Stephen King Recommends Netflix Series With Over 80 Million Hours Watched

Stephen King has a long history of recommending movies and shows he loves, and one of his past picks is a Netflix spy series you might’ve missed. It’s called Kleo, and according to King, it’s “a breath of fresh air.”

Best known for his horror classics, King doesn’t just stick to scary stories. He’s shared his love for police dramas, clever takes on horror villains, and now, this action-packed German thriller. He posted his thoughts on X back in 2022, writing: “KLEO (Netflix): What a breath of fresh air! Suspenseful and also very funny. I wonder, though, where Kleo’s money came from. Flying off to Mallorca mustn’t have been cheap, even in 1989.” (source: Dread Central)

The show Kleo follows a woman named Kleo Straub, a former assassin for East Germany’s secret police, the Stasi. After completing a deadly mission in West Berlin, she’s betrayed by her own agency and thrown in prison. Years later, once the Berlin Wall falls, she’s released and sets out on a revenge mission to take down everyone who set her up.

Actress Jella Haase stars as Kleo, and the series mixes dark humor with action and mystery. It jumps between cities like Berlin, Mallorca, and even Chile as Kleo uncovers more about her past and the people who betrayed her.

The show has two seasons with a total of 14 episodes. It first came out on Netflix in August 2022, and the second season dropped on July 25, 2024.

According to FlixPatrol, it’s already been watched for over 80 million hours worldwide. Critics seem to like it too, it has a great score on Rotten Tomatoes and was praised by ScreenRant’s Mary Kassel for its strong themes.

Kleo was created by Hanno Hackfort, Richard Kropf, and Bob Konrad. It’s not just about action, it dives into Cold War politics, personal betrayal, and the struggle for identity after a life of lies. Along with Jella Haase, the cast includes Dimitrij Schaad, Julius Feldmeier, and Ralph Fiennes, among others.

So if you’re into spy thrillers with a twist, and want something Stephen King himself couldn’t stop talking about, Kleo might be worth your time.

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