Whenever a Netflix documentary makes it to the very top of the viewership charts, there’s a 99 percent chance that the content will revolve around at least one murder, potentially several more beyond that. However, thanks to the global popularity of its subject, Beckham has reached the summit with ease.
Directed by actor and filmmaker Fisher Stevens – best known for starring in the Short Circuit franchise and more recently The Blacklist – the latest deep dive into a world-renowned icon toes a similar line to the recent hagiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger by offering a glowing appraisal of its erstwhile protagonist’s life and times.
Of course, given that it’s backed by the financial might of Netflix and helmed by somebody who scooped an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature thanks to 2010’s The Cove, it’s all presented with the utmost levels of sheen, polish, and access to materials that have never been witnessed by the public before.
David Beckham has done well for himself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his story is a warts-and-all one, either. That being said, he’s unquestionably one of the most famous crossover athletes of all-time, and looking back at the immense scrutiny he was under at the height of his playing career is astonishing even by today’s standards, and that heady cocktail has proven irresistible to Netflix users.
Per FlixPatrol, the four-part series has debuted as the top-viewed episodic title in 49 countries around the world in addition to breaching the Top 10 in 50 more, so it’s obvious that Beckham’s appeal hasn’t softened in the slightest despite his retirement coming a full decade ago.