ATLANTA, GEORGIA – AUGUST 26: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Day 1 of 2023 Invest Fest at Georgia World Congress Center on August 26, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
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Netflix this week released Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s four-part docuseries on Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning premiered on Tuesday on Netflix. Each episode of the docuseries — which each have a runtime of about an hour — chronicles the life and career of Combs, who was convicted on two counts of prostitution on Oct. 3 and was sentenced to four years in prison.
The official synopsis for the series reads, “Diddy. Puff Daddy. Love. The public knows the hip-hop icon by many names — but who is the real Sean Combs? In a new four-part documentary by Emmy and Grammy Award–winning executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Emmy Award-winning director Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend, and convicted offender.
“Born with an insatiable drive for stardom and a knack for spotting talent, Combs made a quick ascent through the ranks of the music industry with Bad Boy Entertainment and was crucial in bringing hip-hop to the pop masses and launching the careers of dozens of generation-defining artists like The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and Danity Kane. But along the way, and as detailed by his former associates, childhood friends, artists, and employees, something darker began to color his ambitions.
“Through explosive, never-before-seen materials (including footage from the days leading up to Combs’s indictment and arrest, and exclusive interviews with those formerly in his orbit), this documentary tells the story of a powerful, enterprising man and the gilded empire he built — and the underworld that lay just beneath its surface.”
Since the renewal of any given series on Netflix largely depends on viewership numbers, the determination of any future episodes of Sean Combs: The Reckoning might not come for quite a while.
However, since the docuseries is, as of Wednesday, the No. 1 most-viewed series on Netflix in the U.S. — pushing the enormously popular Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 out of the top spot less than a week after the final season of the sci-fi sensation premiered on the platform — programming executives with the streamer have surely taken notice.
While 50 Cent’s Diddy series is trending at No. 1, the actual number of views won’t be available until Dec. 9, when Netflix releases its data for its Global Top 10 TV Series chart. At that time, the number of views and viewing hours will be revealed, as well as where the series has placed in the top 10 in countries that carry Netflix all over the world.
Sean Combs’ Story Continues To Unfold Behind Bars
As of the publication of this article, Netflix has not announced whether there will be a second season of Sean Combs: The Reckoning. That doesn’t preclude it from happening, though, since Combs’ life story is continuing to unfold as he serves his 50-month prison sentence at Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey.
The sentence, Combs’ publicist, Juda Engelmayer, told NBC News in November, could be reduced by a year since the hip-hop mogul has enrolled in a drug abuse rehab program. On top of that, Combs will no doubt be in the public spotlight again once he is released from incarceration. In addition, Combs is dealing with dozens of civil lawsuits that have been filed against him, and the results of which will also make headlines.
In short, the public’s fascination with Combs is bound to continue. Essentially, it will be up to Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who produced Sean Combs: The Reckoning, and the docuseries’ director, Alexandria Stapleton, whether they want to chronicle it with new footage surrounding Combs’ life now and Netflix wants a part of it.
Right now, Netflix is no doubt concentrating on the footage that is in Sean Combs: The Reckoning and the blowback from Engelmayer, who released a statement on Monday (via The Hollywood Reporter) that reads, “Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work.”
Stapleton addressed the footage for the docuseries in a Netflix Tudum article on Monday, saying, “It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades. We also reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
Then, on Monday night, Combs’ lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix over the documentary, threatening legal action against the platform, according to CNN.
As such, before Netflix considers a potential Season 2 of Sean Combs: The Reckoning, the company will be putting its efforts into keeping Season 1 on the platform.
All four episodes of Sean Combs: The Reckoning are streaming on Netflix.