Chances are by now, you’ve either seenBaby Reindeeror heard about it. TheNetflixshow, about a Scottish comedian being stalked by an unstable woman, has been the most-talked-about streaming show of 2024, with many weighing in on the show’s themes of sexual abuse, trauma, and obsession. Heck, there’s even amultimillion-dollar lawsuitfiled against Netflix and awards talk surrounding its three lead actors Richard Gadd (who also wrote and created the show), Nava Mau, andJessica Gunning.
And all the talk and hype is deserved, asBaby Reindeeris terrific. I recently proclaimed it as thebest Netflix show of the year, and that’s due to its multilayered portrait of lonely people trying desperately to find some sort of connection that their past traumas keep preventing them from initiating. The show has consistently ranked near the top ofNetflix’s 10 most popular shows each week, and now, it’s reaped another achievement.
On June 11, Netflix announced thatBaby Reindeerhas now been seen by 85.5 million viewers, who have consumed an astounding 1.719 billion viewing hours of the seven-episode series. For context, that’sa lot. In fact, it’s enough to make it onNetflix’s most-watched TV shows ever list, kicking the Henry Cavill fantasy epicThe Witcherseason 1 out of the 10th spot. It joins such other Netflix hits likeStranger Things(season 3 is at No. 9 and season 4 is at No. 2),Bridgerton(No. 9 for season 2, No. 4 for season 3), andWednesday, which is still sitting pretty at No. 1.
That a show about “real” people, not based on any pre-established IP, and without much marketing muscle behind it, could achieve this massive amount of popularity is a small miracle, especially with the Netflix algorithm preferring more action-oriented content likeThe Night Agentor even theRebel Moonfilms. As good as it is, the world doesn’t need a second season ofBaby Reindeer. But another show from the mind of Richard Gadd? I’m there. Come on, Netflix, greenlight it already.
Baby Reindeeris streaming onNetflix. But you probably already knew that.
