To call the first season of Squid Game a hit would be a great understatement. The disturbing dystopian drama was an international sensation. It remains the biggest success story on Netflix of all time, blowing even its closest competitors out of the proverbial water.
Squid Game’s single season has over 1.6 billion hours of watch-time which, if you strung it all out, would be the equivalent of over 188,000 years. The next closest season of Netflix goes to Stranger Things Season 4, with over 1.3 billion hours, and then Wednesday with just over 1.2 billion. Dahmer comes in at fourth place with 856 million, just half of Squid Game’s total.
It’s been over three years since the show first came to Netflix and shocked audiences with its gruesome “Most Dangerous Game” style competitions. Season 2 is about to drop, and fans are filled with both excitement and trepidation. Will the second season live up to the first, or will the novelty have worn off? Will the new season fix some of the first season’s problems and tie up some loose ends? Or will it follow the path of so many second seasons and quickly wear out its welcome?
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t convinced that this show even should have had a second season by the time the first ended. It felt like the story had been told and Seong Gi-hun’s story was nicely wrapped up. He should have gone to see his daughter at the end rather than dye his hair pink and go back for revenge. Still, I’m excited to go back to the diabolical Squid Games and see what happens, even if the ending left me a little cold—especially its big twist.
The new season lands on Netflix on Thursday, December 26th at 12am PT / 3am ET. You can binge it overnight, basically, if that’s your cup of tea. I might stay up late to watch the first episode, but I might just dive in tomorrow also. A part of me thinks I should have rewatched the first season, but it might feel fresher to go into Season 2 with a foggier memory. Of course, many of the most brutal moments of the first season have stuck with me, for better or worse.
Here’s the Season 2 trailer:
Are you looking forward to Season 2? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.
