New Netflix number one show Resident Evil dethrones Stranger Things – despite negative reviews

(Image credit: Netflix)

New Netflix show Resident Evil has stormed to number one on the streamer's chart, dethroning Stranger Things season 4, and that's despite negative reviews and word of mouth. The video game adaptation currently sits at a 51% Critics Score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 25% Audience Score. In contrast, Stranger Things season 4 has an 89% Critics and Audience score.

Resident Evil revolves around Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick), who works for the Umbrella Corporation. When he moves to New Raccoon City with his children, things take a turn for the undead – and the show returns 14 years later to look at the aftermath of the zombie outbreak, focusing on Albert's daughter Jade (Ella Balinska).

"Watching the new Resident Evil series on Netflix. The direction they've taken is… odd," says one viewer. "Disappointing in so many ways... Not worth going into detail over," says a Rotten Tomatoes audience reviewer.

"Not great at all," says someone else on the site. "As a long time fan of the movie and video game franchises, I really wanted to like this show. The show starts slow and stays slow. It feels like a teen/family drama set in the background of a zombie apocalypse rather than a zombie action show. This Netflix iteration of Resident Evil is loosely set in the RE universe but that is the only thing it shares with the original movies and video games."

Our own 2.5 star review of Resident Evil is also critical: "Unfortunately, the streamer's new live-action Resident Evil series does little to rise above what's come before; a show that falls apart thanks to questionable creative choices, inconsistent production values, and an odd reluctance to dip into the source material's deep pool of lore and mythology."

It's not all bad, though, with one Rotten Tomatoes audience review reading: "Go into it with an open mind. It was beautifully done, cast was great, and the storyline sound while also giving us looks into different aspects of the zombie genre. I binge-watched it. So good."

"I am a die-hard Resident Evil fan that stands by the original games," reads another review. "Not a single one of the movies have gotten it right but I will say the show taking place in the future nailed it. The callback to the originals were great the characters were good I really enjoyed it"

There's no word yet on whether Resident Evil will be getting a season 2, but Stranger Things season 5 is in the works, and you can read all about it through the link. In the meantime, check out our roundup of the best Netflix shows to fill out your watchlist.