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Netflix’s 8-Part Show With One Of Its Best Casts Dethrones Stephen-King Approved Sci-Fi Series

Netflix’s 8-Part Show With One Of Its Best Casts Dethrones Stephen-King Approved Sci-Fi Series

A Netflix show with one of its best cast has dethroned a Stephen King-approved science-fiction series.

Between His & Hers, Bridgerton season 4, The Lincoln Lawyer season 4, The Night Agent season 3, One Piece season 2, Virgin River season 7, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, Beef season 2, Running Point season 2, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, and The Boroughs, 2026 has already been a massive year for Netflix shows.



















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01

Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?




✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.

02

The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?




✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.

03

In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?




✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

04

Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?




✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.

05

The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?




✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.

06

Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?




✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.

07

La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?




✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.

08

Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?




✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.

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Now, Netflix’s latest star-studded series, The Four Seasons, has returned and is an immediate streaming hit after all eight episodes in season 2 came to the streaming platform on May 28. The main cast features Tina Fey as Kate, Will Forte as Jack, Colman Domingo as Danny, Marco Calvani as Claude, Kerri Kenney-Silver as Anne, and Erika Henningsen as Ginny as the characters go on vacations together during each season of the year. Steve Carell was a series regular in season 1, but his character, Nick, shockingly died, and this tragedy drives much of the new season.

On Netflix, The Four Seasons is now the number one show on the U.S. chart after dethroning The Boroughs, which Stephen King called “an absolute delight” in his review on social media. Worldwide on Netflix, The Four Seasons is in fourth place behind The Boroughs, Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine, and Nemesis. However, it is number one in 11 countries outside the United States, including Australia, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

The Four Seasons‘ early streaming success bodes well for the show’s future, as strong viewership helped season 2 be renewed only two weeks after the release of season 1. The Four Seasons season 2’s ending also sets up another season, especially with a surprising cameo toward the end of the finale.

With a “Certified Fresh” score of 90% based on 21 reviews, season 2 is critically faring better than season 1, which has a 78% Tomatometer score. In ScreenRant‘s The Four Seasons season 2 review, Cher Thompson gave it a rating of seven out of 10 stars, explaining that “The Four Seasons’ second season recognizes that it has more time, space, and ability to define what these people mean to each other, especially in the wake of such tragedy.”

Before becoming a Netflix show, The Four Seasons was a 1981 movie directed, written by, and starring Alan Alda. He does have a cameo in seasons 1 and 2 as Anne’s father, but in the movie, he played Jack, who is now portrayed by Forte in the series. The rest of the movie’s main cast included Carol Burnett as Kate, Jack Weston as Danny, Rita Moreno as Claudia, Len Cariou as Nick, Sandy Dennis as Anne, and Bess Armstrong as Ginny.

While there were already many changes made to The Four Seasons show compared to the movie, season 2 is an even further departure. Nick didn’t die in the film and there was no exploration of what happened in the months after Ginny was revealed to be pregnant, nor were any more of the group’s vacations shown. Some of the character’s personalities and relationships in the show are also quite different, especially where Danny and Claude are concerned, and Anne receives more focus in the series.

All episodes of The Four Seasons are now streaming on Netflix.



Release Date

2025 – 2026-00-00

Network

Netflix

Directors

Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Oz Rodriguez, Colman Domingo, Jeff Richmond, Lang Fisher

Writers

Dylan Morgan, John Riggi, Josh Siegal, Lang Fisher, Lisa Muse Bryant, Matt Whitaker, Tina Fey, Tracey Wigfield, Vali Chandrasekaran


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