Netflix Dahmer Series Has Been Replaced As #1
The Netflix Dahmer series has been overtaken by another Ryan Murphy production, The Watcher.
Ryan Murphy is again enjoying a spot at the top of the Netflix charts, having overcome the previous leader, which was also produced by Ryan Murphy. According to Deadline, his true crime series The Watcher has overtaken the Netflix series Dahmer for #1 in the daily viewing ratings. Dahmer, subtitled Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, was the most-watched series for 21 days in a row, which ended on Friday, October 14.
Murphy has had a few shows on Netflix, including Ratched, about the misadventures of the infamous titular nurse prior to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and The Politician, which stars Ben Platt as a young man with aspirations to the highest office in the land. More recently he earned success on Netflix with the limited series Hollywood, about the lime-lit dreams of a group of actors and directors, and Halston, which follows the downward spiral of a popular fashion designer. He is also known for co-creating the massively popular Glee and American Horror Story television franchises.
In addition to holding the top spot on Netflix for 21 days, Dahmer is also the second-most viewed English-language Netflix show of all time, behind only Stranger Things. The series is about the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, including his troubled family relationships and the internal fetishes that led to his crimes. Evan Peters has been hailed for his performance as the serial murderer and cannibal, as have cast members Richard Jenkins as Jeffrey’s father Lionel, Molly Ringwald as his stepmother Shari, and Niecy Nash as suspicious neighbor Glenda Cleveland.
The 10-episode series was released on September 21, 2022, and within a week had risen to the #1 spot. By its second week, it had cracked the top 10 for all-time Netflix viewership. While it received mixed reviews from critics, audiences have propelled it to the second-most viewed series of all time, with an 84% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Netflix’s Dahmer has not been without controversy. The streaming giant had to remove its LGBTQ tag from the series after backlash from the community because although Dahmer was gay and preyed on gay men, he is not the kind of representation the community wants. Family members of Dahmer’s victims have also spoken out about the show.
Although it isn’t on top anymore, Netflix still shows Dahmer in its top 10, and another Jeffrey Dahmer show, Conversations with a Serial Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes, is also in the top 10. Both of these takes on the serial killer are ranked highly globally as well as in the United States.
The Netflix successor to Dahmer, The Watcher, is based on a true story about a couple that moves into a new home, only to begin receiving mysterious and detailed letters from a party obsessed with the house. In real life, the receipt of the letters erupted into a legal battle between the prior owners and the new as the new owners were unable to sell the house because the letters were scaring off potential buyers. No one was ever charged with sending them, but they grew more threatening as the lawsuit waged on.
The Watcher dropped on Netflix on October 13, 2022, and has already overtaken Dahmer as the streaming service’s most-viewed show this week. It stars Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale as the terrorized homeowners and was created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, as was Dahmer. Both shows can be currently viewed on Netflix.
