‘Ratched’ Just Reached a Major Milestone on Netflix
Fans can’t get enough of Mildred Ratched and her nefarious deeds. In Ratched‘s debut week, the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel quickly jumped to one of the most watched shows on Netflix.
On Oct. 16, the streaming platform announced that the Sarah Paulson-led show is its top new original series of 2020. According to a tweet from the platform, 48 million people watched Ratched since its release on Sept. 18.
“In its first 28 days,” the tweet said, “48 million members have booked an appointment with Nurse Ratched, making it our biggest original Season 1 of the year.”
That is quite the milestone. And it’s one Paulson herself can’t even believe. The Emmy-winning actress took to Instagram on Oct. 16 to react to the exciting news.
“What absolutely mind blowing news to wake up to,” she wrote. “I am so grateful to each and every one of you for your willingness to dive into the world of #Ratched, embracing Mildred, and making her yours. So often the joy of making the thing is in the doing—and is one’s reward… but what a feeling to have the overflowing bounty of such a response. You have all made everyone in the Ratched family burst with pride and joy.”
Show creator Ryan Murphy also reacted to the news on Instagram, simply saying, “Thank You.”
‘Ratched’ is Netflix’s most successful new show of 2020
Netflix has had a lot of new releases in 2020. Viral shows like Love Is Blind, Never Have I Ever, Tiger King, Cheer, and then some all debuted this year, so Ratched quickly surpassing all of the other releases is quite the feat.
The streaming behemoth has made a habit of releasing its viewer data, especially when shows go viral. In 2019, Netflix shared that Umbrella Academy reached 45 million views in its first month. You and Sex Education both raked in 40 million, according to Deadline. And now, the Nurse Ratched origin story has joined the ranks of Netflix’s most popular shows.
Evan Romansky, Murphy’s co-creator on the series, shared in an interview with Decider that they’re hoping to give Ratched a four-season arc. It’s already been picked up for a second season, and now that it’s reached this new pinnacle, it won’t be surprising if it is, indeed, green lit for four seasons.
‘Ratched’ Season 2 has been green lit at Netflix
“Our plan is that we’re going to go past the two seasons,” Romansky said. “Ideally, probably about four seasons. I think Ryan has really talked about doing four seasons. And we have an arc of where we want to go with it. So yeah, definitely. We have a lot to tell in the Mildred Ratched story. This character’s not, she’s not where she’s at in Cuckoo’s Nest. We’re really pushing her every season, that’s the goal.”
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is probably going to put Season 2 production on hold. According to Romansky, the story hasn’t yet been developed for its sophomore season.
“We’ve had discussions,” he shared. “We haven’t had a formal writers’ room yet. The pandemic has just put everything behind, so we’re still trying to navigate that. Ryan’s got a lot of projects, so he needs to knock a couple out. We’re talking, though. I’m just getting ready to attack it.”
No doubt, fans will be eagerly awaiting Nurse Ratched’s chilling return.
