Former TNT series Major Crimes debuts on the Nielsen charts after being added to Netflix

The landscape of television viewership continues to undergo a profound transformation as legacy broadcast and cable hits find entirely new life on subscription video-on-demand platforms. For proof, one needs to look no further than the latest Nielsen streaming rankings for the week of September 7 through September 13, 2026. Among the most notable entries on the charts is the former TNT police procedural drama Major Crimes, which officially cracked the Nielsen top 10 acquired series rankings following its long-awaited addition to Netflix on September 3, pulling in an impressive 906 million viewing minutes across both Netflix and Pluto TV.

This debut marks yet another milestone in the ongoing trend of older procedural dramas experiencing massive audience resurgences years after concluding their original cable network runs. Major Crimes, which itself served as a direct continuation and spin-off of the highly successful Kyra Sedgwick procedural The Closer, originally aired on TNT from 2012 to 2018 across six seasons and 105 episodes. Led by Mary McDonnell as Captain Sharon Raydor, the series maintained a dedicated and loyal fanbase throughout its broadcast lifespan, but its recent introduction to Netflix’s vast subscriber base has exposed the gritty crime drama to a completely new generation of streaming-first viewers.

The inclusion of Major Crimes on the Nielsen charts underscores a broader industry phenomenon where acquired library content frequently rivals or even outperforms buzzy, high-budget original streaming series. Its sibling series, The Closer, enjoyed a similar six-week run on the Nielsen charts at the beginning of the year following its own streaming revival. Industry analysts point to the "comfort viewing" phenomenon as a primary driver behind these numbers. Audiences increasingly turn to procedurals with large episode counts and self-contained storytelling arcs for background viewing or binge-watching marathons, providing platforms like Netflix with reliable, high-engagement content that keeps subscribers hooked for weeks at a time.

Amazon Prime Video Dominance and Overall Streaming Standings

While library titles like Major Crimes continue to post staggering numbers, original streaming content is anchored by heavy hitters that dominate public conversation and weekly viewing charts. Prime Video’s action-packed thriller series Reacher firmly cemented its status as the undisputed heavyweight of the streaming ecosystem during this September ratings window.

Reacher, starring Alan Ritchson as the formidable former military police investigator created by author Lee Child, continued its powerhouse season four run into the second week of September. The action drama crossed the coveted one-billion-minute viewing threshold for the fifth consecutive week, racking up 1.18 billion viewing minutes during the Sept. 7-13 tracking period. With this latest showing, Reacher successfully claimed the No. 1 overall streaming title spot in the United States for the fourth time in the five weeks since its mid-August premiere.

The runaway success of Reacher season four highlights Amazon’s ongoing strategy to develop dependable, globally appealing intellectual property that drives Prime subscription acquisition and retention. The show’s consistent dominance over several weeks demonstrates exceptional audience retention, a metric that has historically eluded many high-profile streaming series that suffer steep viewership drop-offs after their initial premiere weekends.

Netflix Originals and Cable Competitors Make Waves

Beyond the towering figures posted by Reacher, several other notable television properties made significant movements on the Nielsen charts during the second week of September.

On Netflix, the stylish crime-comedy series The Gentlemen experienced a solid upward trajectory in its second week following the release of its second season. The series saw a 22 percent increase in viewership, pulling in 881 million minutes of watch time as word-of-mouth recommendations and binge-watching momentum continued to build.

Hulu also secured a notable spot on the charts with the return of its reality hit The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. The unscripted series successfully rejoined the rankings, drawing 561 million viewing minutes following the drop of its latest batch of episodes. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ science fiction epic Silo managed to maintain a strong foothold in the top 10 original series rankings, securing 418 million viewing minutes just a week after delivering its highly anticipated third-season finale.

In the acquired series category, while Major Crimes stole headlines with its phenomenal debut, Warner Bros. Discovery’s eternal syndication powerhouse The Big Bang Theory dipped back below the one-billion-minute mark. Nevertheless, the beloved sitcom still finished a strong second overall with 971 million viewing minutes, comfortably leading the acquired series top 10. Additionally, the DC-universe adjacent series Lanterns pulled in 525 million viewing minutes on HBO Max, showing a slight improvement over its chart debut from the previous week.

Movie Streaming and the Synergistic Box Office Effect

The Nielsen streaming metrics also shed light on how digital platforms interact with traditional theatrical releases, proving that streaming availability and cinematic debuts can mutually reinforce one another.

Topping the movie streaming rankings—and landing at third place among all measured streaming titles overall—was Tyler Perry’s comedy-drama film Why Did I Get Married Again? Streaming on Netflix, the film captured 908 million minutes of watch time, proving the enduring, immense drawing power of Tyler Perry’s cinematic library on subscription platforms.

More intriguingly, the 1998 supernatural classic Practical Magic re-entered the conversation by capturing 236 million viewing minutes on HBO Max. The surge in streaming interest for the nostalgic favorite coincided precisely with the theatrical release of its long-awaited sequel, showcasing a clear promotional halo effect where theatrical marketing drives audiences back to legacy titles on streaming services, and vice versa.

Understanding Nielsen Metrics: Scope and Limitations

To properly contextualize these figures, media observers and industry professionals must keep in mind the specific parameters governing Nielsen’s streaming data collection. Nielsen’s weekly streaming ratings exclusively measure viewing that takes place on traditional television sets within U.S. households.

Consequently, these metrics do not account for viewership on computers, smartphones, tablets, or other mobile devices, meaning the actual total viewing figures across all devices for titles like Reacher, Major Crimes, and The Gentlemen are undoubtedly higher than reported. Furthermore, because Nielsen tracks only U.S. audiences, global streaming consumption—which often makes up a massive portion of a title’s total viewership on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video—remains unmeasured in these specific weekly reports.

Implications for the Future of Content Distribution

The strong performance of acquired programs like Major Crimes signals a permanent shift in how Hollywood monetizes older television assets. In the early years of the streaming boom, major media conglomerates aggressively hooped their proprietary content behind walled gardens, hoping exclusive libraries would lure subscribers away from competitors.

However, as the streaming market has matured and profitability has taken precedence over pure subscriber growth, media companies have increasingly embraced third-party licensing. Shows that once languished in syndication limbo or remained restricted to a single platform are now finding new leases on life by jumping to services like Netflix or Pluto TV. For creators, cast members, and studios alike, a well-timed streaming rollout can transform a canceled cable procedural into a viral pop-culture hit, breathing fresh financial and cultural value into intellectual property that might otherwise have faded into obscurity.

As the television industry looks toward the remainder of the autumn season, the coexistence of billion-minute streaming giants like Reacher and surging library debuts like Major Crimes proves that audience appetite for serialized storytelling—whether fresh out of production or pulled from the cable archives of the 2010s—remains voracious.