Dahmer Tops Season 2 of Bridgerton to Become Netflix's Second-Most Popular English-Language Show

Tracey Harrington McCoy
·3 min read
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Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. (L to R) Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer, Molly Ringwald as Shari, Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer in episode 108 of Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. (L to R) Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer, Molly Ringwald as Shari, Richard Jenkins as Lionel Dahmer in episode 108 of Dahmer. Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
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Courtesy Of Netflix Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer

It's been quite a week for Ryan Murphy and his killer limited series, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.

The true crime drama about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer logged more than 205 million hours viewed, and topped the English TV List for the third week in a row. Since the show's release on September 21, its collective total of hours viewed — more than 701 million — now makes Dahmer Netflix's second-most popular English language series of all time.

Stranger Things 4 remains the most-watched English language series ever with 1.35 billion hours viewed.

Netflix bases its Top Lists on the hours that each title was viewed during its first 28 days. To take the top spot from Stranger Things 4, Dahmer would need almost double the number of views it already has over the next week.

Starring Evan Peters as the titular serial killer, the Murphy-produced drama follows Dahmer's numerous murders. The series has received mixed reviews and has even sparked controversy, including how some criticized Dahmer for desensitizing viewers. But the show still managed to land in the number-one spot during its debut week on the streaming service.

Suspected serial killer Jeffrey L. Dahmer enters the courtroom of judge Jeffrey A. Wagner 06 August 1991. Dahmer has been charged with eight additional counts of first-degree murder, bringing the number of homicides he is charged with to 12. The judge increased Dahmer's bail to five million dollars. He was sentenced to fifteen consecutive life terms or a total of 957 years in prison. Dahmer was killed by a fellow prisoner, Christopher Scarver, 28 November 1994 at Columbia Correctional Institution, Portage, Wisconsin.

EUGENE GARCIA/AFP via Getty

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The series was first announced in March 2021 with the American Horror Story alum, 35, attached to lead.

It's the latest in a series of projects to recount Dahmer's murders. Jeremy Renner starred in the 2002 film Dahmer, while the 2017 film My Friend Dahmer featured former Disney star Ross Lynch as the murderer.

Dahmer raped, murdered and dismembered at least 17 men and boys in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, between 1978 and 1991, shocking the world with the extent of his crimes, including cannibalism and necrophilia.

Not only does the series provide a closer look at his victims, it also showcases the one victim who got away and later went on to play a big part in Dahmer's eventual arrest.

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, aka the Milwaukee Cannibal, is an American serial killer and sex offender, who committed the rape, murder and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with many of his later murders also involving necrophilia, cannibalism and the permanent preservation of body parts, typically all or part of the skeletal structure. Dahmer was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment on February 15, 1992.

Curt Borgwardt/Sygma via Getty

Following his arrest ​​on July 22, Dahmer gave a detailed confession to police, admitting to "a total of 17 slayings," per The Associated Press.

After his confession, Dahmer was charged with four counts of first-degree intentional homicide on July 25, followed by eight more murder charges on Aug. 6 and three more on Aug. 22, bringing the total to 15 in Wisconsin, AP reported.

RELATED: Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: How the Serial Killer Was Caught

Dahmer pleaded "innocent and innocent by reason of mental disease" in September 1991 but later changed his plea to "guilty but insane" in January 1992.

His trial began on Jan. 30, 1992, and closing arguments were given on Feb. 14, 1992. The following day, Dahmer was ruled to be sane and not suffering from a mental disorder at the time of each of the murders. He was convicted of 16 of the murders and sentenced to 16 life terms in prison.

Though he was transferred to Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage, Wisconsin, after his sentencing, his time in jail didn't last long. On Nov. 28, 1994, he was bludgeoned to death by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at the age of 34.

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Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is now streaming on Netflix.