Netflix's new number one TV show keeps a cinema legend off the top spot

Move over Jeff Goldblum, your charms were not enough to get new Netflix show Kaos to the top TV chart spot, which has been taken by a Spanish show.

Breathless is the global number one Netflix TV at the moment according to Flixpatrol, deftly fending off competition from Kaos and Worst Ex Ever, while pushing Emily in Paris further down the chart.

What is Breathless? It’s a Spanish hospital drama with a bit of streaminess. Think Grey’s Anatomy or ER, but newer and with the American flavour swapped for a Valencia location.

The show comes from Carlos Montero, best known for the series Elite, which has somehow packed eight seasons into the years from 2018 to now.

Will Breathless go the distance too? It has done fairly well for a non-English language show.

According to Netflix’s own figures it was watched for 24.4 million hours in its first three days on stream, beating the more starry Kaos’s 22.8 million hours. That show also released a day earlier too.

It positively decimated the awaited (by us at least) animated show Terminator Zero, which only pulled in 6.4 million hours

It’s a reminder of the power of the Spanish-speaking audience across the globe. Breathless is the number one Netflix show globally, per Flixpatrol’s statistical analysis, despite never breaking into the top 10 in the UK, and only just grazing it with a peak position of nine in the US.

Breathless Netflix reviews

Is it any good? There have been relatively few critic reviews from English language outlets, who may not consider a somewhat cheesy medical drama too high on the priority list. But there's a handful.

Decider says it’s worth a watch if the idea of a new show in this genre appeals, while noting it’s nothing new or particularly special. “While we’re generally ho-hum about Breathless, there’s nothing particularly wrong with the show. It’s entertaining enough to watch while doing other things, especially if you turn on the English dub,” says the review.

Digital Spy gave the show a solid 3/5 rating, while noting it’s not a revelation that’s gong to bring in scores of new fans to the genre. “Fans of Grey's looking for something fresh-faced on a similar soapy level will relish the melodrama,” it says.

Ready Steady Cut made similar observations, but came down more against Breathless in its 2.5/5 review. The charge? It feels a bit like two shows in one, and the two halves don’t quite fit together.

It says Breathless struggles to “balance the more serious elements with the more YA-style nonsense.”

Still, if you’re a fan of medical dramas and YA shenanigans, you can check out the eight episodes of Breathless on Netflix now.

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