The first thing most people think of when they hear the word “clickbait” is likely one of the most despised types of content on the internet, because of the trickery that’s involved in its dissemination. It never really stands on its own. It’s something with a sexy headline or irresistible packaging that makes it impossible for you to keep scrolling without having clicked on it. It piques your curiosity. You want to know more. You have to know more. And then — the unsatisfying reveal. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. And leave it to none other than the world’s biggest streaming video service to create a huge caveat here. Such that, while most people might think of distasteful internet content when they hear the word clickbait, if you actually Google it? The top search result is actually the newly released Clickbait Netflix limited series.
It’s an 8-episode affair, starring Zoe Kazan, Betty Gabriel, and Adrian Grenier. And which as of the time of this writing is also the #1 piece of content on Netflix, having stolen the spot from the wildly popular new Netflix original movie, He’s All That.
Clickbait Netflix series — streaming now
Grenier plays Nick Brewer in this series. A loving father, husband, and brother, per Netflix’s description, who one day disappears very suddenly and mysteriously. A video of Nick eventually shows up on the Internet. He’s badly beaten and holding up a card that reads: “I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die.”
Continues the official Netflix synopsis: “Is this a threat or confession? Or both? As his sister (Kazan) and wife (Gabriel) rush to find and save him, they uncover a side of Nick they didn’t know existed … Told from revolving points of view, Clickbait is a compelling, high-stakes thriller that explores the ways in which our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media, revealing the ever-widening fractures we find between our virtual and real-life personas.”
After Nick Brewer is kidnapped, a video appears online showing him badly beaten and holding a sign that says "I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die."
Is this a threat or a confession … or both? The limited series Clickbait is now on Netflix pic.twitter.com/zF7JLPRPES
— Netflix (@netflix) August 26, 2021
Reaction
The Clickbait Netflix series is another of those shows that seems to be creating a wide rift between audiences and critics. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, for example, the series currently has a 42% critics score. Compared to a much better 78% audience score. “With an array of flashy, half-formed ideas and thin characterizations,” reads the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus, “Clickbait is more akin to its namesake than the deeper show it aspires to be.”
Collider’s review is particularly harsh. Resist temptation, the review’s headline implores, and “do not watch this deeply unpleasant Netflix thriller.” Yikes. There’s a Lost-style telling of the story here from different vantage points. The problem, however, seems to be that it just leaves you feeling, well, bad after having gone through the tedium of watching this.
Meanwhile, here’s some of what Twitter users are saying about the new series, and about the inclusion of one of its stars:
clickbait on Netflix is a trip but also Adrian Grenier is in it so every time he’s on screen I just think, “oh look, it’s Vinny Chase in a new role.”
— Luis Miguel Echegaray (@lmechegaray) August 27, 2021
I'll give this show a shot only because of Adrian Grenier. It's been a long time since I've seen Vincent Chase in anything. #Clickbait pic.twitter.com/yIyMEydpqu
— Rotimi au Akinbiyi (@TimiFrost) August 25, 2021
The #Netflix original series #Clickbait starring Entourage's Adrian Grenier is surprisingly good. Very tense mystery/thriller. I think I'm hooked. pic.twitter.com/BHxTJiFMee
— Matthew Kadish (@MatthewKadish) August 29, 2021
I had absolutely no interest in this show but now that I’ve read this (spoilers, obviously), it sounds so ridiculous that I kind of want to. https://t.co/XG9TNlQKPr
— Trace Thurman (@TracedThurman) August 27, 2021
