GoKawiilTed Lasso is back tonight for season 4, and sure to be a huge hit. But new data has just revealed Apple TV’s most popular series of the year so far, and it hails from the same creator.
Shrinking is Apple TV’s most-watched show of 2026 so far, per Nielsen
Apple TV doesn’t publish official viewership numbers for its shows and movies. Though keeping a close eye on the daily-updated Top 10 charts provides a good idea of what’s being watched.
In the streaming industry, it’s standard practice to withhold actual viewing data. But out of the many third-party companies that try to gauge viewership, the gold standard has long been Nielsen.
Recently Nielsen published its data from the first half of 2026, which covers viewership across all streaming platforms.
It’s rare for Apple TV content to hit Nielsen’s charts, but one series—Shrinking, from Ted Lasso’s co-creator—just barely made the top 20 list for ‘Original Series’ viewership.
‘Original Series’ means the show originated on a streaming service. So legacy shows with massive libraries like Grey’s Anatomy and The Big Bang Theory don’t qualify.
Shrinking was the 20th most viewed original series per Nielsen, with 5.2 billion minutes viewed. That makes it the most popular series Apple TV has aired this year.
The show was in close contention with other series in the 5 billion range, like Love Is Blind and Paradise. With a small boost in viewership, it could have climbed as high as #14 on the charts.
Stranger Things and The Pitt took the top two spots, with 23 and 21 billion minutes, respectively.
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