Update: Netflix has saved one scrapped movie from the abyss of "what if" after Disney shut down production
Netflix's most popular TV show right now isn't a Netflix original, but a canceled show from NBC, instead. Yes, because just like Hulu and other entries in our best streaming services list, Netflix isn't just dedicated to the original shows (though it can often feel that way).
At the time of publishing, the most popular program on the streaming service —as shown in Netflix's Top 10 in the U.S. Today chart in the app, not on the Top 10 site which uses weekly rates — is Good Girls.
Good Girls sits behind Netflix Original movie The Adam Project and the true crime limited series Bad Vegan. Good Girls' success makes all of the sense in the world, too. Good Girls: Season 4 — the final season before the series was canceled — just hit Netflix earlier this month (which you might have known had you checked out our new on Netflix list) on March 7.
If you didn't sample it already, Good Girls was a comedy-drama crime series starring Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Retta (Parks and Recreation) and Mae Whitman (Arrested Development). All of the stars played mothers in varying situations of frustration over life. So, much like we saw in Weeds, Breaking Bad and Ozark, they turn to crime. But the real crime, fans would argue, was NBC's decision to nix a planned fifth season (see below for more on that).
Good Girls has been climbing up the Netflix charts since season 4 arrived. The season placed 7th overall in English-language TV in its first week on Netflix, with 24.5 million hours watched in total by Netflix viewers.
In that week, Pieces of Her (95.72 million hours) ranked #1, and The Last Kingdom (63.54 million hours) was in a distant second place. In between those shows and Good Girls, we find Inventing Anna (51.84 million hours), Vikings Valhalla (41.76 million hours), Formula 1 Drive to Survive (28.01 million hours) and Worst Roommate Ever (26.29 million hours).
Does this mean Netflix could save Good Girls?
As TVLine reported, Good Girls season 5 was practically renewed before it was canceled. The season was said to be a shortened arc, and a chance to say goodbye. Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta all agreed to take pay cuts to make it work.
The cast posted their honest emotions — filled with disappointment, confusion and sadness — on social media.
But the true reason behind the show's cancellation appears to be something other than its ratings or its trio of popular stars. TVLine notes that speculation abounded that co-star Manny Montana refused to take a lower rate. Reportedly, Montana and Hendricks had an icy working relationship.
Other sources dissented on that theory, claiming that Universal Television — one of the production companies behind the show — was eager to move on. Because, seriously, would a male co-star's frustrations really be able to sink a female-led show like this? You can kill people off, right?
Well, if Netflix feels like Good Girls' viewership is strong enough right now to get them to try and bring Universal Television back to the table, who knows what could come of this. A Deadline report noted that Universal decided to not try and shop the show beyond Netflix, and that a plan to move Good Girls to the big red streaming machine didn't work out.
Once you've finished Good Girls, check out all the new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend. Looking for something else to watch? There's a new Hulu show with a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes that looks awfully tempting. In other news, a new Netflix reality show is so maddening it makes one of our writers wish he could cancel Netflix.
