The latest Netflix true-crime docuseries “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” has tapped into America’s obsession with the case of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. Its new three-part series climbed to the top of the streaming charts in the latest Wrap Report, which highlights television viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households drawn from over 25 million connected TVs.
Whether by sheer luck or incredible programming wiles, the docuseries was timed perfectly to the five-week trial of one of the most prominent families in the South that has dominated headlines and been a fixture on news networks for months. The Netflix series drove even more interest in the June 2021 killings of Murdaugh’s wife Maggie and son Paul as it dropped on Feb. 22, the beginning of the week-long period covered by this report.
Netflix has proven to be quite sleuthy with its true crime genre, delivering a string of critically acclaimed documentaries and dramatized series that have captivated audiences in recent years. The success of “Murdaugh Murders” follows similar audience wins with true crime documentaries like “Making a Murderer” and “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” as well as dramatized crime series like “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
Shifting from true crime headlines to the treasure-hunting teens of “Outer Banks,” Netflix continues to show its dominance last week with the latter show racing to a sizable premiere weekend audience in its Season 3 release, with 1.6 million U.S. households tuning in during its four-day premiere window. The debut episode landed at No. 4 this week, and the next four episodes also demonstrated their staying power atop the charts. The show particularly resonated with Gen Z viewing households, which overindexed by 15% when compared to the national average.
While it’s clear Netflix has their finger on the pulse of the Gen Z audience and has done an exceptional job of delivering original programming that speaks directly to the generation, the show was also a draw for younger Millennials, who tuned into the premiere episode.
This spells good news for the series as it enters its second full week streaming. It may buck the trend in which 80% of a series’ initial 50-day viewership occurs in the first two weeks post-release. “Outer Banks” was also a local hit, as the Charlotte, North Carolina market overindexed on the premiere by nearly 40% and Raleigh over-indexed by 12% compared to the top 25 markets.
Coming in at No. 5 this week, Netflix’s latest original, family-friendly movie “We Have a Ghost” scored 1.3 million U.S. households in the first three days of its release. The film’s young stars playing the family — including Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Anthony Mackie and Erica Ash — may have given it an edge in bringing diverse audiences. The movie particularly resonated with Black households, which drove viewership by double digits. Black households were more likely to tune in than the average household by 13%, while Hispanic audiences also overindexed by 11%.
Netflix continues to tap directly into the cultural diversity many feel is lacking in major programming today. Samba TV data has shown that diverse audiences prefer content featuring diverse leads, and it’s likely that the stars fronting these programs are helping to drive viewership from a variety of demographics.
On linear broadcast networks, talent competitions including NBC’s “America’s Got Talent: All Stars” and ABC’s “American Idol” sang and danced their way to the top spots. For the second consecutive week, Queen Latifah’s “The Equalizer” delivered for CBS, while “Bachelor” Zach Shallcross’s international journey to find love landed at No. 6. Meanwhile, crime dramas again pulled ahead, with a trio of NBC’s scripted series “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago P.D.” as well as CBS’s “FBI” and “FBI International” all ranking atop the charts.
Dallas Lawrence is the SVP and head of communications and brand at Samba TV, a WrapPRO partner. Follow him on Twitter at @DallasLawrence. For more from Samba TV, click here.
