Series Snapshot ~ 8/21/25

By: [email protected] on Thu, 08/21/2025 - 13:47

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

A lot of last week’s big streaming winners are extending their run as most-watched, while we see a small lull in new content across the board. Netflix’s Wednesday continues to hold its spot at number one on the platform, with more reviews coming in praising the series for its darker shift in tone, maturing with its audience, and strong performances from Jenna Ortega and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Wednesday has been renewed for a third season, and part two of season two is set to release September 4th. Wednesday also stars Luis Guzmán, and Isaac Ordonez.

At Hulu, Alien: Earth is getting great reviews as well, with “best series of the year” and “can’t miss” being common phrases to describe the new entry in the sci-fi horror franchise. Alien: Earth is being consistently praised for its ability to balance the many plates it has spinning. Pacing, tension, sets, acting and writing are all brought up as strong elements that demonstrate the show’s level of polish and finesse, all helmed by creator and showrunner Noah Hawley. Alien: Earth stars Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant, and Alex Lawther.

And Just Like That… season three, shifts back to number one this week, a regular rotation for the HBOMAX original. While The Gilded Age slips to number two and a new Outlander spin-off displaces Rick and Morty for the third spot. And Just Like That… had its series finale this week, which likely explains its spike in viewership. Unfortunately, the new series was never really able to re-capture the magic of the original Sex and the City, and despite some fans “hate-watching” the new show, many were glad to get some closure to the story. And Just Like That… stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Sarita Choudhury, and Kristin Davis.

The Summer I Turned Pretty continues its chart-domination at Amazon. The teen romance-drama is currently about halfway through its third season, and has become quite popular amongst young adults. According to fans and critics, there has been a noticeable jump in writing quality from the first two seasons; there’s a new twist almost every episode and the heightened stakes have viewers concocting theories and predictions for what will happen next. As of this writing there are still no plans for a fourth season. The Summer I Turned Pretty stars Gavin Casalegno, Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Rain Spencer.

AppleTV’s Sci-Fi original Foundation re-takes the number one spot, ahead of Chief of War. The plot has thickened, and with only four episodes remaining, season viewership is cresting. Foundation is a sweeping space-opera based on the series by Isaac Asimov that fills a hole left by Game of Thrones. Stunning visuals, strong scene work, political intrigue, and plenty of twists and betrayals all drive the show’s viewership, and weekly releases keep anticipation high. There’s no official word yet on season four, but it seems likely given the show’s recent boom in popularity. Foundation stars Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey.

Interestingly, most people with a Disney+ subscription are also streaming Alien: Earth, since Disney owns Hulu and for many, bundles the services together. For mainly Americans, the two services are separated, so when adjusted for that, the most watched series on Disney+ this week is actually Iron Man and His Awesome Friends, a children’s animated series. The new cartoon first aired August 11th, and has been a popular choice amongst parents for suitable kids’ programming. Iron Man and His Awesome Friends features Marvel characters Tony Stark, Riri Williams, and Amadeus Cho (re-imagined as children), as they work together to help their city. The new series stars Mason Blomberg, Kapri Ladd, and Aidyn Ahn, and is directed by Michael Dowding.