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TL;DR:

  • Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story boasts impressive ratings on Netflix.
  • The series is on track to become Netflix’s second-biggest release of 2022.
  • Dahmer scored Netflix’s second-biggest opening after Stranger Things 4.
Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in 'Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story' for our article about its initial ratings. He's taking a prison photo wearing glasses and a grey collared shirt.
Evan Peters in ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ | Netflix

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story hit Netflix on Sept. 21, and after just a couple of weeks on the platform, the series is set to be its second-biggest release of 2022. That’s an impressive feat, especially with shows like Ozark and Bridgerton dropping new seasons this year. In fact, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is on pace to have the second-best ratings after Stranger Things 4 — and that’s in spite of all the controversy the series has stirred up since its debut.

‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ scored the second-biggest Netflix opening of 2022 so far

That’s right, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story boasts the second-biggest opening of 2022. In a press release sent to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Netflix revealed that Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story accumulated about 496 million viewing hours after just 12 days on the platform, with its ratings putting it on track to pass Bridgerton Season 2 by the end of its first month out. Bridgerton‘s latest outing racked up around 656 million viewing hours in its first 28 days, meaning Dahmer could certainly close the gap.

According to Netflix, there’s only one 2022 release that achieved better viewership in the same two-week time frame. And for Dahmer to come even close to Stranger Things’ numbers is an achievement all on its own.

Stranger Things Season 4 was one of the most-anticipated Netflix releases of 2022, so it’s no surprise it collected stellar ratings within its first month on the platform. More shocking is that Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story managed to come close to it, despite being a new series — and a controversial one at that.

Per IndieWire, Stranger Things 4 broke a record for most viewing hours within the first 28 days on the streamer, racking up around 781 million viewership hours in just 17 days. In 12 days, Dahmer has become the “second most watched English-language series in a week.” And if it continues to gain traction, it could become Netflix’s third biggest series of all time after Stranger Things 4 and Squid Game.

Of course, Dahmer has creator Ryan Murphy and actor Evan Peters attached to it, two names that no doubt drew interest. It’s also tackling the story of a well-known serial killer in an age where true crime seems to be more popular than ever.

And as a testament to its popularity, Dahmer is already ahead of Ozark Season 4 in terms of viewership.

‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’ is officially more popular than ‘Ozark’ Season 4 after 2 weeks on Netflix

Netflix subscribers expected the fourth and final season of Ozark to be one of the biggest releases of 2022, but Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’s ratings place it ahead of the Jason Bateman-led drama in terms of popularity.

Ozark Season 4 reached around 491 million viewing hours in its first 28 days on the streamer, so Dahmer has already passed it — and in only two weeks at that.

Needless to say, Dahmer is taking the Netflix community by storm in fall 2022. But not every subscriber is interested in the Evan Peters-led show. In fact, it stirred up quite a bit of controversy after its debut.

Despite ‘Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’s impressive ratings, the series sparked controversy

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Despite its impressive ratings, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is stirring up controversy online for multiple reasons. For one, Netflix’s Jeffrey Dahmer series was criticized by the families of the serial killer’s real-life victims. And with people so close to the case rejecting Ryan Murphy’s telling, some feel the show shouldn’t have been greenlit at all.

Fan reactions have also sparked intense discussions about how viewers consume true crime. With memes circulating and people raving about the show, some are questioning whether viewers are glorifying the horrific crimes the series depicts.

That raises wider questions about true crime as a genre. And with Netflix releasing more content under that umbrella, these conversations may crop up again. But in the meantime, it looks like the demand for such stories remains.

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is currently streaming on Netflix.

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