Netflix's New Drama Just Took Over Bridgerton's No. 1 Spot
Lady Whistledown may have delivered plenty of scandalous updates amid the most recent London social season, but it is another scandal that is currently taking Netflix by storm. After breaking yet another Netflix record following its March 25 premiere date, Bridgerton Season 2 has been bumped from the top spot on Netflix's streaming charts by the streamer's newest hit, Anatomy of a Scandal.
Arriving in the streaming library on Friday, April 15, and based on Sarah Vaughan's book of the same name, Anatomy of a Scandal delves into the fictional scandals within the elite class of the United Kingdom. The psychological thriller courtroom drama centers around a minister in Parliament, whose career and marriage are upended when a scandalous secret suddenly comes to light in a scandal that can affect a whole country. Directed by S.J. Clarkson, Anatomy of a Scandal stars Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend, Naomi Scott, Josette Simon, Geoffrey Streatfeild, and Joshua McGuire.
Anatomy of a Scandal has proven to be a massive success for Netflix, even booting Bridgerton from its No. 1 spot on the streaming charts. For the 7-day period ending April 24, the series was garnered 75.56 million viewing hours, according to Netflix's global rankings. Those numbers were enough to place Anatomy of a Scandal as the No. 1 Netflix streaming series in the world, with Bridgerton getting bumped to No. 2 with 46.13 streaming hours. With 37.46 million hours viewed, Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes took the No. 3. The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On claimed the No. 4 spot with 29.01 million hours watched during that period, and in No. 5, Selling Sunset tracked 18.36 million streaming hours.
The figures are a little different on Netflix U.S.'s current rankings, which places Anatomy of a Scandal as the fifth most-popular title on the platform as of April 27. Bridgerton, meanwhile, comes in at no. 6. Other top titles include Why Knot?: Married at First Sight, The Marked Heart, Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes, and Selling Sunset, which has jumped to the No. 1 spot following its Season 5 premiere.
The rankings come as a bit of surprise given Bridgerton's continued success. Following the show's debut back in December 2020, the series reached 82 million households within the first 28 days of its debut, at the time making it Netflix's biggest series ever. It's Season 2 premiere was just as successful, breaking Netflix's record for the most viewed English-language TV series in a single week when it was watched for 251.7 million hours within the first week of its debut. Per Netflix's Top 10 streaming data, the show's success has since faltered the slightest, with Bridgerton Season 2 ranking No. 4 in the U.S. for the week ending April 24. During that same period, Anatomy of a Scandal ranked N. 1 in the U.S. Both Anatomy of a Scandal and Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on Netflix.