84,000 People Signed Petition Asking Netflix to Cancel ‘The Body,’ But Movie Soars After 100% Rotten Tomatoes Debut

The Body – Season 1. Kristina Bogic as Anya in episode 101 of The Body. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026

Despite a preview petition demanding its cancellation that garnered over 80,000 signatures, Netflix’s latest YA drama The body struck a chord with many viewers, climbing into the Top 10 in 83 countries and rising to No. 2 in the US – and with hopes of getting a season 2 after that shocking cliffhanger.

Netflix’s young adult shows have become one of the streamer’s most lucrative and famous categories. Among long-time favorites like Outer Banks And Ginny and Georgia to new precursors in 2026 like Find your advantage And Crew Girlthere’s a glut of them, and they almost always make the Top 10 and stay there.

The latest YA series The body comes from Quinn Shephard, who is best known for Blame (2017) and television miniseries Under the bridge. Taking place on Halloween 2004, The body follows a Catholic school dance troupe who begin experiencing strange visions and convulsions after an initiation “sacrifice” goes wrong. As their hysteria grows, the community is thrown into panic.

So far, The body garnered mostly positive ratings. In our 3-star review, we praised its dark and eerie atmosphere, as well as its unique concept, capable of balancing supernatural and psychological elements and keeping the audience guessing until the end. Elsewhere, it boasts a solid 7.4/10 (from over 2,000 reviews) on IMDb and a very impressive 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes. On Rotten Tomatoes, it immediately debuted at 100% before dropping, although its Popcornmeter score remains at an outstanding 98% out of over 250 ratings.

Overall critical reception was mixed to positive. Variety called it “A queer extravaganza from the year 2000”; The Hollywood Reporter said it “leaves a lot to be desired”; NME called it “Excellent fun, perfectly plotted and executed”; and TheWrap called it “an incredibly addictive YA drama.”

The body climbs into the Netflix Top 10

Since its release on November 11, The body has climbed comfortably up the Netflix charts. According to FlixPatrol, the series debuted in the TV Top 10 in 63 countries with an average rating of 6.7. As of day two (November 13), it was present in 83 countries, with the average ranking improving to 4.3.

Of the 63 countries where it was shown on day one, 61 saw the show rise in the rankings, and none saw it fall (it remained at number three in Canada and number two in Jamaica). It is now number one in six regions – Bulgaria, Guadeloupe, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania and Martinique – and is in the top three in 28 countries and top five in 61. Notably, the 11 countries where the show ranked 10th on its first day have since seen it rise.

Some of the biggest progress took place in Ecuador, Iceland and Saudi Arabia, where the series rose from No. 10 to No. 4. It also entered the charts in 20 new countries on its second day, debuting at No. 3 in Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela.

Here’s how The body is performing well in some of Netflix’s biggest markets:

We’ll get our first look at official viewing figures when Netflix releases its weekly Top 10 on Tuesday, November 17.

Why is a petition trying to overturn The body?

Just as The body released, a petition on CitizenGo was launched in an effort to immediately cancel the series as a blasphemous and anti-Christian production that disrespects the faith. The petition addresses Netflix’s chief content officer Peter Rice directly, asking him to cancel the series before it begins to “sully the faith of millions of Christian families.”

The petition was started with a goal of 100,000 signatures, and it is close to reaching that goal. Currently (November 13), it has 84,000 signatures and is growing rapidly. The central thesis of the petition is as follows:

Netflix first made fun of Jesus Christ himself in the First temptation of Christ. Then he sexualized eleven-year-old girls in Cuties. This is now the case for Christian schoolgirls. Each time, Netflix takes a step further into the family home. Ask yourself this question. Would Netflix ever turn Muslim prayer, Hindu worship, or even Wiccan ritual into a horror story about sex and Satan for teens? Of course not. Netflix does this to Christians because it believes we will stay silent and continue to pay. It’s time to prove Netflix wrong. Some complaints are ignored. But when Christians of all churches come together, Netflix feels it in its subscriber numbers. This is how the families forced Netflix to apologize Cute.

It ends with: “This time we demand more: stop The body before November 11. Obviously it didn’t work. As the petition grew to 84,000 signatures, the show’s chart presence grew alongside it, from 63 countries to 83 in a single day, and it now sits at number two in the United States. Even before launch, the streamer put considerable effort into marketing the show on social media.

We reached out to Netflix for comment on this petition, but have not received a response.

Showrunner Quinn Shephard explains the religious nuances of The body.

On the theme of The body and its narrative being rooted in Catholicism, we sat down with showrunner Quinn Shephard and as part of our interview, we discussed the religious aspects of the series. “I feel like they’re two sides of the same coin,” she told us. “I think the series is ambitious in its aim to examine and sometimes criticize systems that exploit or manipulate the human desire for faith and also to highlight the beautiful aspects of faith. The universal desire for faith and a religious experience as something entirely human.”

“I think anytime you try to do something that’s both a little bit controversial and probably addresses difficult issues, there can be a lot of beauty in it,” she explained. “It’s like walking a tightrope and I think the way we did it on this show was that the people who make the show came from all kinds of backgrounds and a lot of us brought our own personal perspective that tends to be quite nuanced on these topics.”

“I think we really wanted to avoid anything that seemed formulaic and dig deeper into why people need faith and what you believe, and so I hope the show feels like it provokes those questions within the audience itself,” she concluded.

The Body – Season 1. (L to R) Emily Roman as Claire, Bella Neuspiel as Katie, Kristina Bogic as Anya, Kyra Pierce as Bailey, Phallon Pierce as Brit, Sara Boustany as Elise in episode 108 of The Body. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026

The body could last more seasons

The body is not listed as a limited series on Netflix, which means it could run for multiple seasons. Showrunner Quinn Shephard has already revealed that she has ideas for a sequel.

“I would say there are ideas for Season 2 flowing through my brain and Gina’s brain,” Shephard told us. “I think we would be very lucky if we had one and we would love to bring it to life.”

The body is now streaming on Netflix.