The new Netflix original series Archive 81 is really picking up steam in its second week after release. The sci-fi thriller tripled its viewership this week according to Netflix and landed at No. 2 on the platform’s global Top 10 TV shows list. Many fans are already impatient for another season.
Archive 81 is a supernatural mystery about a group of researchers cataloging the videos left behind by a filmmaker who went missing. It is based on a podcast by the same name which was created by Daniel Powell and Marc Sollinger. The TV version premiered on Netflix on Friday, Jan. 14, and in the week after it dominated Netflix’s self-reported charts. In addition to being the No. 2 English-language series in the world (behind Ozark Season 4), it’s No. 2 in the U.S., No. 4 in the U.K. and No. 3 in Canada.
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Archive 81 stars Mamoudou Athie as Dan Turner; Dina Shihabi as Melody Pendras; Evan Jonigkeit as Samuel Spare; Julia Chan as Anabelle Cho; Ariana Neal as Jess Lewis; Matt McGorry as Mark Higgins; and Martin Donovan as Virgil Davenport. It was adapted for TV by showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine, with fellow executive producer Paul Harris Boardman writing. Filmmaker James Wan is also an EP on this project.
The show is certainly not for the faint of heart. It is firmly rooted in both the science fiction and horror genres with a web of mysteries to untangle along the way. Fans of those kinds of stories are eagerly recommending the show to friends hoping they will watch it before they get any spoilers.
So far, those who have watched it seem to be generally loving it. The show has 89 percent positive scores from critics on Rotten Tomatoes – though so far that is based on just 27 professional reviews. It has 292 scores from general audience members with 73 percent of them being positive.
“An intriguing blend of horror and noir, Archive 81 offers addictive supernatural thrills that are haunting in the best way,” reads the critical consensus. Many fans are already chattering about a possible Season 2 for the series online. Since there are three seasons of the podcast and two spinoff seasons, it’s not hard to imagine that Netflix will give it another shot. Archive 81 is streaming now on Netflix.
