‘Absolutely heartbreaking’ new Netflix show watched 31,300,000 times in just one week-Meghna Amin and Caroline Westbrook-Entertainment – Metro

A new Netflix show that has left viewers ‘heartbroken’ has been watched more than 31,000,000 times this week.

The first season of true-crime series American Murder follows the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito.

It explores what happened in the final days of her life, featuring interviews with her loved ones.

Petito went missing during a US road trip in August, 2021, and was found dead a month later.

Her fiancé Brian Laundrie, who returned home to Florida without her, confessed to the murder in a notebook before dying from suicide.

The three-part series shows travel vlogger Petito’s own recordings from the days before her death, and includes never-seen-before police body camera footage during one part of their road trip together, when she and Laundrie gave statements to officers after a witness claimed they’d been spotted in the midst of a physical altercation.

American Murder: Gabby Petito, which sparked controversy for using an AI version of her voice, has already been viewed 31,300,000 times since its release on February 17.

The Netflix documentary tells the heartbreaking story of Gabby Petito’s disappearance and murder (Picture: Netflix)

Viewers have been left heartbroken by it, with Tom writing on X that it was ‘absolutely agonizing and heartbreaking’.

‘The Gabby Petito doc is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating,’ @dontbeadownerok said.

@kjnsmom added: ‘Just watched the Gabby Petito doc on Netflix. What an absolutely heartbreaking story. As someone acutely familiar with DV from personal experience it was hard to watch. I applaud her parents for telling her story in the way they did, in hopes it will help someone else.’

Brian Laundrie confessed to Gabby’s murder in a notebook before he died by suicide (Picture: Netflix)

Cat wrote: ‘Anyone else watch the Gabby Petito documentary on Netflix? Absolutely heartbreaking.’

‘This Gabby Petito doc is gutting me,’ Indigo said, while Gurpreet wrote that the documentary ‘broke my heart into pieces’.

The docuseries is one of many new Netflix additions to storm the charts, and is followed by political thriller Zero Day which sees movie legend Robert de Niro make the leap from big to small screen.

In it, he plays a former president who is investigating a devastating cyber-attack in the US, one which leads to multiple disasters across the country.

Despite having had mixed reviews, Zero Day has already scored 19,100,000 views.

Meanwhile, German thriller Cassandra is hanging onto the top three for a second week with 7,400,000 views.

German thriller Cassandra is in the third spot this week (Picture: Sasha Ostrov/Netflix)

It follows a family who move into a 70s home in Germany, not realising it’s the oldest smart home in the country. With new residents to look after, the AI household helper, Cassandra, reawakens and reports for duty, vowing to never be left alone again.

Another true crime documentary takes the fourth place spot, following the success of Apple Cider Vinegar – a dramatisation of the events surrounding influencer Belle Gibson.

The Search For Instagram’s Worst Con Artist has 5,500,000 views, and focuses on Gibson, who duped millions of followers by claiming she had cured her terminal cancer through wellness and healthy eating, despite never having been diagnosed with the disease.

The Search For Instagram’s Worst Con Artist climbing the charts comes after the success of Apple Cider Vinegar, which dramatized the deception of Belle Gibson (Picture: Netflix)

Elsewhere, on Netflix’s charts, the eighth season of Love Is Blind has 5,000,000 views, Swedish Nordic noir series The Are Murders has 4,500,000, and the final season of Cobra Kai has 3,600,000.

The Karate Kid spin-off is set 34 years after the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament and follows a down-and-out Johnny Lawrence who is suffering from alcoholism and depression.

In a bid to turn his life around, he reopens the famous Cobra Kai dojo and reignites his decades-long rivalry with Daniel LaRusso.

A child-friendly show is in eighth spot on the Netflix charts, as Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 11 has 3,300,000 views.

It’s proving to be as popular as ever (with another five series on the way), as each episode sees Gabby and her feline friends head inside her magical dollhouse where they solve problems, meet out-of-this-world characters and end up in all sorts of fantastical situations.

Another one for younger viewers, Dog Days Out: Season 1 has scored 3,200,000 views, hitting Netflix from South Korea.

And finally, K-drama Melo Movie: Season 1 has 3,200,000 views and completes Netflix’s top ten list.

The series follows a film buff who falls for an aspiring movie director – sparking a romance which fizzles out way too soon. Until their paths cross again, giving them a second chance at love.

American Murder: Gabby Petito: Season 1 is available to watch on Netflix.

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