{"id":21183,"date":"2022-08-31T18:40:46","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T16:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1700337"},"modified":"2022-08-31T19:29:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T17:29:29","slug":"were-critics-too-harsh-on-netflixs-number-one-show-echoes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/were-critics-too-harsh-on-netflixs-number-one-show-echoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Were critics too harsh on Netflix\u2019s number one show Echoes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By David Craig\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 31 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Isn\u2019t it funny how art imitates life? Mere days after watching Echoes<\/a>, I visited my hometown and was struck by a shocking revelation, just like creepy twin Gina McCleary (Michelle Monaghan) in the hit Netflix thriller.<\/p>\n

While catching up with my nan over an off-brand Cornetto, she began telling me about a show she\u2019d been watching where two identical sisters share lives \u2013 \u201cand even husbands!\u201d It was immediately obvious what she was talking about, but as a recent convert to the streaming world (she didn\u2019t even have internet until the pandemic hit), I hadn\u2019t expected her to be so up to date with the latest Netflix<\/a> originals. She\u2019d even caught up on Stranger Things<\/a>! What an icon.<\/p>\n

But I digress: my point is that when I watched Echoes as a press screener the week before it came out, I wasn\u2019t confident it would make much of a dent in the streaming landscape. The onslaught of negative reviews only strengthened that hunch (it currently sits at a bleak 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Yet, here we are 12 days later and the show has unseated The Sandman<\/a> on Netflix\u2019s global top 10 \u2013 proving my nan isn\u2019t the only one talking about it. The question is, how has this silly thriller turned into an international hit? And does it truly deserve the thrashing it has received from all corners of the critical sphere? Let\u2019s discuss.<\/p>

The first thing to say is that Netflix viewers will watch anything. I don\u2019t mean that disparagingly, either. When you\u2019re paying a flat fee for a buttload of content, there\u2019s no risk in sticking something on and seeing whether you like it. So, when the week\u2019s big release gets featured at the top of the homepage, many find themselves saying: \u201cSure, why not?\u201d Hence why even the most uninspired English-language Netflix originals \u2013 such as Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg\u2019s insufferable Me Time<\/a> \u2013 almost always seem to crack the UK chart, if not top it.<\/p>\n

But is it unfair to suggest that Echoes\u2019s success can be chalked up to Netflix subscribers simply clicking \u2018play\u2019 out of muscle memory? I think so.<\/p>\n

My expectations for the show had been sat somewhere around rock bottom, but after my initial amazement at the unhinged premise passed, I did find myself gradually drawn in by its central mystery. Of course, the storyline is utterly implausible, but I felt there was some self-awareness from the writers and cast that brought an element of fun to seeing just how insane things could get. This ironic level of enjoyment is not always considered in professional reviews, perhaps rightly, but it could well have been a factor in propelling Echoes to pole position.<\/p>\n