The Queen's Gambit, a coming-of-age period drama starring Anya Taylor-Joy, has been consistently recommended as the most binge-worthy show on Netflix, according to multiple viral Reddit threads.
The series, based on Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name, first premiered on Netflix on October 23, 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. It quickly became a global phenomenon, providing an absorbing escape for viewers worldwide.
Reddit Users Sing Praises
In a popular post on the Netflix subreddit, a user asked: "The most binge worthy Netflix show or movie you've ever watched. You ever start a show or movie on Netflix thinking you'll just watch one episode, then suddenly it's 3am and you've watched the whole thing? Just curious what people's recommendations are for ones that really had you hooked." The thread garnered 1.9k comments, with many users singling out The Queen's Gambit.
One of the highest-rated comments simply reads "Queen's Gambit" and received 466 upvotes. Fellow Redditors echoed the recommendation, with one writing: "Watched in one night, rewinded after every microsleep. The book was also a great experience." Another described it as "one of the best shows I've seen," while a further user agreed: "Me too! I've watched it three times so far!"
Plot and Accolades
The Queen's Gambit takes its name from a chess opening and follows the life of fictional American chess prodigy Beth Harmon, played by Taylor-Joy. The story traces her rise to prominence in the 1950s and 60s while she secretly battles drug and alcohol addiction.
The series was written and directed by Scott Frank, who co-created it with Allan Scott, who owns the rights to Tevis' book. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series, marking the first time a streaming service production won that category. In total, it scooped 11 Primetime Emmys, two Golden Globe Awards for Best Limited Series or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Taylor-Joy, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie.
Fan Reactions
One Redditor said on the thread: "I slept not a moment that night. A perfect show." Another added: "Yep that was absolutely binge material!" Yet another user remarked: "Damn, this is the only series here I have actually watched! And it was excellent, watched it all in 1-2 days, as I recall."
In a separate viral Reddit thread asking for must-watch Netflix shows, recommendations for The Queen's Gambit flooded the comments. One user wrote: "Great show, one of those 'I watched it because everyone said it was great' and it really was!" Another commented: "I watched it with two other friends and all of us have completely different TV viewing preferences. We all loved Queen's Gambit!" One fan described it as "probably the best that I watched in the past decade," while another said: "I'd heard it was great but otherwise didn't know what it was, my roomie put it on one day and I was hooked. Really well done."
Taylor-Joy is joined by Bill Camp, Moses Ingram, Christiane Seidel, Rebecca Root, Chloe Pirrie, Akemnji Ndifornyen and Marielle Heller in the ensemble cast. The Queen's Gambit is streaming now on Netflix.
