The 8-Part Netflix Crime Thriller With Near-Perfect Reviews Everyone’s Bingeing Right Now

Netflix’s newest crime series is blowing up on the platform, vaulting to No. 2 on the Top 10 within days and pulling a 90% critics score—while the audience verdict is still rolling in.

Netflix just dropped a new crime series called Nemesis, and it shot up the charts almost immediately. We’re talking #2 on Netflix’s Top 10 Most Watched within a few days. Critics are into it (sitting at a 90% rating so far), but audiences are way colder at 40%. Early days, sure, but this one doesn’t look like it’s fading quietly.

What is Nemesis?

Classic cops-and-robbers setup with a hard-charging LAPD detective who gets locked into an obsession with a master thief behind a run of big, flashy heists. It plays like modern pulp with old-school crime noir vibes — the kind of cat-and-mouse where ego, obsession, and timing matter as much as bullets. The leads, Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel, give the thing some real spine, which is a big part of why critics are responding.

Critics vs. audiences: why the split?

The biggest knock from viewers is that there are too many characters milling around without much to do, which pulls energy away from the central showdown. Some folks are calling the writing derivative and the opener cringe-y, complaining about corny one-liners, surface-level character work, and the show leaning on shock over substance. A few even suggest critics must be getting paid — which, for the record, is the internet’s favorite conspiracy whenever a show gets good reviews and the comments section isn’t feeling it.

On the other side, critics are praising the mood, the throwback flavor, and especially the lead-on-lead tension. Roxana Hadadi singled out the central rivalry between characters Coltrane and Isaiah as the show’s killer app:

"Coltrane and Isaiah's rivalry is ice-cold and entertaining as hell. It's also just one piece of Nemesis's radiant and textured mosaic, which arranges homage and archetype into something scorchingly original."

That kind of sums up the disconnect: if you’re here for tone, chemistry, and an updated spin on familiar genre beats, Nemesis clicks. If you want something that reinvents the wheel, the tropes may feel a little too visible.

Bottom line

Nemesis hits some very specific pleasure centers: stylish heists, a dog-with-a-bone detective, and a slick thief who won’t stop poking the bear. It also wanders into the cheesier corners of the genre, which is where it’s losing some viewers. The numbers are loud, though, and with the show already parked near the top of Netflix, it’s clearly finding an audience.

• Where to watch: Netflix
• Chart status: #2 on Netflix’s Top 10 Most Watched (within days of release )
• Scores right now: 90% from critics, 40% from audiences
• Vibe: Old-school crime noir meets modern cat-and-mouse thriller
• Leads: Matthew Law and Y'lan Noel

If you’ve got a soft spot for relentless-cop-meets-unflappable-thief stories, this is probably your next Friday night. If recycled tropes make your eye twitch, proceed with caution.