TAIPEI – Taiwanese crime thriller Copycat Killer has made history by being the first Taiwanese series to make the Global Top 10 ranking for television on streaming platform Netflix.

The show, which debuted on March 31, has clinched the No. 2 spot on the Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) charts. It accumulated 17.74 million viewing hours globally in the week of April 3, according to Netflix. The series was in the Top 10 in 20 countries and regions on Netflix, taking the No. 1 spot in Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Copycat Killer is one of the first few Taiwanese titles to travel to Europe and the Middle East. And in just one week of its release, it entered the Daily Top 10 TV list in 19 territories, including European markets such as Greece and Romania, as well as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain in the Middle East.

The suspense-filled murder mystery is adapted from a popular crime mystery novel by Japanese writer Miyuki Miyabe. It is set in 1990s Taipei, where a spate of grisly murders throws the city into chaos. A tenacious prosecutor, played by actor Wu Kang-jen, must brace for a cat-and-mouse game against Noh, a dangerous masked killer.

The series also features stars such as Alice Ko of Someday Or One Day (2019 to 2020) fame, as well as Tuo Tsung-hua and Ruby Lin from Light The Night (2021 to 2022).

On the show’s historic reception, producer Hank Tseng said in a press release: “A huge thank you to fans around the world. This is one step forward for Taiwanese content and a momentous moment for the entire industry.”

Co-producer Phil Tang said: “We have many things to be thankful for – the stellar performance of our cast, the amazing work by the production crew, and robust promotional efforts all contributed to the success of Copycat Killer.”