The Keira Knightley Spy Thriller Series Taking Over Netflix's Top 10 Charts

Ludovic Robert/Netflix

It might be hard to remember, given the absolute cavalcade of "content" being constantly shoveled onto the Netflix servers, but back in 2022 Charlie Cox starred in the Netflix spy thriller "Treason," a show that released for Christmas and turned out to be pretty underwhelming. That was a shame, too, since Cox's star was back on the rise following the cancellation and swift Disney revival of "Daredevil," and the man is undeniably a talented actor. Sadly, the series itself fell short of being the Christmas gift fans of the spy genre were hoping for.

Now, Netflix is making it up to us all with "Black Doves," a six-episode spy thriller that debuted just in time for the festive season and features another British star in the form of Keira Knightly. Created and written by Joe Barton ("Giri/Haji," "The Lazarus Project"), "Black Doves" is set in London at Christmas time and follows Knightly's Helen Webb, the wife of the UK's Secretary of State for Defense and secret spy for the titular shadowy organization. The Black Doves group sends its members to infiltrate governments and extract secrets before selling those secrets on to the highest bidder. In the series, Webb's lover is assassinated, suggesting her secret identity is in danger and prompting her spymaster, Reed (Sarah Lancashire), to call in Helen's old friend and former assassin Sam (Ben Whishaw) to help protect her.

This time, it seems Netflix has got the spy thriller formula right; not only is "Black Doves" a critical success, but it's also absolutely dominating the streamer's most-watched charts in a week where the Megan Fox sci-fi thriller "Subservience" has also captivated Netflix audiences.

Ludovic Robert/Netflix

"Black Doves" hit Netflix on December 5, 2024, and immediately proved a hit. According to FlixPatrol, a site that collects viewership data for all streaming services, "Black Doves" debuted at number one on the Netflix charts in 12 countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, and a handful of European countries. What's more, the series premiered on the charts in 88 countries the day after it hit the streamer, and has since managed to win over multiple others to become number one in 54 markets, including the United States, as of December 9, 2024.

That's an auspicious launch for the spy thriller series, which is currently number one in such diverse regions as Australia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, and Bangladesh — and that's just the countries where the show is number one. "Black Doves" is currently number two in 24 countries and looks set to take the top spot any day in pretty much all of them. What's more, the series is charting in an impressive 92 countries overall, making this a truly global hit.

Unsurprisingly then, "Black Doves" is now the number one most-watched show in the world on Netflix, according to FlixPatrol's global rankings.

Ludovic Robert/Netflix