A Swedish five-parter is Netflix's number one in 29 countries, and critics like it twice as much as viewers

If you think Netflix is all romantic comedies and big-budget action, think again. When it comes to crime thrillers, they have the formula down cold. Everyone remembers the days when Mindhunter basically owned the genre on streaming, but lately, there’s a new entry that’s pushed its way to the very top of the charts—and it isn’t even in English. Blood Sacrifice, a Swedish miniseries, is currently the number one show worldwide. And before anyone asks—yes, it’s proper binge material.

During its first week on the chart, Blood Sacrifice clocked up 9.1 million views and nearly 38 million hours watched, making it easily the most-watched non-English series on the platform right now.

The Numbers Tell Their Own Story

Blood Sacrifice hit Netflix exclusively on 20 August 2026 and didn’t waste any time storming up the streamer’s rankings. As of the last update, it’s not just the top non-English show—it’s number one in 29 countries. Forget just beating out international titles like Spooky in Love and My Daughter's Father—this thing annihilated them.

For the data nerds, here’s how the rest of the Top 10 for non-English Netflix shows stacks up by the latest available viewing figures:

• Blood Sacrifice: 9.1 million views / 37.9 million hours
• The Early Spring: 2.4 million views / 21.5 million hours
• Spooky in Love: 2.3 million views / 28.4 million hours
• Our Sticky Love: 2.2 million views / 25.8 million hours
• Mousetrap: 2.0 million views / 19.2 million hours
• Badly in Love: 1.3 million views / 14.2 million hours
• Rhythm + Flow France: 1.3 million views / 3.9 million hours
• Operation Safed Sagar: 1.0 million views / 5.5 million hours
• My Daughter's Father: 1.0 million views / 7.2 million hours
• S&X: 0.9 million views / 5.0 million hours

One thing that’s a bit bonkers—a massive audience hit, but viewers and critics seem miles apart. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score sits at a weirdly low 43%, while critics are practically swooning at 89%. Rare you see a split that lopsided, so make of that what you will.

Stockholm Killers and Daddy Issues

The setup is classic Scandi noir with a bit of a twist: Thomas Berg, a Stockholm detective, gets put on a grisly case when someone starts targeting police officers. The killer isn’t just casual about it, either—they’re staging elaborate murder scenes to wind up the force. Thomas is told to keep the investigation off the books, especially since the evidence points back to a murder that should have already been closed. If the police got the wrong man before, it means the real killer is still lurking about, and nobody in the force wants to admit that screw-up.

That’s where the real dramatic angle comes in. With the case spiralling and no one else to turn to, Thomas goes crawling to the one person who might help: his estranged dad, Alfred Berg, a seasoned ex-cop with the kind of experience Thomas desperately needs. Put bluntly, neither of them are thrilled about this family reunion. But working together is their only chance to catch the killer rattling the entire police force.

Cast-wise, Jakob Oftebro (who you might know from Hamilton and Stenbeck) takes the lead as Thomas, with Peter Andersson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as Alfred. The supporting line-up is proper Nordic ensemble stuff: Electra Hallman, Irina Björklund, Alexander Abdallah, Anders Mossling, Henrik Norlén, David Tainton, and Lotta Aldgård all feature. Behind the scenes, George Kay (the bloke responsible for Lupin and Hijack) serves as showrunner, and every episode is directed by Kristoffer Nyholm, who’s probably best known for his time on The Killing.