Netflix’s 8-Part Psychological Thriller Series Becomes an Instant Global Streaming Hit

A rapid rise worldwide

The Body reached Netflix’s seventh spot after one day on the service and has since moved up to No. 2 on its Global Top 10 TV Shows chart, according to FlixPatrol data. It has surpassed titles including Dead-End Job, Doctor X: Mafia in White and Alicia’s Law.

Black Doves, which recently returned with season 2, is currently the most popular show worldwide on Netflix. The spy series stars Keira Knightley. The Body is trending in 86 countries, among them Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom. It ranks No. 1 in Bulgaria, Guadeloupe, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania and Martinique.

Success in the United States

In the United States, The Body is the second most-watched TV show on Netflix. The true-crime documentary Taken: Natalee Holloway holds the top spot. Black Doves ranks third in the U.S., below The Body, despite leading Netflix’s worldwide chart.

Ritual drives the story

The series blends psychological thriller elements with a coming-of-age story and supernatural horror. Its plot centers on a dark sacrifice ritual that throws the lives of a group of Catholic school girls into disarray.

The Body follows Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, another Netflix series that combined psychological thriller and supernatural horror. That earlier project was executive produced by the Duffer Brothers of Stranger Things.

Reviews and season two

The Body has an 83% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews, and a 98% audience score. Co-showrunner Gina Gammell told TV Insider’s Swoon that the ending sets up where they “wish to go next season if we’re so lucky to get one.” Netflix had not renewed the series for a second season at the time of reporting.