The news is frighteningly good for the beloved sci-fi series!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds started its fourth season strong with quite the entertaining time-travel premiere, “Valles Marineris,” on July 23. Unfortunately, the first SNW episode of 2026 barely cracked Paramount+’s “Top 10 Shows Now” section at No. 10 last week, but things changed drastically, and for the better, with the latest installment titled “The Griffin Incident." Yes, a much larger audience decided to check out the show’s spooky follow-up to its debut.
The highly publicized Strange New Worlds season 4 horror story came out screaming and scared up nearly a Top 5 debut for episode 2 at No. 6 on the streaming service’s Top 10 Shows Now list. And according to FlixPatrol, “The Griffin Incident” is ranked at No. 7 worldwide (Top 10 shows on Paramount+) as of Friday, July 31.
Strange New Worlds second episode also ranked as the top content overall, whether it be shows or films, on Paramount+ in a number of countries, including Australia, France, Germany, and Italy. Meanwhile, “The Griffin Incident” helped SNW rank as the top series in Austria, Canada, and Switzerland. So, how did the surprisingly graphic ghost story fare in the United States?
Well, Strange New Worlds landed at No. 3 on Paramount+’s Top 10 in the U.S. (July 31), only behind No. 1 Criminal Minds and No. 2 South Park. In addition, SNW nabbed the No. 2 spot on the Top 10 overall (Amazon channels), with only No. 1 Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender ranking higher.
I’m a Trekkie and a die-hard horror fan, so I’m delighted to see that “The Griffin Incident” helped Strange New Worlds perform even better in the streaming ranks this week. However, I honestly thought the SNW season 4 premiere’s 65-million year adventure into the past would have scored better with most audiences than a gory genre piece.
I mean, who expected that startling scene where "Chef" Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) actually cut off his own fingers while tormenting Mr. Spock (Ethan Peck) on the USS Griffin? Hammer horror meets Star Trek? What a fantastic and frightening idea for an episode!
I hope “The Griffin Incident” will continue to scare up viewers as the week progresses. What did you think of the must-see horror episode? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. And new episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 drop every Thursday on Paramount+.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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