It would seem that Squid Game is still king at Netflix. Last month, Stranger Things 4 finally arrived after a 3-year wait, and the new episodes for the popular series came with great anticipation from fans. Viewership was extremely high as fans binged those new episodes almost as quickly as they arrived. Season 4 can ultimately be considered a big success for the Netflix show, but at the end of the day, Stranger Things was not able to break the current record for the streamer's most-watched series.
Per Variety, Squid Game had reached 1.7 billion hours streamed by subscribers by the end of its first 28 days after release. It's now been revealed that Stranger Things 4 has reached that 28-day mark with 1.4 billion hours streamed. Officially, this keeps Squid Game at the top of the list, but there are some key differences to consider, such as Squid Game's freshman season running eight hours long while Stranger Things 4 runs about 13 hours long. But even with the extra viewership required to finish Stranger Things 4, Squid Game still reigned supreme.
Even coming up short as far as matching Squid Game might go, Stranger Things 4 is still a very big hit for Netflix. It resulted in the second-highest week in streaming history on the platform and will certainly have fans coming back for the fifth and final season when it makes its way to the streamer. That may not happen until 2024, but with the final season, Stranger Things will have another shot at breaking new records before it closes out its story.
Squid Game Has More Episodes in the Works
Meanwhile, Squid Game is just starting its run at Netflix with just one season released thus far. A second season has been officially ordered and is now in development which will expand upon the story established by season 1. Of course, it was of very little surprise when the series was announced given how popular the show is with its impressive record at Netflix. The streamer plans to further expand the franchise beyond a second season as well, which includes a reality series that's in development based on the show.
"It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever," creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a statement announcing the season 2 renweal. "As the writer, director, and producer of Squid Game, a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show. And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with ddakj might be back. You'll also be introduced to Young-hee's boyfriend, Cheol-su. Join us once more for a whole new round."
It's not clear when season 2 will be released, but for now, you can catch the first season of Squid Game on Netflix.