‘Devil In Ohio’ Dethroned In Netflix’s Top 10 By A New Show

Sometimes these changes in Netflix’s top 10 list are pretty easy to see coming, and with the return of Cobra Kai for season 5, it was clear that it would be unseating whatever was in the top spot. In this case, that would be Devil in Ohio, the cult miniseries starring Bones’ Emily Deschanel, which has been on top for about a week now, despite low critic and audience scores.

Cobra Kai, meanwhile, has arrived to near-perfect scores from both critics and fans, and has proven to be one of Netflix’s biggest success stories since it was purchased from YouTube Red years ago. It’s cheap to make, quick to film and its quality has not dipped. Here in season 5, John Creese is gone (for now) and Danny is taking on Silver instead for the “heart of the Valley,” though he’s worried about Cobra Kai’s influence spreading beyond that. There’s no actual karate tournament going on during the summer, it seems, and the characters are mostly dealing with the fallout of the last one.

Devil in Ohio, meanwhile, is one of those weird Netflix success stories where no one seems to really like it all that much, but a ton of people are watching it, almost entirely similar to Echoes, the show it replaced in the list the week before. Like Echoes, it too is a one-off miniseries, and one that does not have to worry about renewal for a second season, though I suppose it’s not impossible that Netflix changes the plan and greenlights more cult-based storylines, even if the original book has already been adapted in this case.

There are some newer additions to the Top 10 list that are not in the top two spots that Cobra Kai and Devil in Ohio currently occupy. There’s The Imperfects, a monster drama which just made its debut at #3, and I Survived a Crime, a Netflix true crime anthology, where those are always pretty popular. Dated and Related is Netflix’s newest bizarre reality dating drama, but that has not gotten anywhere near the top spot.

Interestingly, and perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death, The Crown has now reappeared on Netflix’s top 10 list, now at #7 in the US. The Royal Family had many, many issues with that show as it aired, as it showcases a sometimes sympathetic, but oftentimes brutal portrayal of the Queen, her family and her legacy. Ultimately I’d argue that it’s at least humanized her somewhat, but the show is not done filming, and some of the more controversial periods are still to come, like Diana’s death, and the Harry and Meghan drama. Reportedly, production on the show has paused in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s death, partially out of respect, partially so they can figure out how this affects the actual series, no doubt.

I would expect Cobra Kai to sit on top of this list for a while yet, but I will be curious to see how far The Crown might go now. Stay tuned.

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