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With its debut, Netflix's La Palma, a Norwegian disaster series, earned the top spot on the platform's Top 10 charts. It has continued to sustain that position even after weeks of its release and terrible RT ratings.
The story follows a family who lands on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands for a Christmas vacation, while two geologists uncover approaching signs of a volcanic eruption, which could lead to one of the most disastrous tsunamis the world has ever witnessed.
Disaster and survival shows are usually big and blow up on the platform, as evidenced by Netflix's Society of the Snow, which debuted in 2024 and was the third most-watched Netflix movie. It was based on a real-life Uruguayan rugby team stuck in the Andes Mountains.
But what is unusual about this recent miniseries is its terribly low Rotten Tomatoes score (28%) and negative reviews from the audience, calling it exaggerated and not situated in reality. But despite these claims, the show reached the Top charts in many countries, including the US.
More on La Palma's streaming performance on Netflix in our story.
La Palma topped Netflix streaming charts despite poor RT ratings
It is rare for a show to have a terrible RT score (29%) and top the Netflix charts simultaneously, but it seems like La Palma has achieved the impossible. Considering that it overthrew Netflix's Black Doves, a spy thriller with RT score of about 98% as the No. 1 show when it debuted on Netflix on December 12, 2024, there must be some substance to it.
Disaster shows have always been hit on the popular streaming platform, and by December 17, 2024, ie, just four days after its release, La Palma was already at No. 1 on the Top 10 charts after overthrowing Black Doves. While it looked like it would stay at the top position for a while, it was overthrown by Virgin River Season 6, but it still managed to grab a spot at No. 4 and 5.
This is also impressive because the show also topped the US Top 10 charts, which is rare and commendable for a foreign language show, that too a Norwegian series like La Palma.
It shows that people are interested in watching disaster and survival shows despite terrible RT ratings and negative reviews, which worked in favor of the show.
Is Netflix's La Palma inspired by a real-life event?
Like many disaster shows and movies, fans wonder whether La Palma is inspired by a real-life event. While the show is not centered around a specific real-life event, La Palma is an actual location and a popular vacation spot located in the North Atlantic Ocean.
In addition, there have been many volcanic eruptions in the area, which might have inspired the show, but other details are fictional and have been added solely for entertainment. The most recent eruption recorded was in 2021 of the Cumbre Vieja.
Since it is a high-risk zone, geologists have been constantly working and researching the aftereffects of these volcanic eruptions. According to the University of California, Santa Cruz, a volcanic eruption could cause a tsunami, as depicted in Netflix's La Palma, where waves as long as 50 meters could crash various countries' coats.
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