News

Pictures: Netflix

Welcome to another look back at the biggest hits of 2023. Today, we’ll look through the documentaries and docu-series that picked up the most points in the Netflix top 10s throughout the year.

This list is compiled with data from FlixPatrol, which tracks the daily top 10s in over 90 countries globally. Their data provides a daily snapshot of what’s trending in the TV and movie list by providing points to each title that features. Although we love their data, it’s neither perfect nor an exact measurement of viewership. Netflix does provide its own data on this front, but it doesn’t allow us to paint a big picture of what was watched most in 2023 as it stands.

Because documentaries feature in the movie lists and docu-series feature in the TV list, we’ll split them separately. We’ll have a look at the documentaries and docu-series to do best globally first,...

Netflix's newest true crime sensation, French docuseries The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend, has a pretty by-the-book ending. After witnessing three episodes of juicy gossip packed with shocking grifts and a real-life succession drama, viewers are treated to a series of cards explaining what happened to the characters of the story after they went to court to settle a decade-long battle involving one of the largest corporations in the world. However, there is a glaring absence in these final moments. While we learn that L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the titular billionaire, was placed under guardianship and passed away in 2017, and that her so-called boyfriend, photographer François-Marie Banier, received a relatively light sentence for his financial abuse, there is no mention of one very important character: the butler, Pascal Bonnefoy.

Directed by Baptiste Etchegaray and Maxime Bonnet, The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend is a three-part Netflix docu-series based on French socialite and principal shareholder of L’Oréal, Liliane Bettencourt. The docu-series focuses on a conflicting relationship between Liliane and her daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, while also delving deeper into the significant scandals in Liliane’s life, raising questions about her moral compass. Being one of the richest personalities in the world, Liliane had many unexpected people come into her life. Each of them was after Liliane’s money, and as a result, she became manipulated in various ways.

Spoilers Ahead

What Was Liliane’s Relationship With Francois-Marie Banier?

Originally named Liliane Henriette Charlotte Schueller, she could be perceived as some who was born with a silver spoon. Her father, Eugene Schueller, was the founder of the famous beauty brand, L’Oréal. After losing her mother at a young age,...

“The Billionaire, The Butler, and the Boyfriend” is a documentary directed by Baptiste Etchegaray and Maxime Bonnet.

Did you know that one million euros in five hundred euro bills is the size of a milk carton? The Bettencourt family knew this well because they paid for everything in cash.

Her father, the creator of the L’Oréal empire. Liliane, married to a minister during the time of Degaulle, suddenly met a photographer. They started spending time together, traveling… and she would give him lavish gifts amounting to a thousand million euros.

This is where the heiress, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, comes into play. She files a complaint and, as a result of the investigation, a series of intercepted communications unravels into a national scandal that implicates high institutions and political figures that, I assure you, we all know.

About the documentary

Entertaining and, of course, centered around money. “The Billionaire, The Butler,...