Baby Reindeer rules Netflix, beating out new shows in viewership weeks after release

At this point, I'd be surprised if any TV fans hadn't at least heard about Baby Reindeer. The dark dramedy created by and starring Richard Gadd tells the true story of Gadd's experience with a stalker, and how it forced him to confront his grief after being sexually assaulted. The budding comedian, named Donny in the series, is a fictionalized version of Gadd who meets a woman named Martha one day at the bar. Though their relationship begins innocently enough, as the two grow closer, Donny realizes how dangerous Martha actually is.

Baby Reindeer has an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with both critics and regular audiences alike applauding Gadd for his vulnerability and powerful story. The seven-episode series is based on Gadd's one-man show of the same name which he performed in London. With limited promotion and not much anticipation from everyday Netflix subscribers, Baby Reindeer is a sleeper hit, and its popularity is only growing week after week despite other shows debuting on the streamer.

Baby Reindeer remains on top, sees 22 million views in week 3

As reported by Deadline on Tuesday, April 30, Baby Reindeer continues to grow in viewership, hitting 22,000,000 views in the week of April 22 to April 28. Netflix also confirms that 87,400,000 hours of the show were watched in that timeframe, which is impressive considering it's just about four hours long from start to finish. Though the series was released on Thursday, April 11, going on a month ago, it remains in the No. 1 spot in the Netflix Top 10 shows list. That's incredible!

Other shows with some anticipation have been released on Netflix since Baby Reindeer came out, but they can't seem to attract viewers in the way Gadd's series is — at least not yet. Dead Boy Detectives, based on the DC Comics series by Neil Gaiman as part of the world of The Sandman, dropped on Thursday, April 25, but only saw 3,100,000 views in the week of April 22 to April 28. Of course, given that the show came out on April 25, we should give it more time to grow. Looking at the first week of Baby Reindeer's eligible release data (from April 8 to April 14), for example, the show saw 2,600,000 views.

In the coming weeks, Netflix will release shows like A Man in Full and Bodkin, though I'm not sure if these titles have what it takes to kick Baby Reindeer out of the No. 1 spot for shows. However, we can expect the release of the first half of Bridgerton season 3 to debut in the top spot when the first four episodes drop on Thursday, May 16. That show is, of course, incredibly popular and its return is very, very anticipated. It's one of Netflix's big hitters.

Until Bridgerton season 3, I'd say it's anyone's game to score the No. 1 spot, though I wouldn't be surprised if Baby Reindeer remains. If you haven't seen the show yet, what are you waiting for? Though I would definitely recommend reading through the content warnings before checking it out. The show is fantastic, but it's also a tough watch. All seven episodes are streaming on Netflix.