2021 Thriller ‘The Little Things’ Surges to No. 1 on Streaming Top 10 After Netflix Debut

One of the unexpected trends in the streaming media revolution is the surprise surge in viewership for older theatrical releases or TV shows simply because they get added to streaming libraries.

Case in point: “Shōgun,” the FX/Hulu drama about feudal Japan, is the second most-viewed program on the streaming chart in the Samba TV Weekly Wrap Report for the week of March 25 to March 31. Riding a wave of critical praise and word-of-mouth buzz, “Shōgun” has remained in the top three most-watched streaming programs for six consecutive weeks.

What could top that? How about “The Little Things,” a largely forgotten crime thriller from 2021? Even though it was critically panned upon release, the film was seen in 1.7 million U.S. households in the week after it was added to the Netflix library. Stars like Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto likely helped, and Black households were especially interested, with that audience over-indexing by 17%.

“The Little Things” is actually one of three older films that Netflix has on the chart this week. “The Accountant,” in seventh, was released in 2016 and is enjoying a second consecutive week in the top 10. In ninth is “Baby Driver,” the 2017 action film. And let’s not forget “Road House,” a 2024 release on Amazon Prime Video that’s actually a remake of the 1989 action film. After topping the streaming chart two weeks in a row, it slides to No. 6 this week.

Coming in at No. 3 is a more recent theatrical release, “Wish,” on Disney+. The 2023 animated film appears to be gaining new life on streaming, similar to other Disney releases like “Elemental” and “The Little Mermaid.”

The rest of the Top 10 belongs to Netflix. The pricey sci-fi mindtrip “3 Body Problem” is No. 4 this week, continuing a strong showing on the charts. “Files of the Unexplained,” an “Unsolved Mysteries”-style docuseries, is No. 5. The action series “The Gentlemen” sticks around on the chart for the fifth-consecutive week, coming in at No. 8, while “Testament: The Story of Moses,” rides some post-Easter viewership to No. 10.

On the linear side of things, award shows continue to draw strong viewership. This week, the “CMT Music Awards” earned the top spot following a Sunday night broadcast on CBS, continuing a trend we saw throughout the TV and film awards season at the start of 2024.

It’s familiar territory from there on. Two episodes of “American Idol” come in at No. 2 and No. 3. “Idol’s” primary competitor, “The Voice,” is No. 7 this week, something of a surprise for a program that regularly tops the chart.

“FBI” on CBS is No. 4 this week, leading a trio of scripted procedurals. NBC’s “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Fire” are the other two, coming in at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively.

Rounding out the Top 10 are two pillars of American TV: “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” in its 34th season, comes in fifth while “Wheel of Fortune,” in its 41st season, claims No. 9 and 10.

Cole Strain is VP and Head of R&D at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more data and analysis from Samba TV.

The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households, balanced to the U.S. Census.