Baby Reindeer creator and star had no idea how much his Netflix show would blow up.

Baby Reindeer. Ed Miller/Netflix.

It might not be in the No. 1 spot in the Netflix Top 10 Shows list any longer, but that doesn’t seem to mean Baby Reindeer is losing popularity or publicity. The seven-episode limited series based on a true story follows a fictionalized version of creator Richard Gadd, who also stars. Each episode unfolds a shocking story of a woman named Martha stalking protagonist Donny, all while he tries to deal with the trauma of being groomed and sexually assaulted.

I’d be shocked if any TV fan hasn’t at least heard of Baby Reindeer by now; it’s been out nearly a month now and through word of mouth and social media, it’s become a mega hit. Crossing 56 million views by May 5, it’s on its way to becoming one of the top 10 most-watched Netflix shows. And not only are general audiences feeling entertained and inspired by the dark dramedy, but critics are also raving over the show’s vulnerability and charm. But while Baby Reindeer continues to see positive reactions, it’s also seeing some negative — particularly from a woman who claims to be the real-life Martha.

Richard Gadd didn’t expect Baby Reindeer to blow up

It seems like every day, there’s a new headline out about Baby Reindeer, whether it be good or bad. Gadd recently spoke to the newspaper The Daily Record (as reported by Deadline) where he opened up on how surprised he’s been to see just how fast the the show has seen success.

“It was, like, crazy. I never expected it to sort of blow up like this. I believed it would be successful but I didn’t expect overnight, I don’t even like to use this word, ‘fame.'”

Baby Reindeer

Initially believing Baby Reindeer would simply be “a little cult artistic gem,” there’s no way Gadd was expecting his story to become close to one of the most-watched Netflix shows. And when he calls it “overnight” success, he means it. Though the show debuted on Netflix in its first four days with 2,600,000 views, that number quickly skyrocketed. Between April 15 and April 21, the show saw 13,300,000 views, and by April 22 to April 28, it brought in an impressive 22,000,000 views. It held on strong in the date range of April 29 to May 5, drawing in an additional 18,600,000 views.

“I really believed in this show but it really felt like one day it went on the platform and the next day there were people camping in my garden.”

To think Baby Reindeer has been out for almost exactly a month (it premiered April 11) is pretty wild considering how much buzz there’s been around it. This week, a woman named Fiona Harvey who alleges she’s the real-life Martha appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored to tell her side of the story. In the show, Martha sends Donny over 40,000 emails, something Harvey denies actually happening. Fans of the show have had mixed responses to the interview.

At the time of this writing, Gadd has not responded publicly to Harvey’s interview, but considering he’s been wanting to keep some of the real-life aspects — particularly the actual people he based characters on — private, I doubt he will.

Baby Reindeer is finally starting to slide down on the Netflix Top 10 Shows list; currently, The Roast of Tom Brady has the top spot, followed by Katt Williams: Woke Foke. However, while A Man in Full previously held the third spot, now Baby Reindeer has taken it. I’m sure all of the publicity around Harvey’s interview is only helping viewership.