22 days at number 1 on Netflix, The Queen’s Gambit is poised to break a record in that slot set by Tiger King earlier this year.
An internet search of the series that stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma., The Witch, Thoroughbreds) as Beth Harmon, an orphan and a chess prodigy who takes on that world of men in the ’60s, turns up dozens of articles applauding the show’s perspicacious understanding of chess, its stylistic flourish, and the performances, particularly by Taylor-Joy and Can You Ever Forgive Me?
director Marielle Heller as her melancholic adoptive mother, Alma.Spoilers if you have not seen episode 6 of The Queen’s Gambit.But it’s also the second massive hit series on Netflix this fall with a queer female lead.