Fool Me Once beats Netflix hit as it rivals record-breaking shows
The Harlan Coben drama remains in Netflix UK's top 10.
Harlan Coben's Fool Me Once is the Netflix series that has dominated the rankings since it landed, having only recently been knocked off the top spot by new true crime documentary American Nightmare.
Nevertheless, the thriller remains a firm favourite among fans who have been gripped by its twisty, turn-y plotline led by a cast that includes Michelle Keegan, Richard Armitage, Joanna Lumley and Adeel Akhtar.
It's safe to say that the drama has proven popular, and recently-released Netflix figures have put the scale of the series's success into perspective against another streamer hit.
According to Netflix (via Shortlist), Fool Me Once was watched for a total of 238 million hours from 1st to 7th January.
The staggering stats mean it's given Netflix a bigger one week haul than any other show in 2023, including hit series The Night Agent.
Based on a novel by Matthew Quirk, the first season of The Night Agent starred Gabriel Basso as FBI agent Peter Sutherland and quickly skyrocketed up the rankings, achieving its peak in its second week of release with 216 million hours viewed.
The political thriller was subsequently renewed for season 2, and is set to bring a further 10 episodes to fans.
The last time a show on the streamer performed this well was with Wednesday, which premiered back in November 2022.
The Jenna Ortega-led series racked up 341 million hours in its first week, and then 411 million hours in its second, becoming Netflix's most successful series.
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But Fool Me Once has clearly won over the masses, with a storyline centred on Maya Stern (Keegan), who is left reeling when she sees her dead husband on her 'nanny cam'.
What soon ensues is an investigation into her husband's death, with secrets and lies being revealed about those around Maya.
The eight-parter still retains a spot in Netflix UK's top 10, with fans calling for more - and it looks as though there are further Harlan Coben series in the pipeline.
Read more:
- Wednesday star Jenna Ortega teases season 2 with "more horror"
- Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story casts Javier Bardem, Chloë Sevigny
Revealing more in an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, Coben said: "We still have a few [books] left! We’re doing one right now in Poland based off my book Just One Look, we’re filming and Netflix Poland is working on it. Also working on one in South America, believe it or not."
As for whether we can get another New Year's Day release like Fool Me Once, Coben told us: "There’s no doubt that if Netflix wants us back, which hopefully everyone watching will make this happen, I’ll be working with Nicola [Shindler], Richard [Fee] and Danny [Brocklehurst] on at least another one or two.
"We want to keep this going, we love this kind of yearly thing, if we can.
"We skipped last year, but we’d love to try doing it where we have that New Year’s Day release for everybody, they can watch us hungover and we can join them in the new year."
Fool Me Once is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
