Netflix's New Series Wayward Battling Jason Bateman's Black Rabbit on the Charts

Netflix‘s Wayward is in a race to the top of the charts with the platform’s other latest breakout hit series, Black Rabbit. And the gap between them is only getting smaller.

Per Flix Patrol, the recently released Wayward starring Mae Martin and Toni Collette has officially reached the number two spot on the list of the top 10 streaming series available on Netflix in the United States. To top things off, Wayward has reached the number seven spot on the list for the entire globe. As of the time of writing, Wayward still has three spots on the global chart to go before it catches up with Netflix’s other new smash hit, Black Rabbit starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law, and one spot on the domestic charts. Although it may not take long to make that leap considering how quickly it has outpaced competition such as The Guest, Adolescence, and Beauty in Black.

Created by Mae Martin, who executive produced, wrote for, and starred in the series all while serving as its showrunner, Wayward sees Martin step into the role of local rookie police officer Alex Dempsey, whose time on the force in Tall Pines begins with an investigation into the mysteries surrounding a local academy marketed as a refuge for troubled teens. The series also stars Sarah Gadon as Alex’s pregnant wife, Brandon Jay McLaren as Alex’s partner on the force, Dwayne Andrews, Alyvia Alyn Lind as troubled teen Leila, Sydney Topliffe as Leila’s best friend, Abbie, and Isolde Ardies as Abbies’ Tall Pines Academy roommate, Stacey. Wayward also stars Toni Collette as the head of Tall Pines Academy, the enigmatic and ominous Evelyn Wade.

Wayward premiered on Sept. 25 to lukewarm reviews from critics and audiences alike. It debuted with a strong 89% approval from the critics, which has since dropped to a 73% rating. It features a 59% rating from the audience on the Popcornmeter, just below the 6% rating for a positive badge.

Martin previously discussed the real-life inspiration for Wayward, not just in terms of the prevalence of organizations such as Tall Pines Academy, but in regards to their impact on her own life and those of their friends. “I often talk around adolescence or I write characters who are processing their teens. It was such an intense time for me, and is for everyone, but I’ve always known I wanted to more directly dive into that time and all the visceral feelings of adolescence,” Martin explained. “I was a wayward teen in the early 2000s, and my best friend was sent to one of these troubled teen institutes when she was 16. She came back and had just the craziest stories about it.”

What is Netflix’s Black Rabbit All About?

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Image via Netflix

Released on Sept. 18, Black Rabbit stars Jude Law as Jake Friedken, the owner of the series’ eponymous resto-lounge whose apparent success is threatened by the return of his mildly estranged brother, Vince, portrayed by Jason Bateman. Almost as soon as Vince steps back into Jake’s life, everything the latter worked so hard to built is put in jeopardy, not to mention both of the brothers’ lives.

While Black Rabbit managed to garner positive reviews, with 65% from the audience and 77% from the audience, the series has also proven to have a major draw with audiences, who helped the series rocket to the number one spot on the Netflix streaming chart within a week of its debut on the platform.

Wayward and Black Rabbit are both currently available for streaming on Netflix.