A Non-Netflix Show Is About To Unseat ‘The Diplomat’ On Netflix’s Top 10 List

While I think The Diplomat is performing strongly for Netflix, and is good enough to actually deserve the #1 spot in the top 10 list for a change, another show may be about to pass it. And it’s the very rare situation in which it is not a Netflix original series.

That would be Better Call Saul, specifically the final batch of Better Call Saul episodes now that they’ve finished airing on AMC, and it’s been a suitable amount of time so the licensing deal allows them to arrive on Netflix.

Better Call Saul is easily one of the best shows on TV in recent years, and its appearance here speaks to some interesting issues with the somewhat beleaguered AMC, which has its own streaming service, AMC+, but also has licensing deals for some of its biggest series, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead, with Netflix.

Netflix does periodically have a number of shows that hit its top 10 list that are the results of licensing deals, but I’ve rarely seen them get as high as #2, and I can barely remember any hitting #1. I think All American did? But it’s a true rarity. Of course, if any show deserves to be this high it’s Better Call Saul, with its (hopefully) Emmy-worthy performance by Bob Odenkirk, even if I think he’s going to get tanked by one of the Roys from Succession. It’s a crime he hasn’t won one already, to be honest. Same with Rhea Seahorn.

I have previously made the argument that Netflix buying AMC outright makes some amount of sense, given the size of the two companies, Netflix’s eternal lust for content and AMC somewhat unable to make the streaming thing work on their own. Though I suppose this could be a “why buy the cow when you get the milk through a licensing deal” situation, but between a great library of classic AMC shows (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, now Saul), the new Anne Rice universe and the still-expanding Walking Dead universe, not all of which is on Netflix, I think it’s still something to consider.

Honestly, I don’t know if Better Call Saul will ultimately be able to pass The Diplomat. While we haven’t gotten any viewing numbers for the Keri Russell series just yet, I have a hunch it is doing very well for Netflix, though I’m not sure about “Night Agent well” just yet. Regardless, I think it may end up planted at #1 for a while and hold off Better Call Saul. But just watch Better Call Saul from the start if you haven’t. Truly an all-time great series, and you could probably make the argument that on the whole, it’s even better than the show that spawned it, Breaking Bad. But that’s a debate for another day.

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