A Disturbing Crime Thriller Miniseries Is Netflix's Most-Watched Show For A Good Reason

Netflix's Top 10 most-watched lists are the talk of the industry, as its originals often rank among the biggest hits in streaming history. And the big one everyone is talking about in September 2025 is "Wayward," a gripping thriller set in the wilds of Vermont. Created, written by, and starring comedian Mae Martin, creator of the intimate 2021 Netflix dramedy "Feel Good," "Wayward" is not what you'd expect from a stand-up comic. Instead, it's a straight-faced murder mystery, centering on the uncovering of a conundrum that could bring down an entire community.

"Wayward" begins with teen girls, Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind) and Abbie (Sydney Topliffe), who are sent to live at the Tall Pines Academy, a school for troubled kids run by Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette). But when fellow student Riley (Gage Munroe) is murdered, and her last words suggest something is amiss at Tall Pines, Leila and Abbie set out to find out what's going on. They enlist the help of fresh-faced police officer Alex (Martin), who recently moved to the area and discovers that it's not quite the idyllic little burg they expected. Before long, their impromptu investigations reveal evidence of the town's darkest secrets.

In its first week, "Wayward" topped the Netflix charts according to data from FlixPatrol, coming in as the most-watched TV series on the streaming platform. And with strong reviews from critics, it might wind up being one of the hottest crime shows of the year.

"Wayward" may not be the story you'd expect from a stand up comedian, but indeed, the series comes from the mind of Mae Martin, whose 2023 Netflix special "Mae Martin: SAP" made them a darling of the comedy circuit. And their dramedy "Feel Good" is a love story that's one of the few Netflix originals to get a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. But as Martin describes, "Wayward" is a different, kind of coming-of-age story that anyone can relate to at any point in life.

"Well, all of our teen years are very visceral," Martin said in an interview with Parade Magazine. "I feel like in other things that I've written, I've been talking around adolescence, and I've written characters that are processing their teens, or in stand-up, I talk about my teens. So I always knew I wanted to tackle a coming-of-age story." 

In addition, "Wayward" took inspiration from the experience of a friend who once spent time at a facility similar to Tall Pines Academy, with Martin continuing, "My best friend was sent to a troubled teen facility when I was 16. ... She was sort of handcuffed in the night and vanished for two years." It's an experience that inspired Martin to learn more about these institutions. Adding a missing person made the perfect starting premise for a thriller series, allowing them to explore themes of growing up and the troubles that come with it.