Series Snapshot ~ 7/23/2026

By: [email protected] on Thu, 07/23/2026 - 14:09

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

This week Netflix’s remake of Little House on the Prairie is the most watched series on the platform, as viewership for I Will Find You begins to dip. Contrary to the original weekly 1974 version, the new frontier drama was released as a binge drop, and has gained some traction over the last few weeks due to a lack of competitive programming. Overall, reviews are positive, but somewhat mixed; publications like RogerEbert.com have called it “aggressively wholesome”, and audiences seem to agree, for better and worse. Some appreciate the cozy, warm vibe, but others find the pacing too slow, especially compared to the massively successful and culturally significant original. Little House on the Prairie follows a family of settlers as they try to overcome hardships on the plains of Kansas in 1869, and is based on the childhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote the original autobiographical series in the 1930s. Netflix has greenlit a second season, set for mid-to-late 2027. Little House on the Prairie was created by Rebecca Sonnenshine and stars Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Skywalker Hughes, and Alice Halsey.

General Hospital, which Hulu users consume like water in the absence of new exciting content, had the most views this week, followed closely by the latest season of King of the Hill, which may overtake the soap by next week. The daytime soap opera’s immortality and frequent place at the top is made possible through Hulu’s interface, which often places shows with new episodes on each subscriber’s homepage. Since General Hospital averages two-hundred-fifty or so episodes each year, it’s frequently recommended to viewers, on top of having a historic presence in television and generations of audience support. This week featured the classic General Hospital formula with interwoven plots and twists and stars veteran series actors Laura Wright, Steve Burton, Cynthia Watros, Cameron Mathison, and Finola Hughes. Current narrative momentum is driven by the shocking results of a high-stakes shooting, which has thrown Port Charles into disarray, with missing police evidence and new alliances. General Hospital was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, and is helmed by the present-day creative team of Frank Valentini, Elizabeth Korte, and Chris Van Etten.

HBO’s House of the Dragon continues its chart dominance, just ahead of Rick and Morty’s highly rated ninth season. After crossing the halfway point last week, season three’s most recent episode saw a dip in ratings; viewers felt episode five did little to advance the overall plot, and was reliant on slower pacing and filler. Despite what some audiences see as a disappointing episode, overall ratings for the season and series as a whole remain quite high. House of the Dragon’s commanding core cast of Emma D’arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, and Ewan Mitchell, continue to deliver gripping performances that keep tension high, even absent dragons and battles. Showrunner and co-creator Ryan Condal has confirmed that the fourth and final season is currently being written, tentatively scheduled for summer of 2028. Season three will conclude with its finale on Sunday, August 9. House of the Dragon was created by George R. R. Martin and Ryan Condal.

For Amazon Prime, a new spy-comedy series, Ride or Die has bested regular chart toppers Elle and Off Campus. The series debuted July 15th as a binge-drop, releasing all eight episodes to immediate widespread acclaim. Ride or Die’s early success is attributed to the electric pairing of Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham, who play two best friends, Debbie and Judith. While the two think they know everything about each other, it’s quickly revealed to Debbie that Judith is actually a top spy-assassin, and has been leading a double life. The two are thrust into high-stakes international espionage, and Debbie’s complete lack of combat training provides much of the series’ comedic moments. Critics praise this charming dynamic, but note that the middle episodes drag a bit with one too many sidequests. No word yet from Amazon whether Ride or Die will get a second season. Ride or Die also stars Bill Nighy, Ed Skrein, and Sylvia Hoeks, and was created by Tessa Coates.

At AppleTV, Silo takes another win, as Lucky, starring Anya Taylor-Joy clocks in just behind.

Similar to Hulu’s Paradise, Silo’s premise, in which a post apocalyptic future sees survivors seek refuge underground amidst government conspiracy, has enraptured audiences again, as its third season continues to rake in high viewership and ratings. Contrary to Paradise, the underground world is not a prestigious resort-city for the wealthy and elite, but a claustrophobic, industrial, 144-story bunker. Rebecca Ferguson has won over viewers and critics with a tour-de-force performance as engineer Juliette Nichols. Her vulnerable portrayal emotionally anchors the show, and the cast of Common, Tim Robbins, and Harriet Walter perfectly suit the dystopian underworld. A new prequel timeline introduces Ashley Zukerman and Jessica Henwick, who also receive praise for dialed-in performances. Silo is based on the novel trilogy by Hugh Howey, and created for television by Graham Yost.

The animated superhero series X-Men '97 is Disney+’s winner again this week. X-Men '97 picks up where the original '90s cartoon left off, but shifts focus from Wolverine to Cyclops, Rogue, and Magneto. Fans are delighted by the art style, which is meticulously matched to the original series while updating animation techniques to breathe new life into the show. Further connecting to the source material, the original voice actors for Wolverine (Cal Dodd), Rogue (Lenore Zann), Beast (George Buza), Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), and Nightcrawler (Adrian Hough) return to reprise their roles. Overall, reviews are positive and enthusiastic, but not only for nostalgia’s sake- the show has also switched from “villain-of-the-week” to a more serialized format, with mature plotlines and heavier consequences. Disney opted for a weekly release schedule, with new episodes every Wednesday, and a finale slated for August 12. X-Men ‘97 has been renewed for a third and fourth season, and is currently showrun by Matthew Chauncey.