Series Snapshot ~ 9/25/25

By: [email protected] on Thu, 09/25/2025 - 13:06

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

The most watched series on Netflix this week is a new thriller, Black Rabbit, starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law. Set in New York City, Black Rabbit follows the successful owner of a VIP club (Law) whose life is rocked by the sudden re-appearance of his rough-around-the edges brother (Bateman). Black Rabbit is also a limited series, and the final episodes aired last week. Reviews for the series are mixed, with many feeling the writing is a weak-point with too many twists, long episodes that leave viewers and critics exhausted, and little payoff. Bateman and Law are receiving praise for their performances, and most seem to agree their scenes together are the series' most exciting elements.

Alien: Earth continues its galactic dominance this week with another consecutive “most watched” at Hulu. Original star of the 1979 film Alien Sigourney Weaver has even weighed in with high-praise for the show, going so far as to say that “the scope is so much more profound than just an Alien movie.” Viewers and critics agree with Weaver: everyone seems to appreciate the series’ exploration of consciousness and humanity, and how it examines moral and philosophical dilemmas against a retro-futurist sci-fi horror backdrop. Fans too have fallen in love with supporting characters Morrow, the terrifying cyborg (played by Babou Ceesay) and Boy Kavalier, the young trillionaire-genius entrepreneur (played by Samuel Blenkin). Alien: Earth was created by Noah Hawley, and also stars Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, and Sydney Chandler.

HBO original series Task enjoys a second week at the top, ahead of Peacemaker and The Pitt (which recently released in new regions on the platform). Task seems to be part of a larger pattern lately, a limited series crime thriller, with big name talent turning in excellent performances, but writing leaving a bit more to be desired. We’ve seen the same from Black Rabbit, Two Graves, Untamed, Hostage and Smoke, which all experienced a “most watched of the week” this year. Task stars Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey and Emilia Jones and was created by Brad Ingelsby.

Predictably, Amazon’s massively successful The Summer I Turned Pretty enjoys a victory lap this week, after airing its finale last week. The show is undoubtedly a phenomenon amongst Gen Z and younger audiences, and their marketing is top-form. The Summer I Turned Pretty ended on a cliffhanger, and Jenny Han, creator and showrunner, has all but confirmed a feature-length conclusion to the story in the works. The Summer I Turned Pretty stars Gavin Casalegno, Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, and Rain Spencer.

The Morning Show, now in its fourth season, is again the most watched at AppleTV this week, just ahead of Platonic and Slow Horses. The Morning Show’s ratings peaked during their third season, and with only two episodes of the new season released, the show has plenty of time to win over its viewers and critics. Early reviews remain divisive; it may be the case that the series is either loved or hated, but time will tell. Leads Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston consistently receive a nod for their dialed-in performances and magnetic scene-work. The Morning Show also stars Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass, and comes from creator Jay Carson.

At Disney+, ABC’s High Potential, starring Kaitlin Olson, is the most watched series of the week. Now that the new season has had some time to percolate, reviews are in, and they are glowing. Critics love the show’s nuanced tone, finding a balance between thrills and levity. Many who view the series feel nostalgic for cable classics like Psyche and Monk, and Olson’s performance is a tour-de-force, playing the extremely likeable genius-custodian Morgan Gillory. Praise for the show is found in every department, and co-stars Daniel Sunjata and Judy Reyes are also getting recognition for their individual performances, and group-rapport.