Netflix UK Top 10 bizarrely has two C5 dramas crushing big-name rivals

Jill Halfpenny stars in The Cuckoo, which is sitting in second place in the Netflix Top 10 (Image credit: Channel 5)

The Netflix UK Top 10 tv shows chart currently has not one but two Channel 5 dramas in it, seeing off big-name rials like Heartstopper.

The Cuckoo, a thriller originally shown on Channel 5 earlier this year, is currently at number 2, while The Inheritance, another Channel 5 drama, is at number 5.

It's a strange situation as you normally expect the Netflix Top 10 to be packed full of big-budget shows like Bridgerton, rather than old dramas from Channel 5! It perhaps reflects the fact that these shows are getting missed on Channel 5 and being watched for the first time by a potentially much bigger audience on Netflix.

Another UK broadcaster, ITV, also has a show in the Top 10 with Martin Freeman's true crime drama A Confession at number 8 at the time of writing.

Martin Freeman as Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher in A Confession — A Confession is in the Netflix Top 10 (Image credit: ITV)

The Cuckoo, which debuted on the streamer on Saturday, has made an immediate impact on the chart and could yet knock Outer Banks season 4 off the number one spot.

The series stars Jill Halfpenny as a lodger who forces her way into the lives of her host family. Her character Sian is a beautiful but mysterious woman who moves in with hard-up couple Nick (Lee Ingleby) and Jessica (Claire Goose) and their 14-year-old daughter Alice (Freya Hannan-Mills). But as she oversteps the boundaries time and time again, Jessica starts to wonder if there's more to Sian than meets the eye…

Meanwhile, The Inheritance is also a twisty thriller with a great cast. The plot sees Daniel (Robert James-Collier), Sian (Gaynor Faye) and Chloe (Jemima Rooper) left reeling after the sudden death of their father, Dennis (Larry Lamb). They are further devastated to discover they have not been left their expected inheritance in his will and it's instead gone to a mystery woman. They begin to wonder if he really did die in an accident or if he was murdered.

The Inheritance on Channel 5 stars Rob James-Collier, Jemima Rooper and Gaynor Faye as three siblings alongside Samantha Bond as Susan and Larry Lamb pictured as their lat father.. — The Inheritance is another Channel 5 drama in the Netflix Top 10 (Image credit: Channel 5)

It's all part of a trend that we're observing of Netflix adding dramas previously shown on BBC One, ITV1, Channel 4, and Channel 5, that suddenly take off when a new audience discovers them on the streamer.

If you're enjoying these shows it's worth checking out our best Channel 5 dramas guide for more series you can enjoy on the broadcaster's streaming service My5. You don't have to wait until they come to Netflix to discover what Channel 5 has to offer!

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough.

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!