Dahmer breaks ratings on Netflix: Ryan Murphy’s show joins the “golden league” alongside Stranger Things

Dahmer is, without fail, a real success for both Netflix and director Ryan Murphy, though almost no one would have expected it.

Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has enjoyed record-breaking viewership since its release on September 21, 2022. Specifically, 196.2 million users have chosen to watch this series based (with creative license) on true events.

These figures place it firmly in the Netflix golden league of series. Arguably, the production has changed the way ratings figures are reported.

If comparison is anything to go by, only Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, season four of Stranger Things and season two of Bridgerton managed to beat it in that time, and in the miniseries category, Dahmer outperformed series like Inventing Anna, which enjoyed a 195.97 million viewer launch, and the third season of You, which scored 179 million.

Dahmer, the best portrayal of the notorious serial killer

Given the brutal nature of the storyline based on true events, the fact that a series in such a niche gets to be so watched is a record.

It’s also hard to compare including Murphy’s other Netflix series like The Politician (September 2019), Hollywood (May 2020), Ratched (September 2020), and Halston (May 2021), as they all debuted before Netflix changed the way it reports data, but it becomes safe to say that The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is significantly more watched than all of the above.

Featured in every season of American Horror Story and a close friend of Murphy’s, Evan Peters plays the notorious serial killer in the ten-episode miniseries. The production largely addresses the perspective of his victims, while also shining a spotlight on Peters’ extraordinary acting skills.

The show also stars Niecy Nash, alongside Richard Jenkins, Molly Ringwald and Michael Learned.