The Decameron earns a spot on Netflix’s global streaming chart. The historical and dark romantic-comedy series sees the wealthy elite and their servants fleeing to a countryside villa when a plague, known as the Black Death, spreads at an alarming rate. A 14th-century short story collection written by Giovanni Boccaccio titled The Decameron served as a loose inspiration for the series, although Netflix leans more into comedy than social commentary, leading to a 68% Rotten Tomatoes critical score and overall mixed reviews.

According to Netflix, The Decameron was globally the eighth most-watched series on the streaming service for the week of July 22 to July 28. All eight of The Decameron’s episodes made their Netflix debut on July 25 and amassed a total of 15.3 million hours and 2.1 million views. It will likely continue to move up the global chart in the coming week, as many of the series ahead of it, including Cobra Kai season 6 and Supacell season 1, have already been available to stream for two or more weeks.

Why The Decameron Has Received Mixed Reviews

Its Comedy & Covid-19 Parallels Are Divisive.

Nevertheless, The Decameron proved to be enjoyable enough to become one of the most globally watched Netflix series during its debut weekend.

The Decameron has received praise for its comedy and sense of escapism, not only for the characters but for viewers as well. A story about a group of characters essentially going into lockdown during a widespread pandemic is more relatable given the recency of the Covid-19 pandemic. Flight Attendant‘s Zosia Mamet, Willow‘s Amar Chadha-Patel, and Arrested Development‘s Tony Hale deliver strong performances that make the series genuinely entertaining to watch.

As for more mixed or negative reviews for The Decameron, its irreverent humor received a divisive reaction, with it being praised in some feedback while being cited as a weakness in others. The humor’s lack of wit paled in comparison to the literary classic from which it was loosely inspired. The relatability to the Covid-19 pandemic was not a complete win either, as turning the Black Death into comedic fodder failed to find some resonance, given the serious nature of what occurred in recent years.

Largely prioritizing absurd comedy over social commentary about the wealthy elite was another significant way it failed to live up to its namesake. Nevertheless, The Decameron proved to be enjoyable enough to become one of the most globally watched Netflix series during its debut weekend. It is off to a strong start, and as a limited series, there is little concern about whether it will get renewed for a potential season 2.