According to a new report from Bloomberg,NCIS is the most popular show of the last five years. The data factored in the minutes watched, as reported in Nielsen’s Weekly Streaming Top 10 charts, with the CBS popular drama logging a massive 151 billion minutes viewed. It beats out Grey’s Anatomy, another long-running drama, as seen in the table below.
| Top Shows From 2020 To 2025, By Minutes Watched (Credit: Screentime/Bloomberg) | |
|---|---|
| Show | Minutes Watched (Billions) |
| NCIS | 151.4B |
| Grey’s Anatomy | 148.8B |
| Bluey | 137.7B |
| CoComelon | 93.9B |
| Criminal Minds | 89.6B |
| Suits | 58.0B |
| The Office | 57.1B |
| Ozark | 46.3B |
| Stranger Things | 45.6B |
| Love Is Blind | 42.5B |
The numbers come from Nielsen, with the cut-off date being November 9, 2025. There are a few caveats to note, chief of which is that Nielsen only tracks streaming viewers watched in the U.S. Nielsen’s method of tracking of minutes watched naturally favors TV series with a lot of episodes (Grey’s, Suits, and Criminal Minds) or often-watched children’s programs like Bluey.
But even with those distinctions, the dominance of NCIS remains impressive. The CBS show has managed to keep its audience, even with big changes to the NCIS cast and the loss of lead star Mark Harmon. It also likely benefits from being available on various platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, and Paramount+.
It is rare for any drama to still be able to generate interest after more than two decades. While there has been some speculation that CBS may be starting to consider the endgame for NCIS, this latest bit of data proves why the procedural is still as valuable as it’s ever been. It also proves the point that having more episodes gives the audience something to sink their teeth into over the long haul.
