Overview

• Netflix reported 12.2 million views over the opening weekend, with the season reaching No. 1 on the UK TV chart and placing No. 2 on the platform’s overall rankings.
• Critical reception remains harsh, including a roughly 20% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and reviews describing the series as morally vacant, while the audience score hovers in the mid‑50s.
• Charlie Hunnam said he never felt the production sensationalized events, calling it a sincere effort to understand the human condition behind Gein’s crimes.
• Co‑creator Ian Brennan frames the narrative as centering on mental illness and employs self‑reflexive devices to question viewers’ appetite for true crime.
• Independent reviews and fact‑checks highlight multiple departures from the historical record, noting invented plotlines and embellished incidents presented as part of the drama.