Sandokan is quickly becoming a popular show around the world. This new series, with eight episodes, is based on the adventure novels by Emilio Salgari and updates the well-known 1976 TV series featuring the pirate Sandokan. It first aired on Rai 1 in December 2025 and became available on Netflix in January 2026.
During the week of January 19th to 25th, Sandokan was the seventh most popular TV show on Netflix globally, with 3.5 million views and a total of 27 million hours watched. It came in after His & Hers, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, Skyscraper Live, Finding Her Edge, and the fifth season of Stranger Things, as well as Run Away, but before Free Bert, Raw: 2026, and the fourth season of Stranger Things, which ranked tenth.
This week, Sandokan is a top 10 hit in 23 countries around the world, including the UK, Canada, Mexico, and several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. You can watch Sandokan on Netflix in the United States.
Created by Jan Maria Michelini and Nicola Abbatangelo, Sandokan centers on the adventures of the pirate captain Sandokan and his loyal crew as they battle to defend the Dayak people from the British Empire in 1800s Southeast Asia.
Can Yaman stars as Sandokan in the series, with Alanah Bloor, Alessandro Preziosi, Ed Westwick, Madeleine Price, Owen Teale, John Hannah, Matt McCooey, Gilberto Gliozzi, and Samuele Segreto also featuring in main roles. The cast is rounded out by supporting actors including Mark Grosy, Lucy Gaskell, Sergej Onopko, Thomas Chaanhing, Angeliqa Devi, Jun Lancini, Haruhiko Yamanouchi, Yoon C. Joyce, and numerous other performers.
Although Sandokan has been popular on Netflix, reactions in Italy have been varied. Vanity Fair Italy gave the show a mostly positive review, but criticized the first twenty minutes as being overly focused on action sequences.
According to Cinema Serie TV, the new Sandokan series isn’t trying to replace the classic 1976 version. Instead, it’s building on the original with a more imaginative approach, rather than simply retelling the same story. Critics have also highlighted Can Yaman’s performance, noting that he offers a unique take on the character and doesn’t try to copy the original actor.
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2026-01-28 00:57