The Netflix Limited Series Blowing Up The Charts Right Now

Audiences aren't fooling around when it comes to watching the new limited series "Fool Me Once" on Netflix.

According to Netflix's Top 10 Global TV chart for the week of January 21, the eight-episode British murder mystery series has racked up an astonishing 71.7 million hours watched. Given those impressive numbers, it shouldn't come as a big surprise that "Fool Me Once" has been among Netflix's Top 10 most-viewed TV shows since it debuted on the streamer on New Year's Day 2024.

Based on the mystery novel of the same name by author Harlan Coben, "Fool Me Once" stars Michelle Keegan as Maya Stern. An ex-British special forces officer trying to move on from a tragic incident in her military career, Maya is also reeling from the shooting death of her husband, Joe Burkett (Richard Armitage). Thinking she's seen Joe after his death on a nanny cam visiting their young daughter, Maya deploys her military sensibilities and begins to investigate whether her late husband is alive and in hiding. Adding to the mystery is the revelation that the gun that killed Joe is the same gun that killed her sister, Claire Walker (Natalie Anderson), not long before.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the popularity of "Fool Me Once" on Netflix is that most of the actors are relatively unknown to American audiences. Apart from Richard Armitage, who starred as Thorin in director Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" trilogy, and "Absolutely Fabulous" star Joanna Lumley, who plays Joe's mother, U.S. fans will likely not recognize too many other cast members on "Fool Me Once."

Easily the biggest benefactor of the success of "Fool Me Once" is Michelle Keegan, a longtime cast member on the legendary British daytime drama "Coronation Street." Keegan appeared on 861 episodes of "Coronation Street" from 2008 to 2014 before moving on to other British productions, including the miniseries "Tina & Bobby," the comedy series "Drunk History UK," and a lead role in the military drama "Our Girl.

With the overwhelming reception to her portrayal of Maya Stern on "Fool Me Once," speculation has already begun in Great Britain about whether Keegan will next take a big leap toward Hollywood. Given that her actor husband, Mark Wright, has previously worked in Tinseltown, Keegan has already formed an opinion of life across the pond. "I went to America when Mark was out there. Didn't like it," Keegan told The Guardian while discussing "Fool Me Once." "But let's see. If a job comes up ... I guess?"

For the time being, Keegan appears content residing in the U.K. "I've never thought beyond what I'm doing right at that moment. And I think that's how I live now as well," she explained to "The Guardian. "I don't think in terms of goals. I live in the moment."

The big reception to "Fool Me Once" is reminiscent of the surprising success of "What Keeps You Alive," a chilling Canadian horror film that burned up the Netflix charts in 2020. Given "What Keeps You Alive" also starred a cast of relative unknowns, that's good news for the streamer, which is continuing to take risks on projects without marquee stars and being rewarded in turn by a mammoth number of viewing hours.