Season 1
6 episodes Dec 21, 2018 6.0
7 Days Out
“A behind the scenes countdown to the world's biggest events.”
2018
Ended • 1 Season • 6 Episodes
Overview
Witness the excitement and drama behind the scenes in the seven days leading up to major live events in the worlds of sports, fashion, space and food.
Seasons
1 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 6 episodes
- First aired
- Dec 21, 2018
- Last aired
- Dec 21, 2018
- Episode length
- 50m
- Network
- Netflix
Latest episode: S1 E6 League of Legends (Dec 21, 2018)
Reviews
5 min readThe Clock is Ticking, But What Are We Counting Down To?
I’ve always been a sucker for the countdown. Not the kind that ends with fireworks or a champagne pop, but the kind that hums in the background like a metronome set to the wrong tempo—too fast, too slow, never quite right. 7 Days Out, Netflix’s 2018 documentary series, leans hard into that tension, promising a behind-the-scenes look at the final week before some of the world’s biggest events.
The premise is simple: six episodes, six spectacles—esports, haute couture, a Michelin-starred restaurant opening, a rocket launch, a horse race, a royal wedding—and the people scrambling to make them happen. But what it’s really counting down to isn’t the event itself. It’s the moment when the illusion of control shatters.
That’s the thing about countdowns. They’re supposed to be about precision, about the reassuring tick-tick-tick of a clock marching toward a known destination. But 7 Days Out is more interested in the moments when the clock stutters.
The episode on the Kentucky Derby, for instance, follows the team behind Justify, the thoroughbred who would go on to win the Triple Crown. The camera lingers on the horse’s legs, his hooves, the way his muscles twitch under his glossy coat. The trainers talk about his "mind," his "focus," as if he’s not an animal but a high-strung executive on the verge of a breakdown.
And then, seven days out, he steps on a nail. The shot is so quick you might miss it—a trainer’s hand lifting the hoof, the wince, the unspoken question: Is this it? The countdown doesn’t stop. It can’t.
But for a heartbeat, the entire enterprise feels like it’s balancing on the edge of a knife.
The series is at its best when it zeroes in on these cracks in the facade. The episode about the Chef’s Table-style opening of a new restaurant in Copenhagen is a masterclass in controlled chaos. The chef, a man with the intensity of a general and the patience of a saint, barks orders at his staff while his hands move with surgical precision.
Audience Opinions
Limited evidence
Audience 6.2/10
"A niche documentary series offering a behind-the-scenes look at high-stakes events, appreciated for its unique concept but criticized for uneven execution."
Viewers find the premise of following real-time preparations for major events intriguing, with moments of genuine tension and insight. latestnetflix.com's read is that however, the series struggles to maintain consistent engagement across episodes, leaving some feeling underwhelmed by the depth of storytelling.
What viewers praise
- Unique concept The idea of documenting the final week before major events is seen as fresh and compelling.
- Behind-the-scenes access Offers rare glimpses into high-pressure environments, like fine dining or esports, that viewers don’t typically see.
Common complaints
- Uneven pacing Some episodes feel rushed or fail to build enough tension to match the high-stakes premise.
- Limited depth The storytelling occasionally lacks the detail or emotional weight needed to fully engage viewers.
Recommended for
Documentary enthusiasts Behind-the-scenes content fans Esports and fine dining followers
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsA viewer told Joe Zee they did not expect to cry about a spaceship.
That line is the whole pitch. Netflix dropped six episodes of 7 Days Out on December 21, 2018. latestnetflix.com's read is that Each one parks a camera crew in the last week before something that already has a date on the calendar.Westminster. Eleven Madison Park after a gut renovation. Cassini's last plunge into Saturn. The Kentucky Derby. Chanel's Spring 2018 haute couture show. The NA LCS spring finals in Miami. TMDB now lists the series as ended. There was never a second stack of events 
, .
Joe Zee spent two and a half years getting it made. He came from Elle and Yahoo Style. Andrew Rossi had already gotten inside the Met Gala for The First Monday in May. Andrew Fried and Dane Lillegard brought Boardwalk Pictures, the Chef's Table shop, plus Sony Pictures Television. Zee told Bizbash the point was the story behind the story, because everyone already watches the Oscars. He wanted the week when it still might fall apart. Rossi told The Hollywood Reporter that Cassini's orbit around Saturn is six and a half days, which is almost a week, and that the week itself is the organizing principle. He also said the usual access dance for him is a year at the New York Times or eight months at the Met. Here they had seven days , , .
Chanel took months. The plates had to face the right way.
Zee said Chanel had never allowed cameras in for that long. The call did not close overnight. Months of talking, then Karl Lagerfeld opened 31 Rue Cambon for the Spring 2018 couture week, including the last look-through with journalists that almost never gets filmed. Zee later wrote that the couture floor is four ateliers, each with up to 50 seamstresses under a premiere named Josephine, Cecile, Olivia, or Josette. Those rooms shut when the house is on ready-to-wear. The Grand Palais set was a giant garden trellis , .
Eleven Madison Park had just been named the world's best restaurant, then closed to rebuild. Will Guidara, on camera, asks what is at stake and answers, "Yeah, I guess, everything." Eater caught the cult of it. Servers lay plates so the logo is right-side up if a diner flips the china. Guidara knows almost nobody will flip it. He still wants the intention. Mohair banquettes arrived too scratchy, so the staff steamed them. Daniel Humm sent the brigade jogging in branded kit, then to a barber, because a shave makes them "pay more attention." Minutes before doors, Guidara told the floor failure was not an option. Humm told the kitchen there were no compromises, only perfect .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhlJXqxBSOw
The League episode is the one that wrecked people who thought they were watching a video-game show. The cameras embedded with Riot, 100 Thieves, Echo Fox, and Team Liquid for the 2018 North American spring finals. Travis Gafford, who hosted the crew that spring, later said the first day of filming was the day Yiliang "Doublelift" Peng learned his brother had attacked their parents and their mother had died. Engadget walked through the hour. After Liquid beat Echo Fox, Doublelift got the news, then chose to play the final anyway. "Sometimes I want to cry, but I don't. I just move on." Liquid beat 100 Thieves. Gafford is in the credits as himself. So is Rick Fox. Zee told Bizbash his team watched the gaming episode and ended up in tears. He had a list of other events, Oscars, even the running of the bulls, and said a second season was Netflix's call. Netflix never called , , .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t058durlVWc
The official trailer still sells six clocks running at once . One season. Then the countdown stopped.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.