Netflix’s New Six-Episode Action Thriller Quietly Became the No. 1 Non-English Series Worldwide — With More Than 10 Million Views in a Single Week

Netflix has another international action hit on its hands — and this one managed to explode without the kind of attention usually surrounding the platform’s biggest releases.

The six-part French thriller Elite Force pulled in 10.1 million views in a single week, enough to take the No. 1 position on Netflix’s non-English TV chart for July 20–26.

According to the supplied report, the series also reached No. 1 globally on Netflix and No. 2 in the United States.

Perhaps most surprisingly, it accomplished all of that while attracting so little critical coverage that it doesn’t even have a Rotten Tomatoes score.

Six Episodes Inside France’s Elite Police Unit

Created by Sylvain Caron and Julien Leclercq, Elite Force was originally titled GIGN, reflecting the organization at the center of its story.

The series follows members of France’s elite police unit as they confront some of the most dangerous situations imaginable.

Their work involves terrorist sleeper cells, hostage rescues and protecting some of the country’s most important people.

But the series isn’t interested only in tactical operations.

The enormous psychological pressure of the job follows its characters away from the field, forcing them to balance their personal lives with a profession where one mistake could have devastating consequences.

Tomer Sisley leads a cast that also includes Tristan Zanchi, Jedith El Zein, Guillaume Gouix and Kevin Azaïs.

More Than 10 Million Views Put It Ahead of the Competition

Netflix’s own TUDUM figures illustrate just how quickly the series found an audience.

During the week of July 20–26, Elite Force recorded approximately 10.1 million views.

That put it comfortably ahead of The East Palace, which attracted 8.1 million, and Agent Kim Reactivated, which recorded 7.3 million.

Other titles appearing in the non-English Top 10 included My Daughter’s Father, Spooky in Love, The Map of Longing, Teach You a Lesson, The Apartment Job, The Polygamist and Jujutsu Kaisen.

For an action series that apparently arrived without an enormous promotional push, reaching the top of a chart filled with international competition is a significant result.

Millions Are Watching — but Critics Barely Reviewed It

There’s an unusual contrast between the show’s popularity and its critical footprint.

Despite attracting millions of viewers, the supplied report notes that Elite Force has no Rotten Tomatoes score because no approved critics had submitted reviews.

That doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about the quality of the series.

Instead, the article suggests the absence of reviews may reflect how little marketing attention Netflix initially placed behind the show.

Whatever the reason, viewers clearly found it anyway.

The result is an unusual streaming success story: one of Netflix’s most-watched shows at the time, despite comparatively little critical conversation surrounding it.

Another Mission Could Already Be Taking Shape

The biggest question now is whether those viewing figures will be enough to bring the team back.

Netflix had not officially renewed Elite Force for Season 2 at the time covered by the report.

However, leading man Tomer Sisley confirmed that discussions were already happening.

“We’re working on it,” the actor said, explaining that the decision would ultimately depend on how successfully audiences responded to the first season.

Judging purely by those early numbers, viewers certainly responded.

With 10.1 million weekly views, a No. 1 position on Netflix’s non-English chart and only six episodes to binge, this understated French action thriller went from relatively quiet arrival to one of streaming’s biggest shows — and its first mission may only be the beginning.