Netflix’s new drug-running mystery thriller bends the law to debut as one of the streamer’s biggest hits

You can set your watch to any mystery thriller – regardless of whether or not it’s being panned or praised by critics – to end up as one of the biggest hits on Netflix. That extends to film and television, returning shows and one-off event series, with any country capable of throwing its hat into the ring, as Portugal’s The Turn of the Tide has been showing.

Known locally as Rabo de Peixe, the episodic descent into danger and intrigue unfolds in a small coastal village, the sort of place where nothing interesting ever happens to the locals. Of course, that sentiment is stretched to breaking point when an entire tonne of cocaine shows up out of the blue, changing the lives of the residents forever – for better and worse.

The central characters decide entrepreneurship is the best course of action, but they don’t seem to consider the consequences that come from turning an illicit cargo into a profitable venture, especially when the rightful owners and authorities begin sniffing around to try and get to the bottom of the who, what, when, where, and why.

Needless to day, Netflix subscribers have instantly become entranced by The Turn of the Tide, with the sun-kissed thriller wasting no time at all in setting up shop at the top end of the viewership charts. Per FlixPatrol, it’s already entered the worldwide Top 10 after flying high in dozens of countries, and there’s a distinct possibility it’ll keep climbing the ranks as the week progresses as the buzz continues to grow.