Netflix viewers heavily divided over ‘twisty’ 8-part thriller Million-Follower Detective

Netflix is filled with crime dramas, from Agatha Christie’s hit series to several foreign-language dramas that have become incredibly popular. One of the streamer’s latest offerings is Million-Follower Detective, however, the show has ended up dividing fans.

While some have been calling the drama “twisty” and a “complete firecracker”, others have lamented the lack of realism in the eight-part series and felt that it had a predictable plot.

The concept is certainly intriguing, with the series following a bizarre masked social media influencer who starts correctly predicting the deaths of other influencers.

Netflix’s logline for the show reads: “When influencer Yen Wei is being shot as he attempts to attack the police, veteran detective Chen Chia-jen discovers he is acting under someone’s orders. Technology Criminal Investigator Li Hsin-ping joins the case, and soon a chilling pattern is revealed – a string of influencer murders linked to a masked online prophet known as the Witch Baba, whose eerie predictions always come true, including four murder cases back to back.

“As Witch Baba’s prophecies ignite a viral online investigation among influencers and eventually draws more than one million people joining the discussion, Chen realizes the case may be connected to his estranged daughter. Joining forces with influencer Lin Ting-yu, Chen dives deeper into the web of lies — only to uncover a dark past that changes everything.”

Reception

Fans have been mixed over the Taiwanese-language show, with one enthusing: “Just finished Million-Follower Detective, what a great show, highly recommend,” while a second said: “Million-Follower Detective was so much fun! I finished it in two days.

“The storytelling was great; once an episode ended, I didn’t want to stop watching. I just kept wanting to watch the next one. The culprit wasn’t too hard to guess, but by the time you figured out why they did it, the story was almost over. Overall, it was great. I loved it!”

A third hoped for a second season as they penned: “Holy smokes, I just binged the entire first season of Million-Follower Detective on Netflix in two straight days (it dropped yesterday and I had zero self-control), and I’m still buzzing. This Taiwanese thriller is an absolute firecracker-smart, stylish, twisty as hell, and powered by one of the most electric lead performances I’ve seen in years.”

However, the praise wasn’t universal, as one viewer complained: “What in the flying fudge?! The suspense is giving BUT the plot in itself is shallow,” and another posted: “It’s not that good of a thriller. While the premise had potential, the story feels predictable and lacks real suspense. The pacing is uneven, and the twists are either too obvious or not impactful enough. Although the performances are decent, they aren’t strong enough to save the weak script.”

Decider was more positive about the series, with its review concluding: “Million-Follower Detective may be a standard crime thriller with a social-media theme to it, but at least it’s setting up to be a good thriller after its first episode.”

Who stars in Million-Follower Detective?

The series is led by veteran actor Ekin Cheng (Young and Dangerous), who plays gruff police detective Chen Chia-jen. Shou Lou (Organ Child) also stars as social media influencer Lin Ting-yu, while Patty Lee (Shards of Her) plays Li Hsin-ping, another police detective.

© Netflix

The cast is rounded out by Wang Po-chieh (Winds of September), Lee Lee-zen (The Unforgettable), Buffy Chen (Wave Makers), Zhan Huai-yun (Born for the Spotlight), Chloe Xiang (The Abandoned) and Lyan Cheng (Fabulous Boys).