Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has been a massive hit for Netflix, drawing in high viewership numbers and continuously drawing more and more true-crime fans to the show. The Ryan Murphy-created hit has prompted Netflix to green light even more installments in the Monster anthology series. This is a major accomplishment for the streaming platform, which has recently suffered from dwindling subscriber numbers. Netflix can keep celebrating the hit on their hands, because Dahmer has just reached a new milestone that has only been achieved by Squid Game and Stranger Things.
According to Variety, the Netflix show is officially the third series on the platform to cross 1 billion streaming hours viewed within 60 days. The controversial thriller premiered on September 21st, and managed to cross the billion-hours mark before November 20th. Even before crossing the billion mark, Dahmer became the third most popular show of all time on Netflix after only being on the platform for 3 weeks.
For posterity's sake, Squid Game still remains in first place, having earned 1.65 billion streaming hours from viewers within the 60-day time frame. Meanwhile, Stranger Things Season 4 clocked in at 1.35 billion, keeping it in the second slot.
The Evan Peters-led show remained at number one for all three weeks after its release, and was only bested by another Ryan Murphy limited series, The Watcher, which also achieved great success. Both shows are a part of a $300 million dollar deal between Netflix and Murphy, who's created several other shows for the platform, including Hollywood, Ratched, and The Politician. He is currently developing a series about Marlene Dietrich, which is set to star frequent collaborator Jessica Lange.
This success was achieved despite numerous controversies around the subject matter and content of Dahmer. Several people closely associated with the infamous serial killer’s victims have expressed aversion to the show, and many were upset that the show previously had an LGBTQ+ tag when it was advertised on Netflix. This clearly did not stop subscribers from being drawn to its unsettling material, emphasizing the cultural draw to true-crime material.
This milestone is also specifically impressive when you consider the other series that have achieved this massive achievement. Stranger Things has a much wider teen-to-elderly target audience, and also has the advantage of an already built-in audience acquired from previous seasons. Squid Game was a surprise hit, but also had the advantage of international reach. So for Dahmer to pull this off is no small feat, and speaks to the growing fascination with true crime projects.
You can catch Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story right now with a Netflix subscription, for true-crime fans curious about what all the hype is about. For more information about other great, bingeable series streaming on Netflix, and on other streaming services premiering this year, make sure to check out our fall 2022 television premiere schedule.
