Credit: Sundance Institute

The conclusion drawn from this week’s Netflix chart is that people still can’t resist two things: true crime and famous faces. That’s probably why Michael Jackson: The Verdict is still right near the top. Most documentaries have their moment, get everyone talking for a week or two, then disappear. Not Michael Jackson ones.

Every time a new project about him is released, anywhere, the same conversation is reborn all over again. And let’s be honest, it never really stopped in the first place, did it? His music is still everywhere. His influence is all over pop culture, and people are still fascinated by his life. With the recent release of Michael, loads of viewers have ended up going down the rabbit hole again, jumping from the film to documentaries and docuseries about him.

Right behind it is The Witness, which denotes another thing Netflix viewers love: a true-crime story. The series revisits a real criminal case that had the whole country talking. You had everything from testimonials to archival footage. The tangling of public opinion and media coverage is the first love of true-crime lovers. That’s exactly where The Witness lives, and it’s why it is trending at number two.

Then there is The Four Seasons, which has pulled off a bit of a result this week. Not only is season two still holding strong in the third position, but season one is back in the charts as well. That’s usually when you know a show has found its audience. Based on the 1981 film, the Netflix version follows a tight-knit group of friends trying to go through life’s messier moments. Relationships change, and people grow apart, but they also come back together… You know, something called ‘life’. Tina Fey’s name gets people through the door, but it’s the chemistry between the cast that keeps them watching.

One of the more heard names on the chart these days is The Boroughs. And, when you see who is behind it, it’s not hard to work out why. The Duffer Brothers have got plenty of goodwill in the bank after Stranger Things. But what makes The Boroughs stand out is that it goes in a completely different direction. Instead of teenagers fighting monsters, it is centred on older residents in a retirement community. That’s enough to make people curious on its own, and it’s helped the show carve out its own identity instead of living in Stranger Things’ shadow.

Meanwhile, Nemesis keeps hanging around despite competing with bigger franchises and documentaries that dominate headlines. What’s interesting about Nemesis is how it’s got here. It didn’t arrive with a huge fanbase; it got here the old-fashioned way. People watched it, enjoyed it, and then told somebody else to watch it. Sounds simple, but on Netflix, word-of-mouth is what has got this show in the charts for four weeks now.

The next few shows all bring something different to the table. Lawmen: Bass Reeves is introducing loads of viewers to one of the most famous lawmen in American history, a figure often linked to stories that inspired the Lone Ranger legend. Then there is Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted, which is part of Netflix’s new idea of turning out documentaries while people are still following the news story. Given how much attention the Murdaugh case gets, it was always going to pull viewers in. And then there’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season two. Pip Fitz-Amobi’s back, poking her nose into another mystery, and fans of Holly Jackson’s books have followed her every step of the way.

Rounding out the chart are two names nobody’s shocked to see. Raw: 2026 keeps benefiting from WWE’s move to Netflix, because wrestling fans are nothing if not loyal. Every week they turn up, and every week the show’s back in the rankings. Then, right at the end, there’s The Four Seasons season one, as mentioned before. And that wraps up the list.

The 10 most popular series on Netflix this week:

• Michael Jackson: The Verdict: Season 1
• The Witness: Limited Series
• The Four Seasons: Season 2
• The Boroughs: Season 1
• Nemesis: Season 1
• Lawmen: Bass Reeves: Season 1
• Instadocs: Alex Murdaugh, Unconvicted
• A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder: Season 2
• Raw: 2026 – June 1, 2026
• The Four Seasons: Season 1