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The series behind the headline is Beauty in Black. BGR reported on Oct. 29, 2024, that it was No. 1 on Netflix in the United States at that time. The same article cited a 53% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and an IMDb rating of 4.7/10—dated audience and user figures, not a current critic consensus. The apparent contradiction is simple: a viewing chart measures what people watched, while ratings reflect how some viewers responded.
What the No. 1 claim actually means
The ranking was a historical U.S. chart position, not a claim that Beauty in Black remains No. 1 today. BGR described the series as atop Netflix’s U.S. chart “as of this writing” in its Oct. 29, 2024 article: BGR’s report.
That distinction matters because Netflix rankings change over time and by territory. The specific claim supported here is that the show reached No. 1 in the United States at the moment BGR reported it—not that it held the position for a particular duration or remains there now.
Popularity and ratings measure different things
BGR reported a 53% Rotten Tomatoes audience score and a 4.7/10 IMDb rating on Oct. 29, 2024. Those are a dated audience score and user rating. They are not critic-review scores, and they should not be treated as current ratings: both services’ figures can change as ratings accumulate.
#1 Best Overall
Netflix’s later performance data shows that the series drew substantial viewing. Netflix said season 1 spent seven weeks in its Top 10 and reached No. 1 in 28 countries in its second week. Netflix also reported that season 2 part 1 reached No. 1 in 14 countries in its second week. Those platform-reported figures establish chart reach, not critical approval or viewer satisfaction. See Netflix Tudum’s season 2 coverage.
The same distinction holds in later data. In Netflix’s weekly report for the week of Aug. 24, 2026, season 3 debuted at No. 2 with 13 million views. Netflix described it as the series’ strongest debut week in ranking and viewership up to that point. That is a dated global-chart result; it neither updates the 2024 U.S. ranking nor establishes the show’s present chart position. The figures appear in Netflix’s weekly Top 10 report.
What the series is about
Netflix describes Beauty in Black as a drama in which an exotic dancer’s life intersects with the dysfunctional family behind a cosmetics dynasty and a trafficking scheme. The setup brings together two sharply different worlds and gives the show room for secrets, power struggles and plot turns.
In Netflix’s season 2 recap, Kimmie has married Horace and becomes the new woman leading the Bellarie family business, while her relationship and conflict with Mallory continue to develop. That family-business upheaval offers one explanation for the show’s draw: viewers may come for heightened melodrama and escalating conflict even if its ratings are mixed. Netflix’s series and season information is on Tudum’s Beauty in Black page.
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Why the “terrible reviews” label needs context
“Terrible reviews” is a broad editorial description, but the two numbers BGR cited were audience and user measures—not a summary of professional critics. One negative review excerpted in BGR came from Decider: “Tyler Perry’s Beauty In Black is about a subtle as a slap in the face, which is something we’re surprised we didn’t see in the grim, abuse-filled first episode.” That is one reviewer’s opinion, not proof of a universal critical response.
So the headline’s tension is real only if unlike measures are collapsed into one: the series could lead a streaming chart while receiving middling audience ratings and harsh individual criticism. A No. 1 ranking says that a title was watched enough to top a particular chart at a particular time. It does not say viewers loved it, critics endorsed it, or that every audience member was satisfied.
Rank #4
The series continued after its 2024 debut
The original headline described a new show in 2024, but that is no longer a useful description of its status. Netflix’s March 19, 2026 article said all season 2 episodes were streaming and referenced a season 3 renewal; its listing showed three seasons, and Netflix’s linked season 3 material says that season is now streaming. Availability can vary by territory, so the listing does not establish access in every country. See Netflix’s series update.
That later history puts the 2024 chart moment in perspective: Beauty in Black was not just a brief curiosity in the headline. Netflix subsequently reported chart success for later installments as well, while those rankings remain evidence of viewing performance rather than a verdict on quality.
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