A Chilling Documentary Series Continues To Hold Netflix's Number One Spot

When you think of Netflix documentaries, chances are you think of true crime. Retellings of horrific criminal events in which lives were irrevocably changed is big business, and so far this year, Netflix has continued to capitalize on that business. Back in February, the tale of online dating turning deadly in "Lover, Stalker, Killer" became a big hit, while March saw Dick Wolf's true crime series "Homicide: New York" chase "3 Body Problem" up the Netflix charts. Do we really know how trustworthy Netflix's viewing metrics are? Well, no, but still.

Sometimes, however, true crime doesn't quite satiate our thirst for deeply troubling entertainment, and when murder and mayhem aren't quite scratching the itch, there's always the paranormal. Enter "Files of the Unexplained." This latest Netflix docuseries hit the streamer on April 3 and, according to the official synopsis, chronicles "eerie encounters, bizarre disappearances, haunting events and more perplexing phenomena." It sounds pretty similar to when Netflix revived "Unexplained Mysteries," which was itself quite popular despite very much needing to talk more about mental health.

Now, the same week that the chilling, stylish noir "Ripley" debuted, Netflix viewers were apparently more taken with the prospect of watching eight episodes about ghosts and aliens unfold. In fact, "Files of the Unexplained" has become remarkably popular since its debut and, in the week since its release, has come to dominate the charts in what is truly the most intriguing mystery of all.

According to the Netflix Top 10 website — a site built to distract from the streamer's dodgy viewing metrics — "Files of the Unexplained" averaged the number four spot globally for the week of April 1 to April 7, 2024. Viewers around the world spent 21,400,000 hours watching the show, making for 4.4 million total views. In the U.S. the docu-series was number one for that week. But that's not the end of the story.

Streaming views aggregator FlixPatrol revealed that "Files of the Unexplained" is on an impressive winning streak. The show has been number one on U.S. Netflix from April 5 to April 10, falling to number two as of April 11. That's a stellar run for a show that barely has a Rotten Tomatoes page but does apparently have a 14% audience score at the time of writing. Still, if there's one thing more compelling than true crime, it's real-life tales of the paranormal, and "Files of the Unexplained" is seemingly delivering on that front.

Not only has it come to dominate the Netflix charts in the U.S., but the docuseries has also had significant runs at number one in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Malta, Reunion, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Denmark. Interestingly enough, the UK seemed less interested in the show, only propelling it to the number three spot on April 5 — which may or may not say something about my homeland's capacity for skepticism.

One thing that certainly isn't a mystery, then, is whether "Files of the Unexplained" is a hit for Netflix or not. The docuseries will surely be returning for more tales of ghosts and goblins in the near future.