Netflix‘s new crime series has achieved a rare feat.
Streaming giant Netflix has completely transformed the crime genre with high-budget fictional dramas as well as thought-provoking and spine-tingling true-crime documentaries. Fictional series like Narcos and Mindhunter propelled the streamer into being a top destination for shows of that genre, as well as Tiger King, which was a global phenomenon and remains a talking point.
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Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
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The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
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In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
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✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
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✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
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Crime dramaA Good Girl’s Guide to Murderhas returned with season 2 and is already achieving amazing success. The series was adapted from the YA novels written by Holly Jackson and has turned into a huge success, dominating international streaming charts. Season 2 already appears to have improved from its first season with a near-perfect audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 96% from over 250 reviews.
Audiences stated thatA Good Girl’s Guide to Murderseason 2 is “1000 times better than season one,” as well as saying, “Thanks for giving us the season we wanted!” Critics also gave a generous rating of 86% for season 2, andScreenRant‘s Liz Hersey stated that the main success of the series is the character Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) and says, “While the mystery surrounding Jamie’s disappearance may not make A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2 worth watching, Myers’ stellar performance certainly does“.
The reviews are vastly different from season 1, especially regarding the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a shocking 68%. What the audience had to say was also a lot different, with some saying that it included “nonsensical characters” and “the show didn’t do justice to the actual book“.
What remained a constant positive was the performance of Meyers, who also stars in another extremely popular series on Netflix and that isWednesday. Meyers plays the role of Enid Sinclair, who is the quirky best friend of Wednesday Addams based on Charles Addams’The New Yorker cartoon from 1938 and the many live-action (and animated) adaptations that followed. The 24-year-old actress is also known forA Minecraft Movie,Girl in the Basement, andFamily Switch.
Meyers will be returning for another season ofWednesdayas well as doing a voice role forThe Angry Birds 3. She is also expected to be reprising her role as Natalie inThe Minecraft Movie‘s sequel, slated to be released on July 23, 2027. The actress will be starring alongside Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Kirsten Dunst.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 2 is available to watch on Netflix.
- Release Date
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July10,2024
- Network
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BBC Three
- Directors
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Tom Vaughan,Dolly Wells
- Writers
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Zia Ahmed,Poppy Cogan,Ruby Thomas,Ajoke Ibironke
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Adam Astill
Toby Hastings
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Annabel Mullion
Rosie Hastings
