The new true crime series American Nightmare has displaced Fool Me Once as the number one show on Netflix’s global television chart. Fool Me Once explores what occurs when a lady finds out that her deceased husband, for whom she has been grieving, has been living in secret all along, based on the book by bestselling novelist Harlan Coben. With 37.1 million views in its first week, the thriller made a noteworthy opening. The limited series surpassed other popular Netflix Originals like The Brothers Sun and My Life with the Walter Boys in its second week of release worldwide.
In the English-language television charts on Netflix, American Nightmare has risen to the top with the most recent update to its worldwide list. In the few days following its January 17 premiere, the docuseries had garnered 21.4 million views. Fool Me Once received 11.2 million views, placing it in second place.
Understanding American Nightmare
The real crime docuseries, directed by Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins, centers on Denise Huskins’ kidnapping in March 2015. She was kidnapped from the Vallejo, California, house she shared with her lover, Aaron Quinn. The FBI and the Vallejo police department initially believed Huskins and Quinn, two American-made victims, were fabricating the kidnapping. Huskins was even referred to as “the real Gone Girl” at one point.
But in the end, the couple is proved right. This occurs when a house invasion in Dublin, California is linked by an American Nightmare detective, which results in an arrest. The case became well-known because of alleged Gone Girl echoes, a reference to Gillian Flynn’s novel, which was made into a David Fincher film starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck.
American Nightmare, a three-part series, has received mostly excellent reviews and recognition for its storytelling strategy, which depends on the audience’s familiarity with true crime clichés. One could argue that the docuseries has a premise with Fool Me Once, but it emphasizes the actual repercussions of investigators making assumptions that lead to case management errors.