Netflix’s Strange New Thriller Show Quickly Rises up Charts

A new Netflix original series is dominating the streaming charts. Squid Game, a South Korean survival drama that offers up a disturbing twist on classic children’s games, debuted on the platform on Friday, Sept. 17, and the Korean language thriller has proven to be massively popular among viewers, who have helped the nine-part Korean language drama surge to the No. 1 title on the platform.

Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game follows 456 “cash-strapped players” who accept a mysterious invitation to join a survival game involving multiple rounds of childhood games. Every game is a Korean traditional children’s game such as Red Light, Green Light, though they take on a deadly twist, becaue if a contestant loses, they pay with their life, but if they win the series of games, they have the chance to walk home with $45.6 billion. The series stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-joon.

Since its debut, Squid Game has steadily been climbing Netflix’s streaming charts. The show debuted onto both the overall and TV series charts on the platform, and by Monday had climbed to the No. 2 spot on both charts. As of this posting, the show has reached the No. 1 spot, beating out the likes of Sex Education, Clickbait, Lucifer, and Safe House, which make up the Top 5 overall titles in the U.S. But Squid Game isn’t only enjoying success in the U.S. According to Flix Patrol streaming data, the series was ranked No. 2 globally among TV shows on Monday, Sept. 20, only falling behind Sex Education. Meanwhile, the show has received a 100% fresh rating from critics on its Rotten Tomatoes tomatometer score.

As viewers tune in to watch the series, many have even taken to social media to encourage others to watch the show, which has been dubbed “disturbing but interesting.” One Netflix subscriber tweeted, “Just finished Squid Game. Watch it if u haven’t. U know that feeling after u finish something and u just feel empty inside. That’s me rn.” Another viewer simply wrote, “Netflix. Squid Game. Watch it.”

Despite both its popularity among viewers and its critical success, Squid Game has not yet been picked up for a second season. Given that the series only just premiered, this isn’t very surprising. As NetflixLife notes, the streamer tends to spend a few weeks following a show’s premiere gathering viewing data to determine interest in a series before opting to either renew or cancel it. This means that a Season 2 renewal, which seems likely given Squid Game’s success, could be announced in the coming weeks. For now, fans can continue to binge the nine-episode first season on Netflix.