A new Netflix thriller takes the #1 spot on the streamer, despite dividing viewers and critics

The Madness, a new Netflix limited series, is currently at the top of the streamer's TV chart after it premiered on November 28 (per FlixPatrol).

The thriller stars Colman Domingo as Muncie Daniels, a media personality who's framed for the murder of a white supremacist after he stumbles across a dead body in the woods. The cast also includes Marsha Stephanie Blake, Gabrielle Graham, and John Ortiz.

"The Madness is a political conspiracy thriller masterpiece. One of the best limited series from Netflix in a while," said one Twitter user, while another wrote, "I love Colman Domingo but he should’ve told his agent no on this one…"

Over on Rotten Tomatoes, viewers are similarly divided. "One of the best series I've seen this year, suspense, action and drama all at the same time. All the actors must be praised in this series, incredibly good and a script that lasts all the way," said one, but others felt differently.

"The start was promising but after the first episode, things get murky and less credible," another shared, while someone else wrote, "The screenplay is pretentiously contrived, shallow and populated with entirely undeveloped characters offered up by actors who obviously don't believe what they're doing."

Critics responded positively to the show for the most part, though, and The Madness has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 70%. Domingo's performance in particular was the subject of praise, with TIME's review noting that the show "mostly succeeds, on the strength of Domingo’s performance, Muncie’s complexity, and, above all, the visceral sense of contemporary chaos and futility it channels."

However, according to Variety's review, "while Domingo acquits himself just fine as an increasingly frenzied man on the lam, The Madness itself is a schlocky mess, its pulpy appeal dimmed by a drawn-out runtime and attempts at social commentary that fail to find their mark.

All episodes of The Madness are streaming now on Netflix. For more, check out our picks of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to add to your watchlist.