Netflix has been churning out the hits lately and it has been glorious. The streaming platform appears to be shining a spotlight on the world’s shadiest fraudsters, spawning endless memes and heated conversations.
If you sat in utter shock at the incredible escapades of The Tinder Swindler’s Simon Leviev, then you’ll love the streaming platform’s new hit, Inventing Anna.
The nine-part series is now considered one of the platform’s biggest hits, having racked up the most viewing hours for an English-language series since the implementation of its new ratings systems.
It’s not difficult to see why viewers are enthralled by the exploits of fake German heiress Anna Sorokin, played sublimely by Oszark’s Julia Garner.
According to BBC, the series notched up an incredible 196 million hours of watch-time last week. That’s on top of the 77 million hours of viewing it received on the weekend of its release on 11 February.
Even more incredible is the fact that Inventing Anna has beat out fan favourite, You, whose third season managed to achieve 179 million hours in October.
The Witcher, Maid, and Sex Education are just a few other amazing shows that have managed to snag the top spot for English-language series.
However, it’s the Korean-speaking Squid Games that still retains its crown as Netflix’s most-watched show with 572 million hours in a single week.
What’s the deal with Anna?
Inventing Anna is a jaw-dropping story that sees Sorokin or Anna Delvey, con New York’s elite, financial institutions and hotels out of thousands of dollars. Reportedly, she managed to swindle nearly $275 000 in 2016 and 2017 alone.
The series is based on a New York magazine investigation into the “European heiress” and her eventual conviction on multiple counts of fraud in 2019.
Sorkin was sentenced to 4-12 years in prison but was released on parole in February 2021. However, she was arrested six weeks later by immigration authorities for overstaying her visa. She is currently fighting her deportation to Germany.
Speaking to Insider, Anna was asked whether she would ever watch the Netflix hit.
“It doesn’t look like I’ll be watching Inventing Anna anytime soon. Even if I were to pull some strings and make it happen, nothing about seeing a fictionalized version of myself in this criminal-insane-asylum setting sounds appealing to me.”
The show is currently streaming on Netflix and has the legendary Shonda Rhimes as an executive producer, so make sure you add this series to your watch list.
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Picture: Netflix