‘The Big Bang Theory’ Just Hit a Streaming Milestone It Never Achieved During Its Original Run

Sitcoms rarely get a second wind quite like this one has managed over the past several years. Long after its cameras stopped rolling, one show has continued climbing streaming charts in a way that even its own network probably didn’t anticipate, proving that comfort television never really goes out of style.

That steady climb just reached a new peak, one the series never actually managed to hit during its original twelve-season broadcast run on CBS.

‘The Big Bang Theory’ claimed the overall number one spot in Nielsen’s streaming ratings for the first time ever, according to The Hollywood Reporter, taking the top position for the week of July 27 through August 2. The sitcom pulled in 1.14 billion minutes of viewing time on HBO Max during that stretch, growing slightly week over week and becoming the only series or movie to surpass a billion viewing minutes for three consecutive weeks.

The milestone is especially notable given the show’s already lengthy streaming track record. Despite ending in 2019 after twelve seasons, ‘The Big Bang Theory’ has remained one of the most-streamed titles in the United States for more than three years, previously earning recognition as Nielsen’s most-binged streaming title of 2024 with an average of 265.5 episodes watched per viewer.

Part of what made this particular week possible was a relatively subdued showing from newer original programming. Netflix’s true crime series ‘The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare’ led the originals chart with 864 million minutes of watch time, marking the lowest weekly total for a number one original series in nearly two years.

Elsewhere on the chart, Netflix’s ‘Ransom Canyon’ grew by roughly 9% the week following its second season premiere, pulling in 816 million minutes, while Prime Video’s ‘Ride or Die’ held relatively steady in its third week with 786 million minutes, only dropping about 15%. On the film side, ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ topped the movies chart and landed second overall with 911 million viewing minutes during the week of its Disney+ and Hulu premiere, while ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ also posted a strong debut with 777 million minutes on Peacock.

The timing of this achievement lines up closely with renewed interest in the ‘Big Bang Theory’ universe more broadly, with the franchise’s newest spinoff, ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,’ having premiered on July 23, just before this record-setting week. That series follows characters from the original show years after its conclusion, reuniting familiar faces including Kevin Sussman, Lauren Lapkus, Brian Posehn, and John Ross Bowie.

Nielsen’s streaming ratings only measure viewing on television sets and cover U.S. audiences exclusively, meaning the show’s actual reach across computers and mobile devices could be even higher than these figures suggest. Given how consistently the series has performed since arriving on Max, this overall number one finish feels less like a fluke and more like the natural culmination of years of steady, dedicated viewership.

For a show that wrapped its original broadcast run more than five years ago, claiming the top overall spot for the very first time speaks volumes about just how enduring its appeal remains. Are you surprised ‘The Big Bang Theory’ is still topping the streaming charts years after it ended? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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