The smash-hit South Korean dystopian thriller first premiered in 2021, quickly becoming a global sensation. It didn’t take long for the show to break records—it racked up a staggering 571.76 million viewing hours in just one week (September 27 to October 3, 2021), making it the most-watched non-English show on Netflix within that timeframe.
The accolades didn’t stop there. The first season drew in 142 million subscriber households in its debut month, marking the most successful launch for a Netflix Original to date. Created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game climbed to the No. 1 spot in 97 countries, overtaking Bridgerton as the platform’s most popular series ever.
The gripping story follows Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father with a severe gambling problem, played by Lee Jung-jae. Living with his elderly mother and buried in debt, Gi-hun sees a glimmer of hope when he’s invited to compete in a mysterious series of children’s games for a life-changing cash prize. But he and 455 other players quickly realize the games come with deadly consequences—lose, and you die.
Lee Jung-jae made history for his performance, becoming the first actor to win an Emmy for a non-English-language role, taking home the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022. The show also broke ground by becoming the first non-English-language series ever nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, although Succession ultimately won.
Season 2 kept the momentum going. In 2024, it topped Netflix’s weekly viewership charts again, being watched 68 million times and claiming the No. 1 spot in 92 countries.
Now, with the highly anticipated final season promising a dramatic and brutal conclusion, Squid Game could be on track to set even more records.
