Netflix Australia Releases Top Titles Watched by Australians This Year

One of the most engaging shows on the list revealed by Netflix Australia is Queen’s Gambit

In this memorable year, many of us were stuck at home with no other companion than Netflix. So, we all binged watched many shows than we might not have paid much attention to if things were normal. Netflix Australia has recently released the list of top titles watched by Australians this year, and it includes some names you will feel familiar with.

One of the most engaging shows on the list revealed by Netflix Australia is Queen’s Gambit that was simple but kept people hooked. It is the story of an orphan who becomes a chess sensation. The acting skills of Anya Taylor-Joy helped the show to be the most popular TV drama of 2020.

Emily in Paris became the best-watched comedy. The show featured Lily Collins as an American who is discovering Paris while tackling the challenges of a job at a marketing firm where her boss disliked (read: hates) her.

Another worthy mention on the list released by Netflix Australia is the Karate Kid spin-off, Cobra Kai. It was named as the most popular action series. The most-watched reality program was Too Hot to Handle. It transported the viewers to a steamy tropical island. As expected, the documentary category was topped by Tiger King. It is the story of a zookeeper Joe Exotic with mysterious elements in it.

Netflix Australia also shared the movie preferences of Australians. We watched Enola Holmes and showered love on Extraction as well. The Family Next Door was named as the most popular feature-length documentary.

To prepare this list, Netflix Australia measured the popularity of its titles from Jan 2020 to the end of Nov 2020. The data also shared that viewing of Australians increased by 90 per cent in the middle of the year. Korean dramas and reality TV saw an increase of 40 per cent while average viewing hours for thrillers rose by 70 per cent.

Pop culture expert Dr Lauren Rosewarne, from the University of Melbourne, talked about the data shared by Netflix Australia and stated that shows like The Queen’s Gambit and Emily in Paris might have performed well in Australia as their lightness provided an escape from the challenges Australians were facing due to the coronavirus pandemic. She said “Both are relatively uncomplicated. Neither are disturbing or depraved or offering up content that will only add to our 2020 woes. In a year where Australians have been stuck at home and unable to use our passports, both series offered us vicarious travel to exotic locations. [To] add to this, we got to ogle glamorous fashions observed while we are at home in pyjamas.”

Noting that women were protagonists in the most popular comedy series and the top-rating drama, she added: “female-centred narratives are doing well in a climate where we’re becoming increasingly concerned about representation and diversity.”