Keira Knightley was a staple of the big screen in the early 2000s, starting with her big break role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). That same year, she starred in Love Actually, which is now, for many, a Christmas classic. Knightley rounded out her 2010s with two more Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as well as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007).
Knightley continued to appear regularly in movies throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, with notable titles including The Imitation Game (2014), Everest (2015), and Boston Strangler (2023), but she was notably absent from the TV space. The actor’s most recent foray into TV was as a narrator in the animated The Sound Collector, but her major push into the medium didn’t actually arrive until late 2024 with the release of a spy thriller show on Netflix, a kind of project Knightley has never tackled before.
Black Doves Enters Netflix’s Global Top 10 List
The Keira Knightley Show Has Earned Rave Reviews
Black Doves has become a major hit on Netflix after striking a chord with critics. Created by Joe Barton, the Netflix spy thriller show stars Knightley as Helen, a spy who finds her secret identity at risk after her lover gets caught up with dangerous London criminals. Also starring Ben Whishaw as Sam, Helen’s old friend, Black Doves’ reviews have been glowing from critics, with the show scoring an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes following its premiere on Netflix earlier this month.
Now, new data from Netflix reveals that Black Doves ranks as the second most popular title on the service globally for the week of December 2 – 8. The show, which is beaten only by The Madness, clocked an impressive 10.8 million total views this week, leading to 59.4 million hours viewed of the six-episode series.
In addition to ranking in second place globally and in the U.S., Netflix reveals that Black Doves made the top 10 list in a total of 89 countries, including Canada. The show occupies the number one spot in 18 of these countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Australia, and New Zealand. Check out the full top 10 list below:
| Netflix Global Top 10 List (Dec. 2 – 8) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Title | Total Views |
| 1 | The Madness (Limited Series) | 13.3M |
| 2 | Black Doves (S1) | 10.8M |
| 3 | La Brea (S1) | 5M |
| 4 | Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey (S1) | 4.6M |
| 5 | The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On (S3) | 3.3M |
| 6 | Is It Cake: Holiday (S1) | 3.1M |
| 7 | A Man on the Inside (S1) | 3M |
| 8 | A Nonsense Christmas With Sabrina Carpenter | 2.6M |
| 9 | Arcane (S2) | 2.3M |
| 10 | The Later Daters (S1) | 1.8M |
What Black Doves’ Netflix Success Means For The Show
More Episodes Are Already On The Way
Such Netflix success would normally bode well for a renewal announcement, but Black Doves season 2 was already officially announced back in August, months before the show was even released. Netflix was clearly confident in the material ahead of time, and the fact that it’s now finding success on the platform suggests it could be a title that continues for years to come. If Knightley, Whishaw, and Barton are all open to it and the strong viewership continues, there’s no reason why Black Doves season 3 and beyond couldn’t also get the green light.
For Knightley, Black Doves’ becoming a global hit on Netflix means that her first starring role in a TV show has been a successful one. Though she is poised to continue appearing in films, it’s entirely possible that this movie star will become more of a staple of the TV space as she gets older and her impressive career continues to evolve. Many questions still remain about Black Doves’ future, but the show is evidently striking a chord with viewers around the world.
