Netflix’s Mystery Thriller Becomes Global Streaming Hit Less Than A Week After Debut
By Greg MacArthur
Netflix’s new murder mystery series Untamed has skyrocketed to the streamer’s number 1 spot in both U.S. and global charts. After releasing on Thursday, July 17, 2025, the six-part miniseries has already amassed an enormous 24.6 million views before its opening week has even concluded.
Untamed is the second #1 hit Netflix series created by Mark. L Smith (The Revenant, American Primeval) in 2025. Eric Bana leads the cast of Untamed as Kyle Turner, an ISB federal agent who investigates the mysterious death of a young girl in Yosemite National Park.
Untamed accrued just under 120 million views in only five days after it premiered on Netflix last week. Although Untamed was written as a miniseries, these massive streaming numbers suggest that it could evolve into an anthology series similar to True Detective.
Untamed Has The 3rd Best Opening Viewership Of Any 2025 Netflix Show
Only Adolescence & American Murder Have Had Better Debut Numbers
Untamed’s 24.6 million views in its opening week made it Netflix’s third-largest debut of an original series in 2025 so far. Untamed only falls short of Adolescence’s first and second week viewership totals (42 million and 30.4 million, respectively) and the opening week of the docuseries American Murder: Gabby Petito (31.3 million views).
Untamed has nearly surpassed the two-week viewership total of American Primeval, which tallied up 24.7 million across its first two weeks
Untamed has nearly surpassed the two-week viewership total of American Primeval, which tallied up 24.7 million across its first two weeks. Smith’s other hit Netflix show also didn’t claim the streamer’s number 1 spot on its global chart until its second week before falling to #3 during its third week in the Top 10.
Netflix’s new murder mystery series Untamed is one of a handful of perfect streaming shows available to binge-watch in just one weekend.
Other original Netflix shows that took the number one spot earlier this year include The Four Seasons and The Waterfront, which pulled in 11.9 million and 8.3 million views in their opening weeks, respectively. Untamed also earned a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 79%, making it both a critical and streaming success.
Untamed season 2 looks more likely than ever after the show’s incredible streaming success on Netflix. The most likely course of action for Smith and Netflix would be to expand the series as an anthology show that follows a new murder mystery in a new setting with a new cast of characters – just like HBO’s hit show True Detective.
Although Netflix’s murder mystery show Untamed was originally released as a miniseries, there’s a clear path forward for it to expand with season 2.
Based on the ending of Untamed, the door is still open for Eric Bana’s character to return in a potential second season surrounded by a new cast in a new setting. Alternatively, Kyle Turner could return to Yosemite to crack another case. Of course, Untamed will need to maintain its viewership over the next few weeks for season 2 to be a near-guarantee.
Regardless of how Untamed’s viewership shakes out over the rest of July and August 2025, it can still boast its enormous debut viewership as the second best for any fictional Netflix series of the year.
Regardless of how Untamed’s viewership shakes out over the rest of July and August 2025, it can still boast its enormous debut viewership as the second best for any fictional Netflix series of the year. It will be interesting to see how long Untamed will be able to hold onto Netflix’s top streaming spot following its remarkable opening week.