Lizzie Borden Series Underperforms Ed Gein; Crew Girl Surges

Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, the latest installment in Ryan Murphy's anthology series focusing on notorious criminals, debuted at the top of Netflix's English TV list for the week of September 14 to 20, accumulating 12.1 million hours viewed. Despite its premiere position, the series garnered fewer hours than its predecessor, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which achieved 19.2 million hours in its debut week, and also fell short of the debut performance of Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which logged 13.5 million hours. This suggests a less enthusiastic initial reception for the Lizzie Borden narrative compared to previous entries in the franchise.

In contrast to the lukewarm reception of The Lizzie Borden Story, Netflix's new young adult series, Crew Girl, experienced a significant surge in viewership, ranking second on the English TV list with 11.4 million hours viewed during the same week. This indicates that the streamer has successfully captured its target audience with this particular offering, highlighting a potential divergence in viewer engagement across different genres and target demographics within Netflix's content library.

The weekly Netflix Top 10 data, released on September 24, 2024, provides a snapshot of global viewing habits across the platform. The rankings are based on total hours viewed, offering insights into which series and films are capturing the attention of Netflix subscribers. The performance of these new series, alongside returning popular titles, helps to shape Netflix's content strategy and future production decisions.

While The Lizzie Borden Story's debut was not as strong as anticipated when measured against prior 'Monster' series installments, its number one ranking signifies a substantial audience base. The series explores the infamous 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, for which Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted. The show's narrative aims to delve into the psychological complexities and historical context surrounding the case, a hallmark of Ryan Murphy's production style. The comparative performance data suggests that while the 'Monster' brand continues to draw viewers, the specific subject matter or execution of The Lizzie Borden Story may resonate differently with the audience compared to the Jeffrey Dahmer or Ed Gein narratives. The continued success of Crew Girl, however, demonstrates Netflix's ability to identify and cater to emerging trends in YA content, securing a strong foothold with a younger demographic.