‘Fauda’ Achieves Record Netflix Ranking With Season Centered on October 7
Few international dramas have crossed as many borders as ‘Fauda,’ the Israeli action thriller that has cultivated a dedicated global audience through its unflinching portrayal of counterterrorism operations. Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, the series has consistently attracted viewers well beyond Israel since its earlier seasons debuted on Netflix.
The show’s fifth season arrived with particularly high stakes, focusing directly on the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks and their lasting impact. Set two years after that day, the new season follows Raz’s character Doron as he grapples with PTSD while being drawn into an unsanctioned revenge mission alongside an old friend, with two episodes specifically depicting the events of October 7 itself.
Despite the heavy subject matter, ‘Fauda’ has not lost momentum. It recently achieved its highest position ever on Netflix’s weekly streaming rankings, landing at number four among non-English language series for the week of September 7 to 13, according to internal data reported by The Hollywood Reporter. This surpasses the show’s previous best, when season four peaked at number seven in January 2023.
Season five attracted 2.1 million views worldwide for the week, translating to 15.9 million hours of watch time given its runtime of just under 7.5 hours. The season made it into the top 10 in 41 countries, primarily across Europe and Asia, while claiming the number one spot outright in both Israel and Lebanon.
The strength of that international reach is particularly noteworthy given the sensitive subject matter. Raz has publicly discussed how central the October 7 storyline became to the season, expressing his hope that showcasing his character’s experience of that day would help audiences worldwide understand what Israelis endured, regardless of their location.
🚨 You’ve been patient, so here’s a little sneak peek to what’s coming in Season 5 🚨#season5 #ComingSoon pic.twitter.com/gFM9SN0gPA
— Fauda Official (@FaudaOfficial) July 24, 2025
Most of the season is set in 2025 as the characters continue to deal with the fallout from the attacks, while the two episodes depicting October 7 itself have elicited particularly strong reactions from viewers across multiple countries since the season’s global release on September 8. This response has propelled the show into the top 10 in numerous markets within days of its premiere.
The season also outperformed titles like the Dutch thriller ‘The Perfect Lie,’ the Chinese romance ‘The Early Spring,’ and the Mexican drama ‘Lovesick’ on the same non-English chart, while season two of ‘The Gentlemen’ topped the English-language rankings for the same week with 9.9 million views. For a show centered around such a specific and emotionally charged chapter of recent history, breaking its own chart record highlights just how far its influence has grown since Netflix began tracking these weekly rankings in 2021.
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