Dahmer has been named Netflix's second most successful English-language show, less than a month after it landed on the streaming platform – having racked up 701.37 million hours' worth of views.
According to Variety, only Stranger Things – which was watched for 1.35 billion hours in its first month – has it beat, with the publication noting that the crime drama "garnered more watch-time than seasons 1 and 2 of Shonda Rhimes' Bridgerton in their first four weeks on the service."
Created by American Horror Story's Ryan Murphy and his frequent collaborator Ian Brennan, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dropped on September 21 – and sees Evan Peters play the titular real-life serial killer. Richard Jenkins stars as Jeffrey's father Lionel, Molly Ringwald appears as his stepmother Shari, and Niecy Nash brings his neighbor Glenda Cleveland to life.
Over the last few weeks, the series has proven controversial. Initially, many slammed Netflix for filing it in the 'LGBTQ' category (which later led to the tag's removal), while some of the family members of the 17 individuals Dahmer murdered have also criticized the show for "making money off of this tragedy." Just the other day, Shirley Hughes, mother of victim Tony Hughes, spoke out against the fact that it uses real names and events, having not consulted the relevant relatives first.
Netflix subscribers seem to gravitate towards darker fare these days, which is arguably why Squid Game remains the service's most-watched show ever, netting 1.65 billion hours in its first 28 days.
Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is available to stream now. If real-life crime dramas aren't your bag, then check out our list of the best Netflix shows for some viewing inspiration.
