Severance is the most-watched streaming series, according to a company that tracks ratings. And The Gorge is the most popular film on streaming, according to a rival ratings tracker. Both are from Apple TV+.
The weird workplace drama and the thriller/romance beat out everything else on any streaming service.
Severance dominates the ratings charts
Severance drew in huge audiences during its first season, and when season two returned in January, large numbers of fans tuned in. Enough to push the show to the top of the ratings charts three times since new season started.
Movie and TV search engine JustWatch publishes a weekly ratings list of the 10 most popular series on streaming, and Severance sits at No. 1 for the week of February 10 through February 16. Rival service Reelgood put the show in the No. 3 slot on its list for top rated series for the week of Feb. 13 to Feb. 19.
Charts: JustWatch/Reelgood
Ratings estimates from companies like JustWatch and Reelgood are necessary because streaming services rarely reveal how many people tune in to their offerings. And Apple itself chimed in on Monday, crowing that Severance recently passed Ted Lasso as the most popular Apple TV+ show ever.
In the hit series, Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott) leads a team of employees who’ve undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Scout finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself.
Episode six of Severance season two debuted this week, with the seventh coming on Friday. In the mean time, be sure you didn’t miss anything important with Cult of Mac’s recaps of episode one, episode two, episode three, episode four, episode five and episode six.
The Gorge becomes the most popular film on streaming
Viewers were drawn in big numbers to the premiere of The Gorge, the romantic action thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller. It leapt to the top spot on Reelgood’s rating chart of most popular streaming films last week after the movie debuted on Apple TV+ on February 14. And it was at No. 2 on JustWatch’s chart.
Charts: Reelgood/JustWatch
Its high ratings shouldn’t surprise anyone who saw the recent announcement that The Gorge ranks as the biggest film premiere in Apple TV+ history.
The premise could be the secret of the new film’s success. The Apple TV+ teaser synopsis for the movie says:
“Two highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.”
The film can be watched now.
Watch these and more on Apple TV+
Streaming hits like Severance, The Gorge, plus many others comes with a subscription to Apple TV+. The service is $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
And Apple’s streaming video service also includes a library of drama, comedies, musicals, children’s shows, nature documentaries, etc.
