Subscribers have become conditioned to expect a brand new crime thriller to arrive on Netflix with almost weekly regularity, and almost all of them are destined to make a splash on the viewership charts. Carrying on a rich tradition, then, Rough Diamonds is already one of the top-viewed originals on the platform.
Per FlixPatrol, the Belgian miniseries has spent the weekend clambering up the rankings, and it’s managed to sink its hooks into sixth spot on the worldwide watch-list after staking out a Top 10 spot in 49 countries around the world. It may yet continue to climb higher as word of mouth begins to spread, but it’s a strong start whichever way you want to cut it.
The story follows the trials and tribulations of the Wolfsons, a high-profile Orthodox Jewish family who have a prominent position of power within Antwerp’s diamond industry. Following the suicide of the clan’s youngest son, the black sheep brother makes a return to his hometown, although his decision to abandon religion in favor of criminal pursuits obviously hasn’t gone down well.
Fortunately, though, his kin are experiencing some troubles with a local organized crime gang, so his skills prove to be coincidentally handy as he seeks to protect both the Wolfson legacy and its lucrative trade, with plenty of interpersonal conflict to overcome along the way.
Rough Diamonds isn’t likely to go down in the history books as one of Netflix’s best-ever episodic exclusives, but for fans of the genre, it delivers everything they’ve come to know and love, which has clearly proven to be more than enough.
