Despite millions of fans tuning in, the final episode of Stranger Things only lasted a matter of days at the top of the UK chart
18:44, 03 Jan 2026
Netflix’s highly-anticipated final episode of Stranger Things has been beaten out by a brand new thriller after just two days.
The jaw-dropping two-hour finale said an emotional goodbye to fan-favourite characters such as Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) as they took on Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) in one last battle to save Hawkins from the Upside Down.
It quickly shot to the top of Netflix’s top 10 TV chart as millions of fans tuned in to discover how the decade-long saga came to an end.
However, less than three days after its release on New Year’s Day (Thursday, 1st January), Stranger Things is no longer holding down the top spot in the UK.
That honour currently goes to the new Harlan Coben series, Run Away, which stars James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver and Ruth Jones.
Based on the crime fiction mastermind’s 2019 book of the same name, the series stars Nesbitt as Simon, a bereaved father whose daughter goes missing, only to suddenly emerge months later.
When Simon realises she has become indoctrinated by a sinister new boyfriend and doesn’t want to be found, he enlists the help of private investigator Elena Ravenscroft (played by Jones) to get to the bottom of her disappearance.
Unfortunately, there’s just one problem; Simon has become the prime suspect in a murder investigation after his daughter’s boyfriend turns up dead shortly after their violent confrontation.
Netflix fans are already hooked on the eight-part drama and it has clearly struck a chord with viewers in the UK in particular after knocking Stranger Things off its podium.
One Rotten Tomatoes user admitted: “'I will admit that this is the first Harlan Coben adaptation that I actually liked watching.”
Someone else raved: “Full of shocking twists and turns and gruesome violence, which are par for the course with all of Coben’s works, the show is an entertaining maze from its opening scene until the close.”
Watch Stranger Things on Netflix for free with Sky
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Stranger Things.
The ecstatic reactions continued on X, where one user shared: “#RunAwayNetflix was so good! I binged it in less than 24 hours! Starting the year off properly entertained.”
Although someone else warned: “Just binge watched Run Away on Netflix, absolute nonsense from start to finish and somehow gets more and more ridiculous as it goes on.”
While fans won’t find monsters from other dimensions and super-powered teens in the new Coben thriller, they can expect plenty of thrills, action and ludicrous plot twists from both of Netflix’s latest offerings this week.
Over in the United States, Stranger Things is still clinching the top spot on Netflix’s TV charts, though there are still plenty of new contenders waiting in the wings.
Stranger Things and Run Away are available to stream on Netflix.
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