Squid Game’s third and final season has just dropped on Netflix!
The hit South Korean dystopian thriller was first released on the streaming platform in 2021, and it quickly became a global phenomenon.
So it’s no wonder that it very quickly broke the record for most viewed show on Netflix in one week – hours (non-English).
From 27 September to 3 October 2021, the show clocked in an unprecedented 571.76 million viewing hours.
But the record breaking certainly didn’t end there.
The first season also pulled in the most viewers for a Netflix Original debut.
In its first month, the Netflix Original, created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk, was watched by 142 million subscriber households, making it the service’s most successful debut.
Squid Game reached the No.1 position in 97 territories, surpassing period drama Bridgerton as the most popular TV show on the world’s most subscribed-to streaming service.
The show follows divorced father Seong Gi-hun, portrayed by Lee Jung-jae (South Korea), who has racked up a huge gambling debt while living with his elderly mother.
He thinks his luck is in when he’s invited to play a series of children’s games for a chance to win a large cash prize, but it’s far more sinister than that.
Along with 455 other players – he is Player 456 – he’s taken to an unknown location and kept in line by armed guards in pink jumpsuits and masks.
They soon discover that losing a game doesn’t just mean they’re eliminated, it means they die.
The show helped Jung-jae make history, when he became the first actor to win an Emmy for a non-English-language performance.
He won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022.
And while it didn’t win, the show itself became the first non-English-language show to be nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
It was Succession that won.
Season 2 of the show proved to be just as popular.
In 2024, it became the most viewed show on Netflix in one week after being viewed 68 million times.
It reached the No.1 spot of most popular shows in 92 countries.
With the last ever season promising a brutal finale, it could be set to break even more records.