Series Snapshot ~ 10/1/2026

By: [email protected] on Thu, 10/01/2026 - 13:36

Welcome to the Series Snapshot, a weekly deep dive into the shows topping the streaming charts.

Netflix’s hit true crime drama Monster takes a victory lap as the platform’s most watched series this week. Its new chapter, The Lizzie Borden Story, has pulled nearly thirty million views so far, but also scores mixed-to-poor from critics. In addition to the typical exploitation critique that the Monster series draws, The Lizzie Borden Story has been grilled for two main reasons: a surface-level examination of female rage, and heavy distortion of historical fact to push an unpersuasive connection between Lizzie Borden and other female serial-killers. The new season stars Ella Beatty as Borden, along with Charlie Hunnam and Rebbeca Hall as her parents, Andrew and Abby. Sarah Paulson continues to receive praise for her standout performance as 1988 killer Aileen Wuornos, which provides some of the show’s infrequent but grounded moments. Despite the gory story's inaccuracies and ramshackle plot construction, audiences continue to binge. Like many Ryan Murphy projects, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story answers the following; is it high-brow? No. Is it fun? Absolutely.

Speaking of Ryan Murphy, the mega-producer is on a hot streak this week as American Horror Story: 13 takes the top spot at Hulu. The new thirteenth season premiered on September 24th, and is an all-star reunion of AHS favorites over the years. Returning actors include Emma Roberts, Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, and Evan Peters, who bring back iconic characters in a massive crossover. The new season also tries a different format, with thirteen half-hour episodes premiering with the first three, then three more drop on October 1st, then two weekly until the finale on October 29th. In terms of critical reception, there’s a big divide between critics and fans – almost every early review from professionals was positive, but audiences have rated AHS: 13 as the lowest in the entire anthology, tying with AHS: NYC. It seems critics enjoy the campy reunion and self references in the season, but there’s considerable backlash from die-hard fans who noticed a number of frustrating contradictions, ret-cons, and breaking of established rules within the universe that they had come to appreciate. American Horror Story was created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, and also stars Joey Pollari and Fedor Steer.

HBO’s hit comic adaptation Lanterns nears a perfect run since premiering on August 16, and with just one episode remaining, fans are buzzing with anticipation. In a recent social media post, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn stated that he was excited for “next week’s finale”, clarifying “season finale” when pressed by fans, hinting at a potential renewal. Lanterns successfully rebranded the Green Lantern IP, swapping heroic primary colors for desaturated crime thriller grit. Audiences quickly embraced the casting of Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler as intergalactic beat cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan, with many calling for Emmy nominations. While the true-crime aesthetic is largely praised, some have pointed out a lack of momentum in the premiere season’s second half, and the show deliberately avoids overusing the duo’s powers opting instead to keep lower profiles as detectives, and in a major tweak from comic book lore, Earth is allowed only one Green Lantern ring at a time. Lanterns also stars Kelly MacDonald and Garrett Dillahunt, and was Developed by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King.

Over at Amazon, Reacher spin-off Neagley has proven to stand on its own, taking a second week at the top after Reacher’s season finale. To test the waters, Amazon released the entire debut season as a binge drop, and Neagley has exceeded expectations with high ratings across the board. Neagley stars Maria Sten as the titular Frances Neagley, a cohort of Jack Reacher’s investigating the mysterious death of her childhood friend Tommy Crane (Jhaleil Swaby). While structurally similar to Reacher, Neagley has its own identity- the new series explores side characters with greater depth, and Sten plays her part with intense vulnerability. Where Reacher drifts from town to town, Neagley is firmly planted in Chicago (Ontario, Canada, behind the scenes). Neagley is praised for playing to its strengths; its protagonist isn’t an invincible bodybuilder, instead relying on stealth and tactical precision, and the series still packs plenty of action into each episode with high-stakes firefights and hand-to-hand choreography. Amazon has not made an official announcement for renewal, but more seasons are all but guaranteed thanks to Neagley’s fantastic reception. Neagley also stars Greyston Holt, Jasper Jones, and Adeline Rudolph, and was developed by Nick Santora.

After a hugely successful Emmy’s sweep for Apple, formerly featured Series Snapshot winners like Widow’s Bay, and Pluribus have seen a surge in viewership, but Ted Lasso is still at the top this week. Ted Lasso’s fourth season nears its conclusion, with one episode remaining for October 7th. Recent events saw Ted invite the owner of the Crown & Anchor pub, Mae Green (Annette Badland) along to ride the official Lady Greyhounds bus as they approach a critically important match. They win the big game, but a sudden tragedy rocked Ted and the team leaving fans of the show heartbroken. There was also a major development for will-they-won’t-they couple Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), and viewers look forward to what happens next, discussing theories and predictions on various online forums. While Apple has not yet confirmed a fifth season, there are plenty of rumors circulating and hints from production that the series will continue. Ted Lasso also stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Jeremy Swift, and was created by Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly.

At Disney Plus, interestingly, Loki was the most streamed series this week. This is likely due to the release of Avengers: Endgame: Encore, which added new footage featuring Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief. The new expanded material also ties in with the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, and has fans re-watching the Loki series as a refresher in anticipation. Additionally, Disney’s algorithms and user interface have set Loki to begin streaming on autoplay after completing Avengers: Endgame, so it's possible that the recent spike in viewership is as much automated as organic. Regardless, Loki, which premiered in 2021, is universally lauded and highly rated for its spectacular worldbuilding and character development, making it one of the most successful post-Endgame series. Over its two seasons, audiences loved seeing its protagonist undergo a major transformation and self-sacrifice, rebranding as a hero. Loki also starred Owen Wilson, Sophia DiMartino, and Jonathan Majors, and was created by Michael Waldron.