Stephen King's Verdict on Netflix's Baby Reindeer is In: "This is the Only Appropriate Reaction"

Summary

• Baby Reindeer is one of the most popular series on Netflix.
• The show has been topping the global and regional charts for three weeks now.
• Stephen King wrote a rave review about it on X.

At 76 years old, Stephen King is a very active social media user, and it's not uncommon for him to share his thoughts on a particular movie or TV series with his readers.

But what is rare is a project that would truly shock him. And that's exactly what happened the other day, as King shared a raving opinion. What's more, our readers will be surprised to learn that the project that stunned King is not a supernatural horror series at all, as it is Netflix's new drama thriller Baby Reindeer.

Baby Reindeer's Colossal Ratings

When Baby Reindeer debuted on Netflix on April 11, 2024, it immediately made its way onto the list of the streaming service's most-watched shows worldwide. For the week of April 8-14, the series made its way into the Global Top 10, coming in at number five with 2.6 million unique views. Remarkably, it even outperformed the popular Ripley starring Andrew Scott.

The following week, April 15-21, Baby Reindeer secured an even stronger position, topping the list ahead of 3 Body Problem ( although it had already been in the Top 10 for 5 weeks) and the controversial reality show Unlocked: A Jail Experiment, which held the number two spot since last week. Baby Raindeer's views only skyrocketed to an incredible 13.3 million.

At the time of writing, Baby Reindeer continues to hold the number one spot in the Global Top 10 and has also topped many regional charts including the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Netherlands and New Zealand.

The New Series Has Impressed the King of Horror

Such a buzz could not but reach none other than the legend of modern horror literature, Stephen King. The author is an avid cinephile, who is not shy about sharing his opinions and reviews of a movie or series on X (previously known as Twitter). And it was well worth it for Baby Reindeer to fall under the gaze of the King of Horror, as he was quick to appreciate how exquisite horror is in this series. Although it's a down-to-earth thriller without a hint of the supernatural, it's the realism, the events that could happen to anyone, that makes it so chilling.

However, the brilliant writer has put it in a much more concise form. You can read his opinion about Baby Reindeer below:

However, fans have taken King's point further. For example, one X user wrote in response to the author's post, 'This is the only appropriate reaction to the series. It's so much, so much real, so much uncomfortable, just so much depth.'

What Is Baby Reindeer About?

The new show is a black comedy drama thriller miniseries created by and starring acclaimed comedian Richard Gadd. Baby Reindeer is a dramatization of Gadd's personal experience of being stalked by an older female fan (played by Jessica Gunning) who kept him paranoid for years, collecting his numbers and addresses, harassing him with endless text messages, also threatening family and friends.

'I was met with a whole gamut of Martha's emotions from hurled insults to deep expressions of love and longing. It was too much for anyone to bear,' Gadd told Netflix.

Throughout the years of psychological and emotional pressure, Gadd kept his fingers crossed that the stalker would eventually text him something that could be used to get an arrest warrant, but her talent lay in her ability to always get away without being prosecuted. Eventually, the court ordered the stalker to have no contact with Richard, but no further punishment followed, and so, Gadd remained in a state of constant fear.

In addition, a huge advantage of the series is Richard Gadd's in-depth reflection on what happened and his own involvement. Thus, the series is devoid of self-blaming, but the comedian still devotes ample time to self-irony and why he fell for the stalker's charm in the first place.

Baby Reindeer consists of only seven episodes, each available for streaming on Netflix.

Source: X.