Netflix’s Best New No. 1 Show Has A Perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes Score

This article was published on 5/16 and republished on 5/18.

The solid new Netflix show Forever did not manage to make it to No. 1 given that a new big series launched alongside it. Now, that No. 1 show has so far racked up a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.

It’s not a scripted series, but rather the documentary American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, chronicling the pursuit and eventual killing of the terrorist leader and mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. While bin Laden was a known figure before 9/11, he became the U.S. government’s top target in a multiagency manhunt launched in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. The operation took nearly 10 years, leaving a lot to fit into this three-episode, three-hour miniseries.

The 100% score is roughly on par with the other two entries in Netflix’s American Manhunt series: American Manhunt: The Trial of O.J. Simpson (2024), which also holds a 100%, and American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing (2023), which has an 89%. A common thread among these is that, despite ranking among the most-watched series on Netflix at the time — if not the most-watched — only a small number of critics have reviewed them.

The show features rare footage and interviews with CIA officials, much of which may be seen for the first time despite the numerous documentaries covering the same subject. As an installment on the American Manhunt series with Netflix, it’s probably going to be more watched than any other similar documentary on the topic anywhere else, just through Netflix’s reach alone.

Netflix hasn’t announced which case the American Manhunt series plans to cover next One thing that comes to mind is the D.C. Sniper attacks of 2002, which involved a widespread and intense manhunt as the perpetrators terrorized the region and evaded capture. Another potential subject — though less likely given ongoing legal proceedings— is the case of Luigi Mangione, who faces federal stalking and murder charges in connection with the Dec. 4, 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. His trial has not yet begun, and no conviction has been reached.

Given how well the American Manhunt series continues to perform — and the fact that each installment runs about three episodes — the platform will absolutely keep pumping them out. With countless crimes to choose from, the series joins its sister show, American Murder. What can we say? People love true crime, for better or worse.

Update (5/18): American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden has kept it #1 spot and its 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics over the last few days, but now viewer reviews are coming in, and they aren’t great, currently sitting at a 58%. Why don’t they like it? Here are a few quotes that explain why:

“This was so frustrating to watch, and doesn’t really follow up on some obvious questions. It clearly demonstrates how ineffective and blumbering the CIA was for more than a decade during this time period, but then also wants you to be sympathetic to these people?”

“Didn’t like the overall sequence of the events. They didn’t show the true panic wave that went through the New York people. And the fact that it is just three episodes long, just blows my mind.”

More or less the complaints revolve them not really telling the whole story or all dimensions of it, which may not fit into just three episodes, which makes sense. Though it’s not uncommon for docuseries to be this short, especially with the way Netflix handles them.

We will see how long American Manhunt stays on top, as another True Crime story, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, is now #2 and may pass it up. We’ll check back in a few more days.

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