Growing an audience on Netflix after the first season isn’t as easy as it seems. Most shows see a drop in viewers over time. In 2024, only one English-language show gained more viewers than before, and just one other managed to keep its audience steady.
This analysis uses the Complete Viewing Equivalent (CVE) metric, which tracks viewership over either 14 or 28 days after a show’s release. CVE is calculated by dividing the total hours watched (shared by Netflix weekly) by the show’s runtime. Netflix now refers to this as “Views.”
Only one English-language Netflix show gained more viewers than its previous season in 2024—Bridgerton, one of the platform’s biggest hits.
Advertisement Season 3 focused on a fan-favorite couple, and viewers loved it. The season outperformed Season 2 with a 13% increase, reaching 106 million views in 91 days (compared to Season 2’s 93.8 million views). However, Season 1 still holds the top spot as the most-watched. One thing is clear—Bridgerton isn’t going anywhere!
Stable/Up: The Lincoln Lawyer
Keeping the same number of viewers is already a big win, and The Lincoln Lawyer pulled it off. Its full third season reached 17.9 million views in the first 14 days, close to the 18 million views that the first part of Season 2 earned.
Since split seasons usually get higher viewership because of their shorter length, the show might have even done better than all of Season 2 combined. With numbers like these, it’s no surprise that The Lincoln Lawyer got renewed for a fourth season!
Down: Heartbreak High (-3%)
The Australian series Heartbreak High is getting a third season, but it will be its last. The show only lost 3% of its viewers in the first 14 days of Season 2 compared to Season 1, which is a good sign.
However, its overall viewership was never very high, which likely led to its cancellation. Keeping a steady audience helps, but big numbers matter even more!
Down: Virgin River (-6%)
Virgin River continues to stay strong! Netflix renewed it for a seventh season in December, and an eighth season is already in talks.
Season 6 only saw a small 6% drop in viewership compared to the previous season, proving that fans are sticking around. With its steady success, the show might even adapt every book in the series! That’s also why Netflix is considering spin-offs—Virgin River has become one of its biggest hits.
Down: Emily in Paris (-9%)
Emily in Paris has been losing viewers each season, but it’s still going strong. In the first 28 days, it reached over 45 million CVEs, which is pretty impressive for a show that originally belonged to another network before Netflix picked it up.
Netflix renewed it for a fifth season without calling it the final one, so they must be happy with how well it’s doing!
Down: Cobra Kai (-26%)
Splitting Cobra Kai’s final season into three parts might not have been the best choice. The first batch of Season 6 saw a big drop in viewers compared to the last season, which had already declined from the one before.
With the final batch coming out soon, the show might not get the grand farewell fans were hoping for.
Down: Heartstopper (-30%)
Heartstopper is loved by both critics and fans, but Netflix still hasn’t renewed it for Season 4. One reason could be its lower viewership—Season 3 had a big drop compared to Season 2.
On top of that, the cast is now busy working on other projects, which makes a new season more expensive to produce, especially if fewer people watch it. However, since the show is so well-received, Netflix might still give it a proper send-off, maybe with a shorter season or even a movie.
Down: The Umbrella Academy (-36%)
Did The Umbrella Academy really need a fourth season? After Season 3, it seemed like a smart move since the show pulled in big numbers, crossing what some might call the “automatic renewal threshold” of 25 million views in 14 days.
But Season 4 didn’t have the same luck. Viewers and critics weren’t impressed, and the show didn’t perform as well. Sometimes, adding more doesn’t always make things better.
Down: That 90s Show (-79%)
Season 2 of That ’90s Show saw one of the biggest drops in viewership for a Netflix series, losing 79% of its audience. But the real problem was Season 3, which had already been approved alongside Season 2. When it came out in 2024, it didn’t even make the charts, meaning even fewer people watched it than Season 2.
With numbers like that, it’s no surprise Netflix canceled the show. Any platform would have made the same decision after such a huge loss in viewers.
Several English-speaking shows returned to Netflix in 2024, but many didn’t even make it into the Top 10, meaning very few people watched them. Did they do better or worse than their previous seasons? Well, that’s hard to say since their earlier seasons also didn’t stay in the Top 10 long enough to estimate their viewership.
However, Unstable, starring Rob Lowe, got canceled after Season 2, and Girls5Eva ended after Season 3. That’s a pretty clear sign that their numbers weren’t improving. Meanwhile, The Upshaws keeps getting renewed, even with low viewership. Somehow, it just keeps going!
Source: Netflix