As if we needed any more proof that modern audiences can’t get enough of serial killer stories, Ryan Murphy’s Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story recently became one of Netflix’s biggest-ever original episodic offerings despite being received with critical indifference and no shortage of backlash. The platform is at it again in short order, too, with The Good Nurse flying out of the blocks after premiering this past Wednesday.
Per FlixPatrol, Tobias Lindholdm’s character-driven look at the unspeakable acts committed by Charles Cullen across a 16-year career working in hospitals across the country has instantly taken the top spot in a massive 58 countries around the world, because apparently all you need to hook paying customers is the promise of a fascinating-yet-grisly slice of life true crime story.
Played by Eddie Redmayne, Cullen was convicted of 29 murders, but experts believe he may have killed as many as 400 patients in total – which would make him one of the most prolific mass murderers in recorded history. Jessica Chastain stars opposite her fellow Oscar winner as Amy Loughren, and the pair deliver exactly the sort of performances you’d expect from two powerhouse talents.
Rotten Tomatoes scores of 80 and 81 percent puts reviewers and subscribers in almost exactly the same boat for a change, too, and given the salacious subject matter that’s as harrowing as it is engaging, we’re fully expecting The Good Nurse to spend a fair bit of time as the number one top-viewed title on the streamer’s worldwide watch-list, given that the similarly-themed Dahmer reigned at the summit of the TV ranks for weeks on end.