Classic TV Show Gunsmoke Makes Historic Streaming Comeback
It’s not uncommon for long-running television series with extensive episode libraries to secure a spot in Nielsen’s streaming charts, often appearing multiple times each week. However, a show that finds its way back into the top 10 nearly fifty years after its original airing presents a remarkable phenomenon—enter Gunsmoke.
Gunsmoke’s Resurgence in Streaming Rankings
Originally broadcast on CBS from 1955 to 1975, Gunsmoke recently achieved a notable accomplishment by landing in the top 10 for acquired series on streaming for the week of March 3-9, 2025. The series, available on Paramount+ and Peacock, boasts a collection of 404 out of its total 635 episodes, leading to an impressive 646 million minutes of viewership during the week. This impressive viewing time secured the show the eighth position among library programs.
Demographics and Viewing Trends
Against the backdrop of modern streaming trends, it’s no surprise that the audience for Gunsmoke skews older, with approximately half of its viewers aged 65 and above. While this marked the show’s first appearance in the top 10 since its revival, it has consistently drawn significant viewership, surpassing 10 billion viewing minutes in 2024 alone.
Current Streaming Leaders
In the broader streaming landscape during the same week, Reacher maintained its dominance as the No. 1 title, accumulating 1.41 billion viewing minutes, despite a modest 5 percent decrease compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, Netflix’s Running Point saw growth of 30.5 percent in its second week, achieving a viewing total of 1.36 billion minutes.
Other notable mentions included Beauty in Black, produced by Tyler Perry, which re-entered the charts after the debut of the second half of its first season on March 6, garnering 982 million viewing minutes. The Traitors, airing on Peacock, also made a comeback in the rankings, totaling 523 million minutes of viewing time during its season three finale. Furthermore, Hulu’s Paradise celebrated its highest weekly performance of 705 million minutes, coinciding with the air date of its season finale.
Nielsen’s Viewing Metrics
It is important to note that Nielsen’s streaming ratings focus on viewing data from television sets only, excluding minutes viewed on computers or mobile devices. Moreover, these ratings are limited to U.S. audiences, not accounting for international viewership.