While Netflix spent November treating us to a steady stream of early Christmas releases, the streamer's also been keeping us on the edge of our seats with several gripping thriller shows.
The streamer's latest offering is a new conspiracy thriller, "The Madness,' which hit the service on Nov. 28 and has already stolen the No. 1 spot on the Netflix Top 10 from "A Man on the Inside".
Despite grabbing audience attention, "The Madness" hasn't been quite as well received as some of the streamer's other recent hit shows. Views on the limited series vary wildly already; a quick search on X (Twitter) alone will show just how split opinion is; I've seen it called everything from a "10/10" show and a "masterpiece"... down to "terrible" and "trash".
If you're anything like me, seeing that kind of gulf of opinion only makes me want to stream something more, and now that I've started streaming it, I think I might be locked in. Ready to check this divisive for yourself? Here's some more info about "The Madness," including a brief roundup of what some critics have had to say about the series so far.
What is 'The Madness' about?
'The Madness' sees political consultant-turned-media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) finding himself at the center of a dangerous conspiracy. In the midst of a bit of a slump in life, he heads off on a solo work sabbatical and takes up residence deep within the Poconos woods. During his stay, he stumbles upon the murder of a well-known white supremacist figure.
While Muncie manages to escape the crime scene alive, his ordeal's only just begun. Evidence against him starts to pile up, and it becomes clear that he's being framed for the hit.
As the word gets out about his supposed crime, Muncie's forced to go on the run in our post-truth world, fighting to clear his name, protect his loved ones, and get to the bottom of this tangled web of lies.
Should you stream 'The Madness'?
If you're searching for a new thriller to get sucked into, then "The Madness" might just be the Netflix binge for you. I've already dipped into the series, and I'm certainly intrigued to see what's going to happen next. It's got all the hallmarks of a solid thriller (plenty of twists and shock) and boasts an eminently watchable actor in the lead role.
As I mentioned, "The Madness" doesn't come universally recommended; at the time of writing, it only has a 69% critics score on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes, from a total of 13 reviews; here's a sample of what some of them had to say.
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan gave the show a four-star rating, praising it for being 'smartly plotted and expertly paced', adding: "The Madness" gains heft as it goes along, becoming a portrait of a world in which the truth is whatever you want it to be and a great fantasy will always beat reality when it comes to gaining followers and traction".
Collider writer Jeff Ewing offered an 8/10 score and labeled "The Madness" 'one of the year's finest (and most poignant) thriller shows". Impressed by the series' plausibility, Ewing wrote: "Netflix's "The Madness" is another welcome dose of realism in a genre that can sometimes rely too heavily on fictional agencies and unbelievable plot devices instead of leaning into our existing political and economic malaise. Every one of its pieces comes together to successfully create a poignant, thrilling, highly watchable series".
By contrast, Screen Rant's Greg MacArthur gave it a 4/10 rating. Despite enjoying the performances on display from the supporting cast, he argued that "The Madness" "falls below expectations in theme and story" and that it featured "too many stagnant and unnecessary scenes to qualify the series as a worthwhile slow burn".
While I'd definitely suggest at least giving the series a try, if you're not completely sold on streaming "The Madness" just yet, we've got plenty more streaming recommendations on-site to help you plan your Netflix viewing. We recently pulled together a list of Netflix thriller miniseries that you can binge in one weekend, and we've also got a full round-up of the best Netflix shows to help you find your next watch.
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