Horror favorite Stephen King is not the only one who likes the Z Nation spinoff, Black Summer, currently streaming on Netflix. It turns out a lot of Netflix subscribers in the UK are high on the zombie actionv, too! Black Summer made its debut last month, on April 11, and it has devoured quite a chunk of audience's binge-watching time..
The apocalyptic zombie drama is a prequel to the cancelled Syfy series Z Nation, starring an ensemble that includes Jaime King in the lead role of Rose. Having gotten separated from her daughter during the onset of the zombie outbreak, Rose ultimately teams up with fellow survivors with the goal of reuniting with her daughter. And the result is something that inspired a slew of people to check it out.
In an effort to help its subscribers find “great stuff to watch” within its ever-expanding content library, Netflix made a rare move by actually sharing specific aspects of its viewing data. Netflix UK and Ireland released some rundowns of the most-watched shows and films during April. Topping the list of scripted fare was Black Summer, meaning tons of people were checking it out soon after it debuted. See the full list below:
1. Black Summer2. After Life3. Riverdale4. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina5. Star Trek: Discovery6. Lunatics7. Bodyguard8. Santa Clarita Diet9. Bonding10. Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Black Summer came in first place for April, ahead of British actor/comedian Ricky Gervais' most recent series, After Life. That comedy premiered a month before Black Summer bowed, proving Gervais has staying power. Interestingly, The CW’s Riverdale came in ahead of its semi-spinoff Netflix series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Two out of those top five shows are horror-based series, with CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery bringing sci-fi to the list. Santa Clarita Diet is in there too, presumably for its hectic third season, proving that the U.K. is definitely into dark-leaning series.
Now that the list of most-watched shows is out of the way, aren’t you curious about how Black Summer stacks up against every other kind of TV show and movie on Netflix UK? Here is the answer in the list below.
1. Our Planet2. The Perfect Date3. The Highwaymen4. The Silence5. Black Summer6. After Life7. The Spy Who Dumped Me8. Riverdale9. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina10. You vs. Wild
When you add all of the content, both scripted and unscripted, Black Summer falls to the number five slot, which is still not a bad showing at all. In fact, I think it is rather impressive. At the top is what some may consider a surprising victor – Our Planet. As its title suggests, the series, which has encountered some controversy, is about the Earth's current state, and where things may be heading in the future.
The nature docuseries beat out the rom-com movie The Perfect Date, starring To All The Boys I Loved Before actor Noah Centineo, and it also topped Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson’s crime drama, The Highwaymen. Such is the unyielding power of David Attenborough narrating crisp shots of nature.
As for Black Summer, these ratings indicate a promising future for the Netflix series. Or at least, one would hope, considering Netflix hasn't many decisions about its future. As noted, the darkly comic take on the zombie genre, Santa Clarita Diet, is also in the top ten most-watched series. However, Netflix recently announced the Drew Barrymore-starring romp had gotten cancelled after three seasons.
Black Summer’s success does show that a strong audience base remains for apocalyptic zombie dramas. Has Netflix found its answer to The Walking Dead? Time, and possibly more Netflix viewership stats, will tell.
The first season of Black Summer is currently available to stream on Netflix, alongside a lot of other content.
