Netflix Has a New Monster Hit On Its Hand, Plus One New Series That Is DOA

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 1, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 1, 2024 |

I keep a fairly close eye on the weekly Netflix numbers, and we’re seeing something on Netflix right now that I don’t think we’ve seen since Squid Game: An honest to god word-of-mouth hit that is actually growing week-to-week. In its first week of release, Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer debuted with 2.6 million views, which would place it narrowly ahead of the first week of two other Netflix series that were quickly canceled (and that most people have never heard of): Glamorous and Freeridge.

However, in its second week (and first full week) on the Netflix charts, Baby Reindeer jumped from the fifth spot to the first spot with 13 million views, which would put it narrowly ahead of the first full week of My Life with the Walter Boys, a series that Netflix has already picked up for a second season.

But here’s what’s so impressive: In its third week, Baby Reindeer nearly doubled that, scoring 22 million views, which is the third most views in a single week since at least last June (the other two weeks ahead of it were both occupied by Fool Me Once). It’s looking like the second biggest Netflix hit of the year, behind Fool Me Once.

It’s been a remarkable run, especially for a series that is not tied to an existing IP and does not feature any major stars (most people in America likely had no idea who Richard Gadd was until Baby Reindeer). It seems to prove that audiences really are most interested in great storytelling, notwithstanding the success of Fool Me Once.

It wasn’t very good news for Dead Boy Detectives, which is based on Neil Gaiman characters connected to The Sandman universe. In its first week, it did manage second place on the Netflix list but scored only a measly 3.1 million views (compared to the 22 million of Baby Reindeer). That puts it in almost definite cancellation territory unless Netflix already renewed it privately. For comparison’s sake, the 3.1 million is behind the 4.1 million views of The Brothers Sun’s first week. Netflix pulled the plug on that one quickly, so I wouldn’t expect to see another season of Dead Boy Detectives.

For the record, the $166 million Netflix spent on Zach Snyder’s Rebel Moon movies weren’t worth it. In its first week, Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver earned 21 million views. Compare that to the 25 million views of the Lindsay Lohan romcom Irish Wish or the 50 million views of Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel or the 41 million views from Leave the World Behind. It’s also 14 million views less than Rebel Moon part one in its first week. Yikes.