Chances are by now, you’ve either seen Baby Reindeer or heard about it. The Netflix show, 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 a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed against Netflix and awards talk surrounding its three lead actors Richard Gadd (who also wrote and created the show), Nava Mau, and Jessica Gunning.
And all the talk and hype is deserved, as Baby Reindeer is terrific. I recently proclaimed it as the best 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 of Netflix’s 10 most popular shows each week, and now, it’s reaped another achievement.
On June 11, Netflix announced that Baby Reindeer has 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’s a lot. In fact, it’s enough to make it on Netflix’s most-watched TV shows ever list, kicking the Henry Cavill fantasy epic The Witcher season 1 out of the 10th spot. It joins such other Netflix hits like Stranger 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), and Wednesday, 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 like The Night Agent or even the Rebel Moon films. As good as it is, the world doesn’t need a second season of Baby Reindeer. But another show from the mind of Richard Gadd? I’m there. Come on, Netflix, greenlight it already.
Baby Reindeer is streaming on Netflix. But you probably already knew that.
