Series Snapshot ~ 7/10/25

By: [email protected] on Thu, 07/10/2025 - 14:46

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

Netflix’s global phenomenon Squid Game (now in its third and final season) has claimed the “most watched” title this week, but is closely followed by another series, The Sandman, which we will spotlight this week. The Sandman’s second season started with six episodes to kick things off this month. Thus far, reviews for the dark fantasy series have been quite positive, though still not as high as season one. Tom Sturridge in particular, carries the show and his performance as the character Morpheus is being called “captivating and ethereal”. The Sandman also stars Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, and Boyd Holbrook.

At Hulu, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives - Season 2 has suddenly shot back up the list, after taking the number one spot in late May. This was likely due to the Wives reunion episode – a time honored reality television tradition where the whole cast re-hashes the events of the season, sometimes with moments of forgiveness or deepening feuds. Reunion episodes also give the audience an entry point to bring them up to speed on the season. The third season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is already in production, and comes from series creator Jeff Jenkins.

For MAX, its most watched list is gridlocked, continuing the same pattern of Rick and Morty, And Just Like That… and The Gilded Age, respectively taking the first three spots. For The Gilded Age, Season three is now the highest rated of the whole series, with only three episodes released so far. Episode four is set to air on Sunday, July 13th, and audiences are excited as the season’s plot picks up speed. The Gilded Age stars Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski.

Amazon’s original teen drama We Were Liars, maintains its spot, but only by a nose; another drama series, Countdown, is just behind at number two. Countdown comes from series creator Derek Haas, and premiered June 25th. The show revolves around an LAPD detective, played by Jenson Ackles. After being recruited to a special task force to catch a killer, he quickly finds the web of crime goes much deeper than anticipated. Despite its high viewership, the show is receiving pretty mixed reviews, especially from critics, who find it to be a little dull, and lacking in writing and suspense. We’re only five episodes into the series so far, so there’s still plenty of time for Countdown to find its footing.

Over on AppleTV new series Smoke extends its most watched run, after placing at number one with just one episode. As the series has had time to smoulder, new reviews continue to rate the show highly. Smoke stars Taron Edgerton, Jurnee Smollet, and Rafe Spall, and comes from creator Dennis Lehane. New episodes premiere every Friday.

Ironheart, Disney’s new MCU original series, is once again the most watched on the platform. The series has struggled with audience reviews, but has gained some traction since last week. Critics continue to rate the show quite highly. Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, and Alden Ehrenreich. Unfortunately, current rumors and speculation are leaning towards Ironheart being a one-season-series; as of right now there’s no hint at the show being renewed for a second season. Sometimes, the story continues in the form of the movie, so even without a renewal, the plot may not end here.