The South Korean dystopian thriller Squid Game premiered Season 1 in 2021 to major success. It took a while before the show was back and Season 2 continues to make Netflix proud.
The dystopian thriller follows a secret deadly contest where all the players are in deep financial trouble, focusing on class disparity and capitalism. The idea resonated all around the world in Season 1, where Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun, a financially struggling gambling addict, entered the game without any idea of what went on and struggled before becoming crowned winner. Following the success of Season 1, Squid Game Season 2 is already Netflix’s top show in all 93 countries the streaming service is available, becoming the first series to debut at #1 simultaneously, per FlixPatrol.
Squid Game Season 1 has an astonishing 265.2 million views on the platform, which roughly equates to 2.2 billion hours viewed, and it sits at the top of Netflix’s top 10 most popular shows, not just in non-English, but across the platform. Wednesday Season 1 holds the first spot in the English language, but it only has 252.1 million views, falling behind Squid Game’s Season 1, Tudum reports.
The critically acclaimed dystopian thriller debuted with strong numbers in Season 1. Critics gave it a Certified Fresh 95% score, with the audience sharing mostly positive reviews, taking it to a score of 83%. The second season didn’t seem to be as entertaining, per the audience. While Season 2 still holds a Certified Fresh rating of 84%, it received mixed reviews from fans, with only a 63% approval rating.
Squid Game Will Receive a Third and Final Season
Although the second installment of Squid Game didn’t have such strong reviews from fans as the first season, the early numbers prove the interest in the series is still strong. At the same time, the creators didn’t want to milk the story for too long. Netflix has already renewed Squid Game for Season 3, but it will also be the last one. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk revealed that, despite Season 1’s open ending, he never intended to continue the story, but the success warranted a sequel. Gi-hun returns to South Korea after refusing to get on the plane and starts hunting the people who run the game to destroy it once and for all.
“I originally envisioned Seasons 2 and 3 as a single story,” the creator explained. “That’s how I wrote it. But in the process, it came out to be too many episodes. So I thought it’d be better to divide it into two.” Seasons 2 and 3 were shot back-to-back, with a release expected in 2025, and, considering the material, revealed that he wants to give fans “full closure.” He also explained, “I wanted to tell the story of what happened to Gi-hun after where we leave him at the end of Season 1 and what he does, what kind of actions he takes in order to put a stop to these games.”
The first two seasons of Squid Game are streaming on Netflix.
