Chances are, you've likely been drawn into the obsession of Squid Game. The South Korean survival drama has been one of the most talked-about shows on Netflix, and now, it's earned the highest debut for any series on the streaming platform. Per Entertainment Tonight, Squid Game has surpassed Bridgerton, Lupin, The Witcher, and the third season of Stranger Things as the most-watched series on Netflix with 111M viewers.
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Squid Game debuted in September and immediately became an international smash. It earned the #1 spot in 90 countries on Netflix within 10 days of its launch.
The show's creator Hwang Dong-hyuk recently revealed that he's had the idea for the show for over 10 years. It wasn't until 2019 when Netflix approached him to bring the series to their platform.
Squid Game follows the story of a group of people in deep debt who are invited to play a children's game with a deadly twist for a massive cash prize. Dong-hyuk explained that the last decade of news and politics directly inspired the show, including the era of Donald Trump.
"Over the past 10 years, there were a lot of issues," he explained to IndieWire, citing the boom in cryptocurrency and the effects of social media on society. "And then Donald Trump became the president of the United States and I think he kind of resembles one of the VIPs in the Squid Game. It’s almost like he’s running a game show, not a country, like giving people horror. After all these issues happened, I thought it was about time that this show goes out into the world.”
Are you watching Squid Game on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
