Two Netflix series that previously debuted at No. 1 on the streamer’s weekly Top 10 English-language TV chart returned last week with second seasons that did not match the performance of their first runs. The Four Seasons and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder both re-entered the chart during the week of May 25–31, 2026, but The Four Seasons landed at No. 3 with 4.4 million views, while A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder finished at No. 9 with 1.8 million views.
Both titles saw sharp declines compared with their first-season launches. The Four Seasons was down 63% from its Season 1 opening week, while A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder fell by more than 76%. Because Season 2 of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder launched on a Wednesday instead of a Thursday like Season 1, the year-over-year comparison slightly understates the drop; with the extra day of viewing, the decline would be even steeper.
The weaker returns are part of a broader trend on Netflix, where a number of returning series have opened below their previous seasons in recent months. Among second-year shows, Running Point dropped 43%, Beef fell 58%, and A Man on the Inside declined by more than 66%. In the case of A Man on the Inside, Netflix’s Top 10 data did not capture Season 2, making the exact size of the drop uncertain. One exception to the pattern has been Nobody Wants This, which was down only 17% in its Season 2 opening week compared with Season 1.
Despite the lower viewership, the returning series have generally been well received by critics, and Netflix appears to be factoring that into renewal decisions. A Man on the Inside was renewed even though Season 2 never reached the Top 10. Running Point has also been renewed. Both Running Point and the two series that returned last week, The Four Seasons and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, improved on already strong Rotten Tomatoes scores with their second seasons, a sign that critical response remains solid even when audience momentum softens.
The slower second-season performance may also reflect long gaps between releases. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder returned almost two years after its first season, while Beef came back after nearly three years. That kind of delay can make it harder for viewers to reconnect with a series and may contribute to reduced opening-week demand.
Another sophomore Netflix series, Tom Segura’s Bad Thoughts, also had a quiet return last week. Season 2 premiered on Sunday, May 24, but the show did not enter the Top 10 in its first full week and drew fewer than 1.8 million views. That compares with 3.8 million views for Season 1 across its first six days, a decline of more than 53%.
Overall, the latest Netflix data suggests that even well-reviewed returning series can struggle to recreate their breakout launches, especially when long hiatuses and shifting viewer habits come into play.
