Series Snapshot ~ 9/24/2026

By: [email protected] on Thu, 09/24/2026 - 12:39

Welcome to the Series Snapshot, a weekly deep dive into the shows topping the streaming charts.

Netflix’s top series this week was Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story. This is the fourth season in the Monster anthology from creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, and all eight episodes were released together on September 17th. The series as a whole has been the subject of some controversy- its portrayal of serial killers sometimes edges a bit too close to glorification for comfort, and the real-life families of victims have expressed feelings of exploitation. Regardless of ethical qualms, the series pulls consistently high views (though, Lizzie Borden has scored the lowest of the four). This dip in ratings could be due to a tonal shift: while the first three seasons were grounded and more recent in history, Lizzie Borden’s story is a technically unsolved murder from over 134 years ago. Murphy and Brennan took great liberty with the case in terms of historical fact, and the presentation skews almost comedic. Ella Beatty and Rebecca Hall have earned praise for the portrayal of Borden and her mother, but the real standout is Sarah Paulson. Paulson plays the killer Aileen Wuornos with chilling authenticity; viewers agree she completely steals the season, despite being shoehorned into Borden’s story for narrative structure without evidence. Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story also stars Charlie Hunnam, Vicky Krieps, and Billie Lourd.

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives takes another win this week, as its dramatic fifth season continues to rake in views. When the show first premiered in 2024, it gave a backstage look at the world of “MomTok”, a real-life circle of glamorous, Mormon mom influencers. But the polished personas on social media were quickly revealed to be less than perfect when a “soft-swinging” scandal rocked the group and their followers. Since then the series has exploded in popularity and filmed non-stop, but its newest season has left audiences feeling a bit exhausted and uncomfortable. Ongoing legal trouble and domestic violence allegations have, according to fans, made the show feel heavy and “too real” even for reality. To them, what was once a silly guilty pleasure about a cringey subculture has been replaced with an upsetting spectacle. Two core cast members have also quit, causing season five to be noticeably shorter as post-production scrambles to piece together footage into a cohesive story. Hulu has ordered an additional twenty episodes to be split amongst seasons six and seven, but it remains to be seen how that will pan out. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was created by Jeff Jenkins.

At HBO, Lanterns continues to sweep as it nears a perfect run in its first season, with just two episodes remaining including the finale on October 4th. The critical and audience response to the series has been overwhelmingly positive, and though HBO hasn’t officially greenlit season two, writing is already well underway. The key to Lantern’s success seems to be its mature, gritty aesthetic; rather than lean into the saturated colors of comic book heroes, the IP takes on a dark, true-crime dread that brilliantly juxtaposes the more fantastical elements, not unlike Watchmen. Viewers have loved the heartland noir backdrop as well as lead actors Kyle Chandler, who plays the jaded Hal Jordan, and Aaron Pierre, the newly recruited Greenhorn Lantern John Stewart. The two are impeccably cast and play well off one another for comedic moments, though recent episodes see the two confront their own ideals with heavy consequences. Lanterns also stars Kelly Macdonald, Nathan Fillion, and Garret Dillahunt, and was created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King.

After consistently scoring at the top of Amazon Prime’s charts, Reacher gracefully passes the torch to its spin-off, Neagley, which was most watched on the platform this week. Neagley premiered immediately after Reacher’s season four finale, releasing all eight episodes simultaneously. While Reacher’s seasons are each adapted from an original Lee Child novel, Neagley has an entirely original plot, concurrent with the Reacher timeline. Francis Neagley (Maria Sten) works as a corporate security fixer for York Investigations in Chicago. When her childhood friend Tommy Crane (Jhaleil Swaby) mysteriously dies, she takes it upon herself to find answers and justice. The show is an immediate hit; reviews are glowing, and in some metrics it even outperforms multiple seasons of the original flagship series. A second season is not yet greenlit, but almost guaranteed, and series creators Nick Santora and Nicholas Wootton have already written several potential storylines for a continuation. Neagley also stars Greyston Holt, Jasper Jones, and Adeline Rudolph.

Feel-good sports dramedy Ted Lasso clinches another win this week, just ahead of the new, sixth season of Slow Horses. The soft reboot has done excellently with critics and audiences, despite some early pacing issues. As Ted develops his coaching approach with the new Lady Greyhounds, recent episodes have highlighted the stark financial inequality in second-division women’s soccer and to ensure authenticity, writers hired Leah Williamson, captain of the England women’s national team, as a consultant. The new cast boasts a few standout MVP’s: fan favorite Jude Mack plays the wildcard goalie “Boots” with chaotic energy, Tanya Reynolds delivers a brutal mid-match berating as Coach Alice Chilton, and Abbie Hern emotionally anchors the group as star striker Gemma Jay. Two episodes remain with a finale set for October 7th, but there’s no word from Apple yet about further seasons. Ted Lasso also stars Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Jeremy Swift, and Brett Goldstein, and was created by Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly.

Over at Disney Plus, new German dystopian limited series City of Blood is the most watched, ahead of Furious and Chad Powers. Created by Philipp Kadelbach and Elena Lyubarskaya, City of Blood paints a post-apocalyptic Berlin ravaged by climate change and suffering an extreme class divide. Estranged sisters Bea and Phoebe (Lea Drinda and Soma Pysall) reunite and discover the city’s terrifying secret: a mob of vampires is infiltrating society at every level. Reviews so far are mostly positive, with copious praise for the show’s stunning visuals and high-end production design. Additionally, the tackling of hot button politics through the lens of vampires seems to be a hit with viewers. However, the plot is fragmented amongst several different groups and characters, and critics point out a lack of momentum from episode to episode. City of Blood also stars Lars Eidinger, Franz Hartwig, and was adapted from the graphic novel Berlinoir, created by Reinhard Kleist and Tobias O. Meißner.