Squid Game’s runaway success could change the future of K-dramas on Netflix. Released in September 2021 on the world’s largest streaming platform, Squid Game is the first time for K-drama to take on the death games genre. And in the first month after it came out, Squid Game garnered an estimated 111 million viewers, which means that it’s the biggest and most popular show on Netflix.

According to CNET, the only other Netflix shows that are even close to these numbers are period romance Bridgerton, which garnered 82 million viewers, and French heist series Lupin and fantasy series The Witcher, both of which had 76 million viewers each. Moreover, Squid Game is the only K-drama on Netflix’s top 20 shows for September 2021. However, Sweet Home, a Korean horror series, made it to the 30th spot with 22 million viewers. Meanwhile, Japanese sci-fi series Alice in Borderland - the only other show that tackles death games in Netflix’s top list - is in 33rd place with just 18 million viewers.

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Squid Game is in a unique position to begin and maintain the reign of K-dramas in the biggest streaming platform on the planet. The fact that it’s at the top is certainly a good start, and so is the fact that fans are already clamoring for Netflix to make Squid Game season 2. In its first month, Squid Game has already dispelled the notion that American viewers don’t watch shows with subtitles. As a unique combination of K-drama and death games, Squid Game not only caters to fans of both, but also offers an entirely different experience from the period, heist, fantasy, and documentary series that share Netflix’s top roster. In short, Squid Game has opened the future roster of Netflix not just for other rising K-dramas, but also for sci-fi and dystopian death games, as well as any future combination that may arise from the show’s success.

The players looking confused around a room in Squid Game

Squid Game’s historic achievements echo the rise of its creative predecessor, the 2000 dystopian sci-fi film Battle Royale, which not only popularized death games, but was also a surprise runaway success - no doubt owed partially to the fact that the way players die in Battle Royale is even more brutal than Squid Game’s most memorable deaths, and it was released more than 20 years ago. Similar to how Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk was rejected by studios for 10 years because of the show’s bizarre concept, the 1999 novel that Battle Royale was based on was initially shunned by critics for its graphic and creative depictions of violence. Later, the succeeding 2000 cult hit film practically laid the groundwork for the explosion of shows and movies in the death games genre, such as Alice in Borderland, 3%, As The Gods Will, GANTZ, and Squid Game. While these other shows kept the ball rolling for death games fans, only Squid Game, which is the first to put a K-drama twist on the genre, garnered worldwide mainstream success.

Apart from opening up Netflix’s roster for more K-dramas in the future, Squid Game shows just how diverse K-drama can be. From its playground-based death games to Squid Game’s classic K-drama ending twists, the series provides a road map for future creators who want to cater to Netflix’s viewership. In an era when streaming viewers have seen it all, Squid Game’s combination of compelling drama, death games, and dark humor is a breath of fresh air, and the series could herald the beginning of K-drama’s long reign on Netflix.

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