'The Day of the Jackal' Just Broke a Peacock Streaming Record

Bianca Pullman's (Lashana Lynch) mission just got bigger. According to Deadline, The Day of the Jackal has become Peacock's most-watched original drama series in history. The viewership numbers taken into account for the series' accomplishment are taken from the first seventy-five days the adaptation has been available for streaming on the platform. The Day of the Jackal is a television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. The first season of the drama came to a close during the final weeks of last year.

The Day of the Jackal follows the titular killer portrayed by Eddie Redmayne. Gone are the days when the acclaimed actor portrayed the friendly Newt Scamander. The Jackal uses a variety of disguises and fake names to get away from authorities. The adaptation also follows Bianca Pullman's quest to bring the killer down. The Day of the Jackal quickly becomes a deadly chase between a highly-intelligent criminal and the MI6 agent tasked with bringing him to justice. The series has been renewed for a second season by Sky Atlantic and Peacock. A release window for the new episodes of the series hasn't been disclosed by the companies behind the project.

The Day of the Jackal was created for television by Ronan Bennett. Before working on bringing the story written by Frederick Forsyth from the page to the screen, Bennett was involved in projects such as Public Enemies and Top Boy. The serious tone of those stories set the stage for turning The Day of the Jackal into an engaging drama that quickly became a streaming hit for Peacock. The episodes of the adaptation were directed by Brian Kirk, Anthony Philipson, Paul Wilmshurst and Anu Menon.

How Many People Watched 'The Day of the Jackal'?

The Day of the Jackal became an immediate success internationally. 4.6M viewers tuned in when the pilot of the adaptation premiered on Sky. The series was also in the Nielsen Top 10 in the United States thanks to the first chapter, even if viewership declined as the story moved forward. The Day of the Jackal faced some tough competition during the holiday season. The second season of Squid Game took Netflix by storm, getting the attention of many audience members. Nevertheless, The Day of the Jackal has found plenty of success at Peacock. It doesn't look like the streaming platform will let this killer go any time soon.

A release date for the second season of The Day of the Jackal hasn't been set. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.