It's Officially The End Of An Era For Netflix's Best Thriller Series Of 2026

Sep 18, 2026 - 01:15

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It's Officially The End Of An Era For Netflix's Best Thriller Series Of 2026

Gertrude Payne (Madeleine Stowe) smiling in I Will Find You

Published Sep 17, 2026, 5:06 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

2026 so far has been the year of thriller shows on Netflix, and the biggest of them has just ended a crucial era on streaming. Netflix's library of TV shows includes a wide range of offerings. The streaming service has seen fantasy series like The Witcher, sci-fi shows like Black Mirror and Stranger Things, thrillers like The Night Agent, and more become popular worldwide.

That said, when it comes to the TV shows released on Netflix in 2026 thus far, thrillers have clearly been at the forefront. Stranger Things season 5 released its final part on December 31, 2025, with Jenna Ortega's Wednesday season 2 having debuted before it on August 6, 2025. Those are two of Netflix's most popular shows of all time.

Each has two seasons on Netflix's all-time chart, which is why the absence of new seasons from those series allowed the thriller genre to consolidate itself on the streamer in 2026. In terms of TV shows, the spy thriller Unfamiliar, the legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer, the psychological thriller Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, and more came to rule Netflix's streaming charts.

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Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?

A067 B218 C001 D456

✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.

The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?

AJenna Ortega BMillie Bobby Brown CSadie Sink DMaya Hawke

✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.

In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?

AOrange Is the New Black BHouse of Cards CArrested Development (revival) DHemlock Grove

✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?

AImelda Staunton BOlivia Colman CHelena Bonham Carter DGillian Anderson

✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.

The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?

ADerry, Maine BHawkins, Indiana CHill Valley, California DTwin Peaks, Washington

✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.

Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?

AShonda Rhimes (Shondaland) BRyan Murphy CJulian Fellowes DJenji Kohan

✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.

La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?

AGuy Fawkes BSalvador Dalí CChe Guevara DPablo Picasso

✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.

Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?

AFlorence Pugh BAnya Taylor-Joy CSaoirse Ronan DDaisy Edgar-Jones

✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.

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That said, only two Netflix shows, both from the thriller genre and new 2026 releases, have managed to break into the streamer's all-time Top 10 TV Shows list. The first was the Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson crime thriller series His & Hers. It would be replaced on the chart by I Will Find You, Netflix's latest Harlan Coben adaptation, and after becoming Netflix's biggest thriller of 2026, an era has ended.

I Will Find You Has Reached The End Of A Crucial Streaming Era

I Will Find You was released on Netflix on June 18, with all of its eight episodes dropping on the streamer on the same day. The Netflix crime thriller series initially broke into the streamer's all-time TV shows chart at 10th, replacing Bernthal's His & Hers. Since then, the bestselling novel adaptation has continued to climb higher on the chart. However, that era has now come to an end. After all, the way Netflix's all-time Top 10 TV Shows list operates is that the releases are measured up against one another by how many views they accrued over a period of 91 days.

Views consist of taking a TV show's hours viewed and dividing it by the series' runtime. Based on I Will Find You's June 18 release date, the 91-day period for the Coben adaptation to accrue views and keep rising on Netflix's all-time chart ended exactly this Thursday, September 17. There is another factor that further cements this as the end of an era for I Will Find You. Different from most of the TV shows on that coveted chart, I Will Find You is a limited series, which means that there are no future seasons coming to rise even higher than season 1 on the list.

Can I Will Find You Climb Higher On Netflix's Next Chart Update?

Sam Worthington and Britt Lower in I Will Find You

At the time of writing, I Will Find You stands as the 5th most-watched Netflix TV show of all time. The 2026 crime thriller series boasts a high 120.3 million views. Netflix's latest adaptation of Coben's books has left behind quite a few massive releases on the streamer's all-time chart. Those include Bridgerton season 3 at 106 million views, The Queen's Gambit at 112.8 million views, Bridgerton season 1 at 113.3 million views, DAHMER: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story at 115.6 million views, and Wednesday season 2 at 119.3 million views.

The closest TV show that I Will Find You could surpass on the chart is Stranger Things season 5, which stands at 4th with 133.8 million views. As such, the 2026 thriller series would need to have accrued at least 13.5 million views this week, from September 14 to September 17, the final day in its 91-day period, to at least tie with the final season of Stranger Things.

However, given that I Will Find You only racked up 2.5 million views for the week from August 17 to August 23, it will likely stay below Stranger Things on the chart, as it has performed lower than that this last week.