The Australian coming-of-age crime thriller “Boy Swallows Universe” is the second most watched series in the US on Netflix right now (Jan. 15th). According to FlixPatrol, the show is only behind “Fool Me Once” in the most-streamed list, just four days after hitting the platform on Jan. 11th.

Worldwide, the series is the fifth most-watched as Jan. 15th, following “The Brothers Sun” (4th), “Detective Forst” (3rd), “Money Heist: Berlin” (2nd) and “Fool Me Once,” which is also the reigning title globally.

The series is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by journalist Trent Dalton. The story, which is semi-autobiographical, follows Eli Bell, a teenager growing up in Brisbane in the 80s who has to deal with a dysfunctional family. Here’s more about the story.

‘Boy Swallows Universe,’ what is the series about?

Per Netflix official synopsis, Eli Bell is “trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to become a good man” but he must deal with the consequences of living with “lost father, a mute brother, a recovering addict mom and a heroin dealer for stepfather.”

The series was produced by Andrew Mason and Troy Lum, and written for TV by John Collee. Among the cast’s most notorious names, there are Simon Baker, mostly known for his titular role in the series “The Mentalist,” as well as “Talk To Me” star Sophie Wilde.

Baker plays Gus and Eli’s father, while Wilde plays a newspaper reporter. Meanwhile, Phoebe Tonkin, known from “The Vampire Diaries,” plays Eli’s mother. Travails Fimmel plays the stepfather, and Bryan Brown plays Slim Halliday.

On the other hand, Felix Cameron, from The Penguin Bloom, plays Eli. The rest of the cast includes: Anthony LaPaglia, Christopher James Baker, Deborah Mailman and Adam Briggs. All the characters are based on real life people, including Dalton’s own family.

How many episodes does the series have?

The series combines elements of crime, mystery, coming-of-age, and, despite heavy subjects, comedy. According to one of the producers, Tony Lum, told Netflix, the idea was to “think about Trent as a person,” and think of the series as a “joyful expression of dark times.” You can stream all the seven episodes now on Netflix.