Lucifer defeats Squid Game with surprise win in 2021 streaming charts
The supernatural procedural series was watched for more minutes than the Korean hit
It's no secret that Korean sensation Squid Game was comfortably one of the biggest new shows of 2021 - but according to one metric, the series was actually beaten in the rankings by another hit show.
According to Nielsen's streaming chart - which calculates the most streamed shows of the year in the US - the most watched original streaming release last year was actually Lucifer.
The supernatural procedural was watched for a total of almost 18.34 billion minutes throughout 2021, no doubt helped by the release of its sixth and final season in September.
By entering your details you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Meanwhile, Squid Game came in second place with 16.43 billion minutes having been streamed of the show in total, a number which seems all the more staggering when you consider that there are only nine episodes of the hit show - as opposed to 93 of Lucifer.
Other shows that featured in the top 15 streaming originals of the year included The Handmaid’s Tale, which accumulated 8.56 billion minutes of streaming, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso, which was watched for 8.16 billion minutes and Disney+’s WandaVision which racked up 7.28 billion minutes viewed.
Interestingly all of these shows - including Lucifer and Squid Game - were actually beaten when it came to determining the most streamed shows with acquisitions included, with Criminal Minds having been streamed for an incredible total of 33.87 billion minutes during the year. That long-running crime show does not count as a streaming original, though, because it also airs on traditional TV.
The next six most watched shows of the year on streaming services were also acquisitions rather than streaming originals - although the numbers are skewed a little by the fact that there are so many more episodes of these shows available.
But still, it's interesting to Lucifer doing so well! But with Squid Game set to return with more episodes, while Lucifer seems to be finished, perhaps their rankings will swap places eventually. We'll certainly be watching with interest.
Lucifer and Squid Game are both streaming on Netflix. Check out our lists of the best TV shows on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix or alternatively head to our TV Guide for something to watch tonight.
Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
