‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Is Netflix’s Most-Watched Limited Series
If Beth Harmon was a real person, she would be quite pleased with the viewership numbers of The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. According to Variety, the show has been streamed by 62 million member accounts over the past 28 days, the highest number for any Netflix limited series to date.
With the addition of Netflix’s Top 10 feature, the series' resounding popularity became apparent as the show remained in one of the top slots week after week. The Queen's Gambit made the Top 10 in 92 different countries, reaching the #1 spot in 63 locations including the U.K., Argentina, Israel, and South Africa.
“Three years ago when Scott Frank (Godless) first approached us about adapting The Queen’s Gambit — Walter Tevis’ 1983 book about a young chess prodigy — we felt it was a compelling tale,” wrote Peter Friedlander, Netflix VP of original series. “However, I don’t think any of us could have predicted that The Queen’s Gambit — and the extraordinary Anya Taylor-Joy — would become the global phenomena they are today, or our biggest limited scripted series ever.”
It should be noted, however, that Netflix’s data metrics can be skewed. Netflix counts viewership if the user has watched at least two minutes of a piece of content. So if someone decided to give The Queen’s Gambit a try but turned off the first episode half way through, their viewership would still be counted.
Regardless, The Queen’s Gambit has become the toast of Netflix since its debut on October 23. Critics have praised everything from Taylor-Joy’s magnetic performance to its hyper-accurate portrayal of chess matches. As Netflix dubs The Queen’s Gambit as its most-viewed limited series, those who have yet to watch it are likely to check it out.
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