Netflix’s New 6-Part Series Instantly Becomes Global Streaming Sensation

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Published Jan 26, 2026, 9:28 AM EST

Felipe Rangel is a Superheroes Lead Writer and Reviewer at ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021, with a focus on superhero projects. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Since the launch of the Superheroes vertical in 2023, he has focused his efforts on coming up with insightful analyses of Marvel and DC's projects.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Netflix's new series becomes a worldwide streaming hit shortly after arriving on the streaming service. One of Netflix's best TV shows of all time, and a project that became a key part of the streamer for years, recently ended. That TV show is Stranger Things, which continues to display its success on the Netflix streaming charts almost a month after its series finale.

While Stranger Things is over, Netflix's TV show catalog has not stayed frozen in the past, far from it, with the streamer releasing multiple successful series since the start of 2026. The best shows on Netflix right now include a couple that were released last week. One of those is a comedy that is laughing its way up the charts.

According to FlixPatrol, Free Bert is currently the 6th most-watched TV show on Netflix worldwide. All six episodes of Free Bert were released on Netflix on January 22. Stranger Things ranks below the new Netflix comedy on the charts, coming in at 7th. The streamer's global top three shows are His & Hers, Finding Her Edge, and Agatha Christie's Seven Dials.

Free Bert's success comes as the show is trending on Netflix in 39 countries. The comedy series is not the most-watched show in any of those countries at this time, but it ranks as high as #2 in Australia. When it comes to 3rd place, Free Bert finds itself on quite a few countries' top ten lists.

The new Netflix series ranks 3rd in seven countries, with some of them being Canada and South Africa. The comedy series is also the 3rd most-watched TV show on Netflix in the United States. Nationwide, the Netflix charts look a little different from the global rankings. Free Bert is joined by Skyscraper Live at 1st and His & Hers at 2nd in the streamer's top ten.

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Free Bert managed to go as high as #2 in the United States when it premiered, dropping a single position on January 26. Free Bert's streaming success has yet to translate into positive reviews from critics. At the time of writing, the new Netflix series only had one review logged on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it is a positive one, no consensus can be formed just yet.

In terms of audience reception, that can be measured by Free Bert's success on Netflix in the United States and worldwide, as well as its positive 65% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Free Bert stars comedian Bert Kreischer, telling the story of a fictionalized version of himself, as he grows in multiple areas of his life. Free Bert's ending leaves the door open for season 2.