‘Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ Locks Up Netflix’s Biggest Audience Since ‘Stranger Things’ Return

Peter White
·2 min read
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Jeffrey Dahmer is a hit for Netflix and for Ryan Murphy.

Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story drew a huge audience on its launch with 196.2M people tuning in since its launch on September 21.

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Those numbers put it in the very top tier of Netflix hits since it changed the way that it reports ratings figures in June 2021.

Only Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, season four of Stranger Things and season two of Bridgerton have beaten it in that period and the limited series beat shows such as Inventing Anna, which opened with 195.97M viewers, and the third season of You, which scored 179M.

It’s hard to compare to Murphy’s other Netflix series such as The Politician (September 2019), Hollywood (May 2020), Ratched (September 2020) and Halston (May 2021) as they all debuted before Netflix shifted the way that it reports its data, but it’s likely that The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is significantly bigger than all of those shows.

American Horror Story alum Evan Peters stars as the notorious serial killer in the ten-part series, which is largely told from the point of view of Dahmer’s victims, and dives deeply into the police incompetence and apathy that allowed the Wisconsin native to go on a multiyear killing spree. The series dramatizes at least 10 instances where Dahmer was almost apprehended but ultimately let go.

Niecy Nash also stars in the series, along with Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald and Michael Learned.

The series comes from Murphy and Ian Brennan, who created it and exec produce alongside Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Evan Peters, Janet Mock, and Carl Franklin.

Elsewhere, The Crown remains in the top ten with seasons one and two both continuing in the top ten following Queen Elizabeth II’s death. Other shows include Fate: The Winx Saga, Cobra Kai, Heartbreak High, Dynasty, The Imperfects and Sins of our Mother.

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