What is Netflix’s latest hit, Squid Game, and why is it so popular?

If you haven’t already been sucked into the drama and chaos of Netflix’s Squid Game, you’re missing out. The South Korean Battle Royale–inspired series immediately wowed fans the minute it dropped on Netflix. According to data provided to SyFy Wire by Parrot Analytics, Squid Game was the number one series in the world from September 26-28, and was 89.3 times more in-demand than the average series. According to Parrot Analytics:

"Global demand for the show has grown every single day since its release on Sep. 17, when it debuted to 17.7 times more demand than the average show worldwide. Global demand for the show has increased more than fivefold since debuting (from Sep. 17 to Sep. 28). We rarely see a binge-released show — especially a Netflix Original — continue to build demand a full week-and-a-half after its release. For example, global demand for the fourth season of The Crown started to trail off after three days — when the first weekend buzz died down."

Okay, so they’re saying Squid Game — which currently has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes –has even surpassed the demand for something like The Crown? That is wild, and something Netflix most certainly did not see coming.

When Squid Game premiered on Netflix, no one say it becoming this popular in the United States. “We could not imagine that it would be this big globally,” Netflix exec Bela Bajaria told Vulture. “We always knew it was going to be a signature title for Korea, but there’s no way to have anticipated it would be this big … It just grew through word of mouth. People hear about it, people talk about it, people love it, and there’s a very social aspect to that, which does help grow the show outside of what we do.”

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos called the series Netflix’s “biggest show ever.” Sorry, Bridgerton.

What even is Squid Game, though?

Squid Game is not, in fact, about the sea creature that squirts out ink, but rather refers to a children’s game in Korea. Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game is about a deadly tournament where about 456 people compete to win 45.6 billion won (about $38.4 million). The participants play games that are meant for younger players such as Red Light, Green Light, which is apparently now a TikTok trend following the series.

But the average game of Red Light, Green Light doesn’t result in anyone dying. On Squid Game, if you mess up and lose you are killed, no exceptions.

As the contestants dwindle down, the purpose of this game is revealed, but you’re just going to have to watch to find out what it is.

Will there be a Squid Game season 2?

As for whether we’ll get a second season, Bajaria says it’s based on Dong-hyuk’s availability. “He has a film and other things he’s working on. We’re trying to figure out the right structure for him.”

Given the unexpected success of Squid Game, I’m fairly certain that we are going to get another installment at some point. They’d be silly to miss out on the opportunity to capitalize on its popularity; they could even create an entire world based on this series. I can see it now: a Squid Game universe, a panel at Comic-Con, and more. We’ll just have to stay tuned to see what happens!

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