This New Netflix 6-Part Cult Thriller Is Made for a Weekend Watch
Netflix has a new hit on its hands, and it arrived quietly before taking over the platform almost overnight. Unchosen, a six-episode British drama that dropped on April 21, shot straight to the top of Netflix’s global chart in its very first week and has stayed there.
According to Collider, the show pulled in 10.4 million views in that opening stretch, making it the most-streamed TV show on the platform right now. To put that in perspective, it beat Running Point Season 2 by more than 5 million views, and there is every chance its second week could be even bigger.
The show was created by Julie Greer and centers on Rosie, played by Molly Windsor, a young woman living inside a deeply isolated Christian commune. The community refers to itself as the Chosen, and anyone outside its walls is labeled Unchosen.
Contact with the outside world is not just discouraged, it is forbidden, and the commune has its own methods for dealing with anyone who breaks the rules. Things get complicated when an outsider named Sam, played by Fra Fee, ends up crossing into Rosie’s world.
His presence forces her to start questioning beliefs she has held her entire life, including whether the people around her actually have her best interests in mind. The catch is that Sam is not necessarily safe either, and the show keeps you guessing about where his loyalties really lie.
Critically, the reception has been a little uneven. Unchosen sits at 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, but the audience score tells a different story, coming in at just 43 percent on the same site. That gap between what critics and general viewers think is pretty striking, though it clearly has not stopped people from watching. Sometimes a show finds its audience regardless of scores, and that seems to be what is happening here.
Greer originally designed the series as a self-contained story with a proper ending. It was not built with sequels in mind. But according to Collider, the door is not completely closed. If the show continues to perform at this level, there is a possibility it could return for more. Fra Fee, for his part, sounds genuinely enthusiastic about the idea.
Speaking to Collider about his character Sam, he said, “I hadn’t come across such a brilliant character in so long, really, and I would just love to explore him further.” That kind of enthusiasm from a lead actor usually means something, especially when the numbers are this strong.
Beyond Windsor and Fee, the cast includes Asa Butterfield, Siobhan Finneran, Christopher Eccleston, Alexa Davies, Olivia Pickering, and Rory Wilmot, which is a seriously solid lineup for a limited drama series.
Whether Unchosen gets a second season or wraps up as a one-time story, it has clearly struck a nerve with Netflix subscribers around the world. Ten million views in a single week is not a small thing, and the platform will almost certainly be paying close attention to where the numbers go from here.
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