Baby Reindeer on its way to becoming one of Netflix's most-watched shows

If you frequent Netflix looking for shows and movies to watch, then you've probably seen Baby Reindeer by now. The seven-episode limited series created and starring Richard Gadd tells the true story of an aspiring comedian who, while struggling to live a normal life after experiencing a major trauma, begins being stalked by a woman he meets at a bar.

The series is a fantastic, unflinching look at grief that'll make you both laugh and cry within the span of minutes. Gadd has been applauded for his vulnerability in depicting such a difficult time in his life with honesty, no matter how uncomfortable some of the moments are.

Baby Reindeer hit the No. 1 spot on Netflix's Top 10 shows and remained there for weeks in the United States, finally getting dethroned by The Roast of Tom Brady, which just debuted on May 5, along with other new titles (Baby Reindeer is now at No. 4). But despite its fall in rankings, views continue to pour in for the complicated series. Through word of mouth and postings on social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok, Baby Reindeer is a complete hit, and I don't see its popularity going away anytime soon.

Baby Reindeer might just cross a major Netflix milestone

Netflix has released its viewership data for the week of April 29 to May 5, which has Baby Reindeer still at No. 1 on the TV (English) list for the third week in a row, bringing in 18,600,000 views and 73,600,000 hours watched. With that information, Deadline calculated and reported that the series is nearing Netflix's coveted Top 10 TV (English) list, joining the likes of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and other staples for the streamer.

This all-time list incorporates data from the first 91 days a show or season is released, giving us a glimpse into which shows Netflix considers their most popular.

According to the most up-to-date data (May 5, 2024), Baby Reindeer has a total of 56,500,000 views, and if it beats The Witcher season 1's stats of 83,000,000 views, it will make it onto Netflix's Top 10 Most Popular TV (English) list. Given the show hasn't even been out a month yet (it premiered on April 11), the odds are in its favor. It might not be No. 1 on the Top 10 shows list on Netflix in the United States at this moment, but I still don't think it'll be difficult for it to reach such a feat. As mentioned, it has 91 days total to be considered for the list.

Netflix's 10 most-watched TV shows (English)

Curious as to which shows reign victorious on Netflix, making their Top 10 TV (English) list? Check it out below:

Though it might be surprising to hear that Baby Reindeer is on its way to becoming one of the most-watched Netflix shows, it wouldn't be the first time for a limited series to make the list. The Queen's Gambit and Fool Me Once are both still on the list, as is DAHMER: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story; the latter of which started as a limited series, though that one's popularity wasn't surprising considering the cast, crew, and unfortunately the subject matter.

No one might be more surprised about how big Baby Reindeer has gotten than Gadd. In April, he appeared as a guest on ITV’s Lorraine (as reported by The Tab) alongside co-star Jessica Gunning, where they were asked if they knew the show would become such a phenomenon:

"I really believed in it, I hoped it would be received well. It’s been out a week so I didn’t expect it to be this big a hit so quickly. I thought it might maybe grow a little bit, be a bit more organic. But, yes, I am delighted, it’s been a crazy response."

- Richard Gadd on Baby Reindeer

All seven episodes of Baby Reindeer are streaming on Netflix.