Netflix’s rom-com series Emily in Paris was knocked from its first place podium thanks to the platform’s latest true crime docuseries, Worst Ex Ever.
Worst Ex Ever has taken the streaming service by storm thanks to its hard-to-look-away from stories as victims of toxic relationships re-tell some of their worst lived experiences.
The four-part series contains the harrowing accounts of both men and women who fell into romantic connections that ultimately ended in assaults, or even murder.
Netflix’s latest foray into the true crime has yielded incredible results for the platform. The show was watched 8,400,000 times in just one week for a total of 32,300,000 hours viewed.
Worst Ex Ever managed to overtake the number one TV spot from the highly anticipated first part of Emily in Paris Season 4, which debuted to 19.9 million views in the first four days after its August 15 premiere.
While true crime media has been on the rise for several years, the explosion of popularity surrounding Worst Ex Ever comes from the fact that many viewers find the show so frustrating that they can’t stop watching.
“This series needs to be called Worst Police Ever. This is infuriating,” one fan posted on X/Twitter, with another adding, “Worst Ex Ever on Netflix shows you how the police never helped the victims until it was really too late.”
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And a third viewer commented, “#WorstExEver is 3 out of 4 eps of the police consistently failing women despite the overwhelming evidence.”
Though all four stories can be a struggle to get through for their own reasons, the first two episodes in particular have hit a sore spot for a lot of viewers.
Episode 1 focused on serial abuser Ben Foster, whose crimes included the assault of Justine Siemens, the kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend, Jamiee, and three murders.
Episode 2 examined the “blood-boiling” case of Seemona Sumasar, a woman who was sent to prison after her ex-boyfriend framed her for an armed robbery. This resulted in the loss of her home, job, and business.
“This show should be called ‘F**k those women : A story by every police department ever,'” one viewer claimed.
For more, check out all the 10 shocking Netflix documentaries you should watch after Worst Ex Ever. You can also learn more about the true story of the Menendez Brothers, and find out what really happened with the Laci Peterson case.