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Here are the TV shows the Nigerian Netflix audience kept at the top in 2023.
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International streamer, Netflix, heavily capitalized on its success with the Nigerian audience. With a mix of movies ranging from genres like action, romance, fantasy, and drama to a blend of Hollywood and K-drama, the international streamer ensures Nigerians are entertained.
And here are the top 10 series Nigerians could not get enough of in the year 2023.
10.
One Piece
Starting at number 10, One Piece is a fantasy adventure television series developed by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda. The series is a live-action adaptation of the manga series of the same name by Eiichiro Oda, produced by Kaji Productions and Shueisha, the series stars an ensemble cast including Iñaki Godoy, Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar.
One Piece stayed at the top for 52 days.
9.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
A Shonda Rhimes creation, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is set in historical times and follows young Charlotte who is betrothed against her will to King George, she arrives in London on her wedding day and faces scrutiny from the monarch’s cunning mother.
The romantic drama features, India Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest, Golda Rosheuvel, Arsema Thomas, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, and many more.
The franchise series stayed at the top for 53 days.
8.
Mr. Queen
Eighth on the list is Mr Queen, directed by Yoon Sung-sik, the romantic comedy follows a successful and free-spirited chef who finds himself in a strange situation when he wakes up in the body of Queen Cheorin in the Joseon period.
This TV show topped the streamer’s chart for 63 days
7.
Strong Girl Nam-soon
2023 released Strong Girl Nam-soon is a Korean TV drama series starring Lee Yoo-mi along with Kim Jung-eun, Kim Hae-sook, Ong Seong-wu, and Byeon Woo-seok. The synopsis reads
”Gang Nam-soon disappeared in Mongolia as a child. As an adult, she travels to South Korea to search for her parents where she finds her mother Hwang Geum-joo who is a billionaire businesswoman, and her grandmother Gil Joong-gan, in the Gangnam district. Eventually, Nam-soon, her mother, and grandmother become entangled in a drug case that Detective Gang Hee-sik is investigating at a company named Doogo run by Ryu Shi-oh.”
This TV show topped the streamer’s chart for 58 days.
6.
Young Sheldon
Young Sheldon is a coming-of-age sitcom series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro, featuring Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, and Lance Barber. The TV series follows Sheldon Cooper’s childhood, as an extremely smart kid and how he navigates life with his family.
Released on Netflix in 2023, Young Sheldon stayed in the top 10 rankings for 77 days.
5.
True Beauty
After being bullied and discriminated against because of her ugly looks, a high school girl transforms herself into a gorgeous “goddess” and quickly rises to fame after mastering the art of makeup via online tutorial videos.
True Beauty which was released on Netflix on December 11 topped the streamer’s chart for 86 days.
4.
Alchemy of Souls
Fourth on the list is the K-drama Alchemy of Souls, a South Korean television series starring Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Go Youn-jung, and Hwang Min-hyun. Written by the Hong sisters, it depicts the stories of young mages dealing with heaven and earth.
The fantasy-period drama was top on the Netflix Naija chart for 92 days.
3.
The Night Agent
The Night Agent is a Hollywood action thriller TV series created by Shawn Ryan based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quirk. Starring Gabriel Basso, it premiered on Netflix on March 23, 2023, and went on to top the chart for 72 days.
The series follows FBI Agent Peter Sutherland who is thrown into a vast conspiracy about a mole at the highest levels of the United States government. To save the nation, he plunges into a desperate hunt for the traitor, while protecting former tech CEO Rose Larkin from the people who murdered her aunt and uncle.
2.
King the Land
King the Land is created by Cheon Sung-il and tells the story of Goo Won, the heir of The King Group, a luxury hotel conglomerate, who was thrown into an inheritance war, and Cheon Sa-rang, a hotelier who always has a smile on her face till she meets Goo Won.
This Korean romance drama topped the streamer’s chart for 84 days after it was released on Netflix.
1.
Fatal Seduction
Top on the list is Fatal Seduction, created by Steven Pillemer, this steamy drama follows a married woman who goes on a dangerous weekend trip away from home that sparks desire but ends tragically, making her wonder if the people close to her are telling the truth.
The film stars Frances Sholto-Douglas, Liza Scholtz, and Ngelekanyo Ramulondi and stayed atop the streamer’s chart for 84 days.
Analysis
The Nigerian audience enjoyed a healthy dose of British and Hollywood content with The Night Agent, Young Sheldon, and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
In terms of genre, the Nigerian audience was stuck on three distinct genres drama mystery, romantic drama, and action series, representing Fatal Seduction, King the Land, and The Night Agent.
Overall, the Netflix Naija top 10 TV shows for 2023 were led by K-drama with British, Hollywood and South African shows claiming the other spots.
Top 30 TV Shows
Netflix Naija top 30 list features a wider array of film content, both international and local. Fatal seduction still tops the list with its steamy plot and fire acting.
Interestingly, Shanty Town features as the most-watched Nigerian TV show for 2023, although it comes 11th on the top 10 list. Three Nollywood films made the top 30 list; Shanty Town, Far From Home, and Madam Koi-Koi. Nollywood TV shows have not witnessed significant success at the streamers as they’ve occupied just 10% of the top 30 list, in two consecutive years.
In comparison with Nigerian feature films which have consistently been rated highly on streaming, Nollywood TV shows have however brought in low numbers on Netflix Naija.
K-drama takes up 10 spots in the top 30, Hollywood takes up 11 spots, while the other 9 spots are shared among Nollywood and British films with South African Fatal Seduction occupying the highly rated one spot at the top of the list.
The Netflix Naija data set for 2023 reveals the TV taste of Nigerian movie lovers; in 2022, we saw more K-drama and American content grace the top 30 list and the same is seen in 2023’s data set. These numbers are a pointer to the long-form desires of the Nigerian audience and it will be interesting to see the innovation with industry creatives.
In Summary
The Netflix Naija top 10 TV shows featured great cinematic creations and although it was surprising to see no Nollywood film on the list, it will be interesting to witness what Netflix together with Nollywood creatives has in store for the year 2024.
Will 2024 be a turning point for Ngerian TV shows on Netflix Naija?
Shock will be here to report.
Thanks for Reading.
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