New Netflix series The Accident (2024) has dominated the global charts in the last few days, but its tragic story about the deaths of several children in a terrifying accident has been undermined by many viewers being unable to stop laughing about it. The show centers on the aftermath of a tragic birthday party, during which three children die after a bouncy castle is carried away by high winds. However, the overacted melodrama has led many to spend more time ridiculing the show instead of being touched by it.
The Accident opens with an introduction to the families involved in the tragedy and their rich and lavish lifestyles. While these families are part of the problem – thanks to viewers being unable to feel sympathy with the “horrible” set of parents depicted in the series – it is the accident of the title that has led to the unexpected reaction. The scene of the incident, during which a bouncy castle is lifted into the sky, taking several children with it, has not exactly had audiences latching onto the gravitas of the situation – which should be horrifying for any parent. Whether it is the mournful background music of Mozart, the soap opera-level melodramatic reactions of the parents or the absurd sight of a bright-colored bouncy castle taking to the skies, the series has divided opinions thanks to many pointing out the “hilarity” of what should be a serious drama.
On X/Twitter, the opinions flowed freely, such as one from @ScorpioHavoc, who wrote, “The Accident on Netflix is cheesy but the story plot is rather messy. The acting is terrible and the drama is increasingly nonsensical. I would recommend it.” This was followed up by @human_clickbait, who said, “Just laughed so hard I cried because I just started the 2nd most popular show on Netflix called “the accident” and they spend 20 mins building up to the tragic event which is that at a kids birthday party it got really windy and a bounce house full of kids flew away.” Here are some other viewers who just could not believe what they were watching.
The Accident’s Horrifying Subject Was No Laughing Matter for Some
While it is clear that the real-world dangers of The Accident have been mostly overlooked thanks to the over-the-top execution of the series, there were still some who did not seen the funny side, and were quick to point out that no one should be laughing at the kind of incident that claims around 28 lives year, and causes hundreds of injuries.
@JaytheHealer33 shared their thoughts on the tragedy of the show, saying, “The Accident on Netflix is a mega energy syphon. I was crying two episodes in. Captivating, but the emotional energy release is almost impossible to resist. The whole premise is all the children in the community go missing. The parents crying in the kids bedrooms sent me crying.” In response to another user calling the whole thing “objectively funny,” @medicinesoda replied, “I’d really hope a sad situation like this never becomes “objectively” funny to me.”
It seems that, while there is no one laughing at the idea of children dying in a horrific accident, the combination of caricature parents, wild plotlines of revenge, and an arguably cheesy approach to the story is just too much for the majority of viewers to take seriously. Considering The Accident is currently in the top three programs on Netflix, beating the likes of Jeff Goldblum’s Kaos and the newly released Terminator Zero, and tying on the global chart with Emily in Paris’ fourth season, it seems that perhaps the show might not have been such a hit if it had played out its story with the seriousness the subject really required.
The Accident
is streaming now on Netflix.