Netflix’s hit thriller miniseries with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes Baby Reindeer is still the Number 1 show on the platform in week 3 of its release.

Richard Gadd talking on the phone next to Richard Gadd stressed looking at a computer in Baby Reindeer

Baby Reindeer, Netflix’s hit new thriller miniseries with a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, continues to dominate the platform’s weekly Top 10 charts for the third week in a row. Created by and starring actor Richard Gadd, the story follows a fictionalized version of his real-life experiences with both a stalker and a TV writer who sexually assaulted him. The show has been praised for the way it handles its subject matter while Gadd has been lauded for putting such personal experiences into his art.

Now, Netflix confirms that Baby Reindeer‘s high praise isn’t the only impressive thing about the show, which sits at Number 1 on its weekly Top 10 list, making it on the list for the third consecutive week. For the week of April 22 through April 28, 2024, the series garnered 87.4 million hours viewed from 22 million viewers. This is up from last week’s 52.8 million hours from 13.3 million viewers, indicating the show’s popularity is only continuing to climb.

Why Baby Reindeer Is A Huge Netflix Success

Donny (Richard Gadd) pours beer from the tap behind the bar in Baby Reindeer.
Darrien (Tom Goodman-Hill) stares at Donny (Richard Gadd) as they lie on the couch in Baby Reindeer.
Martha (Jessica Gunning) smiles while sitting at the bar in Baby Reindeer. Donny's parents sitting on a couch in Baby Reindeer Donny (Richard Gadd) performs his comedy routine onstage in Baby Reindeer.

Baby Reindeer‘s true story elements no doubt had a hand to play in its success on the streaming platform, adding an air of realism to everything that transpires. This also makes what happens all the more impactful for the audience, who knows what they’re watching was based on real events. The series taking inspiration from Gadd’s real-world experiences also adds a layer of deeper curiosity to the show, as it’s unclear what happened just like it did in real life, and what was made up to mask the reality of certain situations.

Beyond its real-world connections, though, the limited series has been praised for how it handles trauma and utilizes a fictional story to also tell an autobiographical one. This includes how the series manages to utilize dark comedy at times to offer some levity to its increasingly dark subject matter. The acting has also been praised, including Gadd, who’s Donny Dunn is a stand-in for himself at that point in his life. While being a work of fiction, it still offers a look into his life utilizing a creative vantage point via fiction.

With interest in the series clearly growing, it’s possible Baby Reindeer will prove to be even more successful in the coming weeks. Since the show deals with a very real situation experienced by its lead actor, many might be watching to understand the traumatic experiences he had to endure. Forming the backbone of its critical praise, the story’s true-to-life presentation means it can appeal to a wide number of viewers, something that could assist in keeping it high on Netflix Top 10 reports in weeks to come.