Every streaming service nowadays creates its own series. Netflix has its Originals, and HBO produces its own shows that appear on HBO Max. Amazon also has its Prime Video streaming service, in addition to others like Videoland and SkyShowtime in the Netherlands.

As a result, there's a lot of content that comes out every week, making it sometimes challenging to choose what is worth watching. Therefore, we present the most popular series at the moment across various streaming services to make your decision a bit easier.

Positions Eight To Ten

Kicking off at tenth place is The Paper, the spin-off of The Office US. This mockumentary sitcom premiered earlier this month in the US, but it's not yet available in the Netherlands. You can, however, still watch The Office US on Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and SkyShowtime.

Ninth place goes to The Summer I Turned Pretty, with the latest episode of its third season airing this week. It was also announced that a film will follow the series. You can catch the show on Prime Video. Eighth place is taken by another series on Prime Video: The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, with the final episode airing next week.

Positions Four To Seven

In seventh place, we find the DC series Peacemaker, which premiered its second season last month. A new episode is released each week until October 9. Peacemaker is available on HBO Max. In sixth place is Only Murders in the Building, whose fifth season premiered last week. You can watch this series on Disney+.



Fifth place goes to Dexter: Resurrection, which has finally become available in the Netherlands on SkyShowtime since last week. The series premiered in the US on July 11. Fourth place is occupied by The Girlfriend, a new psychological thriller that debuted on Prime Video last week. It is directed by Robin Wright and Andrea Harkin, with Wright also starring in the series alongside Olivia Cooke and Laurie Davidson.

Top Three

The top three consists of two series that have been popular for a while and a new series that premiered on September 7. We'll talk more about this new series, which is currently in second place, shortly. First, let's discuss the two other series that have maintained their popularity for a while.



Currently in third place is Alien: Earth, part of the Alien franchise, which debuted last month. The final episode will be released next week. You can watch Alien: Earth on Disney+. Still holding the top spot is Wednesday, with its entire second season now available. You can catch this series on Netflix.

Number Two

The new series currently in second place is already being hailed as one of the best crime dramas of this year. It is titled Task, created and written by Brad Ingelsby, the writer and producer of Mare of Easttown.



The cast of the miniseries includes Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Fabien Frankel, Alison Oliver, Silvia Dionicio, and Martha Plimpton.

Positively Received

Task follows Tom Brandis, an FBI agent from Philadelphia (Ruffalo) who is appointed as the head of a task force set to stop a series of violent robberies committed by an apparently ordinary family man (Pelphrey).



The series has already received positive reviews from critics and currently holds a score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus on the site reads: "Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey shine in Task, a culturally specific crime tale that is relentless and bleak but equally engrossing."

It seems that viewers are at the mercy of the large streaming platforms, as Amazon and Netflix are partially joining forces.

Amazon and Netflix plan to offer a joint platform for advertising purchases, with Amazon facilitating that service for Netflix. This sounds efficient and collegial, but it takes away choices for advertisers and viewers. Less choice in advertising channels means little competition, and viewers will be entirely at the whims of Netflix and Amazon.

Inevitability Of Exposure

For many Dutch viewers, exposure to ads on streaming seems unavoidable. In the Netherlands, around 80% of households have a streaming service. Netflix accounts for 50% of the streaming market, and Amazon Prime Video is becoming increasingly popular.

More and more Dutch users are opting for more than one streaming channel, often choosing the cheapest subscription for each service. It is precisely these cheaper memberships that include ads, which are viewers' biggest frustrations.

Dislike For Advertisements

Due to this dislike for ads, streaming channels grew significantly while traditional television channels lost many viewers. What do viewers have left? Binge-watching - for those who can still watch ad-free. Enjoy shows like KPop Demon Hunters and Superman.

What started as a success on the big screen is now getting a sequel on the small screen. The new DC production Superman, the summer hit of this year, is now available on the streaming service HBO Max.

The latest version of perhaps the most famous superhero made a grand debut under the direction of filmmaker and DC Studios head James Gunn. The film hit theaters only two months ago, and it is already being added to HBO Max's offerings, which many viewers find notably quick.

Box Office Continues To Ring

A quick transition to streaming often indicates that a title underperformed in theaters. That is certainly not the case for Superman. From its premiere, the film made an immediate impression and drew massive audiences.

During its opening weekend, Superman earned $125 million in the United States. For two weeks, the film remained at the top as the most-watched title in theaters until Fantastic Four: First Steps took over. Eventually, Superman grossed over $615 million worldwide, making it the most successful comic book adaptation of the year.

New Generation

With Superman, DC is further expanding its universe, with the superhero once again taking center stage. For James Gunn, the decision to replace Henry Cavill was not an easy one, a choice that sparked discussion among many fans.



The new series of films kicks off with David Corenswet as Superman. Alongside him, there are roles for Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and Alan Tudyk. This sets the tone for the revamped DC universe that Gunn will continue to build upon.

After a short sixth season and an extra-long seventh season of the time-travel drama series Outlander, along with the prequel Blood of My Blood, we are now preparing for the final season.

The eighth season marks the last chapter of the series. In January 2023, network Starz confirmed that another concluding season is on the way. "We are glad we can conclude the epic love story of Claire and Jamie in a fitting manner," said Kathryn Busby, head of original programming at Starz. The season will consist of ten episodes.

End After 10 Years

Producer Maril Davis indicated that the creators initially thought season seven would be the end. "We had largely mapped out season seven when we heard that there would be an eighth season after all," said Davis. This meant that the storyline for season seven had to be adjusted during filming.

Filming for season eight took place mostly in Scotland. In February 2024, it was announced that production was about to begin. With season eight, Outlander will conclude after nearly ten years.

Teaser

Below is a new teaser for season 8, and early next year Outlander will return once more with ten episodes. In the Netherlands, new seasons premiere on Ziggo first.