Netflix has turned NBC’s sci-fi thriller “La Brea” into a streaming heavyweight, topping Nielsen’s weekly overall chart with 1.28 billion minutes in its first full week on the platform—an outcome that underlines the continued pull of the “Netflix effect,” even
The first full week on Netflix didn’t just boost “La Brea.” It flipped the numbers.
When Nielsen published its rankings for the most-watched streaming series at the top of May 2026. the surprise on the list wasn’t a new Netflix release. It was NBC’s sci-fi drama “La Brea. ” which ran from 2021 to 2024. and logged 1.28 billion minutes during its first full week of availability on Netflix.
The premise is the kind of show audiences can’t help but sample: after a giant sinkhole opens in Los Angeles’ La Brea Tar Pits. the series drags tourists back 10. 000 years. “La Brea” ran for three seasons. with the third installment airing just six episodes ahead of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of summer 2023. On NBC, it initially performed solidly—then steadily lost momentum. The series debuted with a solid 6.2 million viewers in 2021. Season 1 averaged 9 million viewers during the 2021–2022 season, helped by streaming the next day on Hulu. But Season 2 cut that in half, averaging 5.3 million across NBC and Peacock during the 2022–2023 season. By the time Season 3 aired its shortened run, “La Brea” averaged 4.1 million viewers across NBC and Peacock during the 2023–2024 season.
Then Netflix happened.
Nielsen shows that “La Brea” made its top 10 debut with 881 million minutes in its first three days across Netflix and Peacock. It was the No. 3 overall streaming show during the week of April 27–May 3, and also the top streaming acquired program. By its first full week on Netflix, the NBC drama climbed to the No. 1 spot on Nielsen’s overall streaming list with 1.28 billion minutes, growing 46% from the previous week.
That surge didn’t land on every demo equally. The growth was driven by Millennial and Gen X audiences, with adults 35–64 driving 56% of watch time. On Netflix alone, “La Brea” ranked as the No. 10 show with 2.1 million views during the week of May 4, and has remained in the top 10 for three weeks.
The scale of the turnaround is a fresh reminder of what’s commonly called the “Netflix effect”—when lesser-known series. often older broadcast or cable titles. find mainstream attention after licensing lands them on the streamer. It’s a dynamic that can make a show feel newly alive again long after its original audience moved on. In this case, the series that was canceled with an abbreviated third season is now acting like a current hit.
The timeline also matters. “La Brea” has been streaming on Peacock for years, yet its biggest leap is tied to its 2026 Netflix debut—so the attention isn’t simply about being available somewhere. It’s about where the audience is concentrating.
There are other examples that point to how strong the pattern can be. NBC’s “Lopez vs. Lopez” is one example of licensing boosting a rollout. CBS’s “Young Sheldon. ” meanwhile. is often discussed in terms of how Netflix popularity may have helped viewers find spinoff series “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.” But the “Netflix effect” doesn’t guarantee a repeatable win. The summer 2023 streaming boom around “Suits” did not translate into the same kind of success for “Suits: LA. ” a sequel spinoff NBCUniversal tried to build quickly from that momentum.
Right now. “La Brea” is also feeding into a broader hunger on streaming for linear-style storytelling alongside prestige releases. buzzy documentaries. and tentpole series. That demand shows up in the season’s top multiplatform performances. where CBS’s “Marshals” sat neck-and-neck with Netflix’s Diddy doc.
And while Netflix enjoys the publicity of a No. 1 streaming moment, the bigger question hanging in the background is what comes next. If “La Brea” can rebound this hard after four years of being off the air, the next forgotten title with the right license timing could be waiting in the wings.
Netflix effect La Brea NBC Nielsen streaming rankings Peacock WGA strikes SAG-AFTRA strikes La Brea Tar Pits Marshals Young Sheldon Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage