This True Crime Drama Is the Third-Most-Watched Show on Netflix Right Now

Dirty John Season 2 took over Netflix when it was added to the catalog this week. Thanks to the streaming service’s Top 10 list feature users can now see at a glance what others are watching, and Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story is at number 3 in the U.S. overall at the time of this writing. It is the number 3 TV show as well, behind only Lucifer and Sweet Tooth.

Dirty John is a true crime anthology series that airs on cable, so it is among the few breakout streaming shows that are not a Netflix original series. It is based on a podcast with the same title by Christopher Goffard, and the first season aired on Bravo before moving to the USA Network. The second season Is a dramatization of a case of spousal murder where Betty Broderick (Amanda Peet) killed her husband Dan (Christian Slater) in the midst of a contentious divorce. Both seasons have gotten generally positive reviews, though with the caveat that the show has a different feel than much of the “prestige TV” being produced today.

“Decidedly not ambitious ‘prestige’ television, the first three episodes make perfectly clear this isn’t a nuanced series, or one interested in exploring abuse or manipulation in serious fashion,” wrote Indie Wire critic Ben Travers. “It’s trying to be a juicy nighttime soap that uses the ‘true story’ tag to drive viewers’ mouths further and further agape.” On the other hand, Mike Mack of The Los Angeles Times called it “Glossy and well-acted, its transfer from your daily commute’s most suspenseful listening stretch ever to serviceable wine-and-laundry-folding companion show feels, all in all, a smooth one.”

The Dirty John Season 2 cast also includes Rachel Keller, Holley Fain, Lena Georgas, Anna Jacoby-Heron, Lily Donaghue and Missy Pyle. Both seasons have just eight episodes each, all ranging from 42 to 50 minutes in runtime.

Dirty John is a part of the still-growing trend in true crime media in the U.S., where podcasts and documentaries tend to corner the market. However, some critics are speaking out more on social media and in writing about the voyeuristic impulse to watch these shows and the ill effects they can have on victims and witnesses in some cases. NBC News published a lengthy piece on this topic by Psychotherapist F. Diane Barth this week.

Dirty John Seasons 1 and 2 are both streaming now on Netflix. The original Dirty John podcast is also available on most compatible podcast apps.