enter the world of espionage after spending 15 years in suburbia. Cameron Diaz even came out of retirement to star alongside Jamie Foxx in this action-packed flick.

Fans of the hit series “Squid Game” will be pleased to know that seasons 2 and 3 secured the second and third spots as the most-watched TV shows on Netflix. Meanwhile, movies like “Straw” and “The Life List” rounded out the top three. Interestingly, over a third of Netflix’s most popular shows were non-English, with 10 of the top 25 series falling into this category.

UK shows like “Black Mirror,” “Missing You,” and “Dept. Q” garnered high viewership numbers in the first half of 2025, alongside rising popularity for South Korean and Scandinavian content such as “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Secrets We Keep,” and “Number 24.” Established favorites like “Money Heist,” “Ozark,” and “Orange Is the New Black,” as well as movies like “Red Notice,” “Leo,” and “We Can Be Heroes,” continued to captivate audiences and maintain their popularity on the streaming platform.

It’s clear that the first half of 2025 brought a diverse array of content to Netflix, catering to various tastes and genres. From intense British dramas to action-packed Hollywood blockbusters, there was something for everyone to enjoy while streaming their favorite shows and movies.