Not every Netflix phenomenon is an in-house exclusive, with the platform’s latest international sensation Red Rose airing simultaneously elsewhere to show that playing with others can often be to the company’s benefit.
While the streaming service may handle the international distribution, the murderous hybrid of teen drama and psychological thriller is technically a BBC Three original available to those in the United Kingdom without having to pay a monthly subscription fee. That being said, success is success at the end of the day, and Red Rose has found it in an instant.
As per FlixPatrol, the eight-episode series has capitalized on a huge swell of internet buzz to ride a massive wave of momentum all the way to the number two spot on the global most-watched charts. It may not have been enough to dislodge the fourth season of You (which is no shame given its status), but a Top 10 berth in no less than 64 countries around the world is about as stellar as it gets for a fairly lo-fi offering.
A group of teenagers are bringing their high school days to a close, but when one of a close-knit group downloads the titular app, Red Rose explodes into murder, madness, mayhem, chaos, and a string of gruesome demises. Mind games, fractured friendships, and furious outbursts are the order of the day, and it’s easy to see why the smartphone-obsessed show has proven so popular when it’s eminently gripping and completely bingeable in no more than a couple of sittings.