On the whole, 2024 was a pretty good year for Netflix, as anyone who may own a few shares of its stock can attest. And as if they needed any more good news to crow about, they sure got it in the form of season 2 of SQUID GAME, which finally dropped on Christmas Eve more than 38 months after its first season took the world by storm. That allowed FORBES’ Paul Tassi to act as a virtual shill yesterday morning by authoring an account of the victory lap which Netflix is uniquely qualified to unleash with timely details when it benefits them to do so:
It was unclear whether or not Squid Game season 2 would be able to match the unbelievable viewership of the original, but it already broken one record for Netflix and has just broken another one on its way to being an all-timer.
Netflix has just announced that Squid Games (sic) season 2 racked up 68 million views in its premiere week, blowing by Wednesday’s previous record with 50.1 million views. Squid Game season 1 was not close to this as it took a long time to spin up with its viral success. Before this, Squid Game set a record by being the first Netflix season to debut at #1 in 92 regions for the service.
These new viewership numbers mean that Squid Game season 2 is already the seventh most popular non-English Netflix series of all time. It will almost certainly beat everything else soon as nothing in that list is close to Squid Games 265.2 million views. For reference, here is the top 10 all-time list, for any language, where Squid Game season 2 will no doubt place. #1-4 seems like the most likely landing point here eventually, though there is a huge gap from Wednesday to Squid Games season 1.
Well, that’s a bold and aggressive stance, but I suppose if one uses extrapolative projections and historic precedence exclusively one can make such an assertion. And as a critic, someone like Tassi certainly falls into the sweet spot of those whose anticipation for this was right up there with the Messiah. Critics revered Season 1, with ROTTEN TOMATOES tallying a 95% Tomatometer average back in September 2021. The AI-generated Critic’s Consensus was nothing short of an unqualified rave:
Squid Game’s unflinching brutality is not for the faint of heart, but sharp social commentary and a surprisingly tender core will keep viewers glued to the screen – even if it’s while watching between their fingers.
But the Popcornmeter was significantly lower, albeit landing at a still-impressive 83% with more than 1000 reviewers weighing in. For something that purports to be the poster child of global populism, that degree of a gap is noteworthy.
And when one looks at the Season 2 RT qualitative metrics so far, there’s still more to take note of. The Tomatometer average has dropped to 82%, and the consensus is not quite as laudatory:
While Squid Game’s return can’t help but lose the element of surprise, some absolutely diabolical challenges and a knotty moral outlook keep this sophomore season thrilling.
The Popcornmeter, with nearly 800 zealots already finding the time to weigh in, has seen an even more precipitous decline. And while 64% isn’t horrible, it’s hardly an indicator that the kind of buzz and word of mouth that catapulted Season 1 to as long a viewing tail as seen by virtually any series ever released is going to be repeated.
And when one takes the time to sift through the verbatims, as we experienced and talented researchers have been conditioned to do, more and more eyebrows are raised. Here’s a few that have risen to the top:
The second season does not surpass the first. The pacing feels off, and some characters’ backstories are not as compelling as those in the first season. Additionally, the games they played this time were not as engaging. The first game, which is identical to the one in the first season, was enjoyable, but the second game felt dull. The third game, however, was exciting, and I wish there had been more…
The setup in the first 2 episodes was decent, but season 2 starts to get bogged down with filler dialogue and agenda pushing, which makes it abudantly clear this show was taken over by Netflix and, like Disney did to Star Wars, overhauled and ruined.
Just not well written. Alot of logical inconsistencies, felt monotonous at times and we didn’t really care as much this time around. Not really an ending left off terribly. Should have left it at 1 season.
And do consider that the world was in a considerably different place in the fall of 2021. We had just come off the disappointment of Joe Biden’s projected “summer of love” falling fall short of expectations. We had just witnessed a year-delayed Olympics through bloodshot eyes being conducted virtually without any live fans in a still COVID-raging Tokyo–and at the lowest viewing levels of any modern Olympiad. Much like TIGER KING did when all of that started, a groundbreaking show from an unlikely source developed a zealotic following and more than enough of us were still choosing to be trapped in our homes with more than enough spare time to binge this weird, dystopian Korean import.
But we’re not in such draconian times now, and a second act that is by and large running it back is just not resonating as broadly and impactfully as did the first. Kudos to Netflix for releasing it just as a triple holiday week was unfolding and weather contributed to the opportunity that provided the kind of initial results that they saw. I’m just not seeing any indicators that there’s any global records about to be broken.
I’d further contend that while scripted series by nature require longer gestation and wait times, a 38-month gap between seasons, particularly for a show that established such a high bar, was simply too damn long. For an SVOD service that bases its success on keeping as many paying subscribers in its camp as possible–all the more necessary as it now attempts to build an advertiser model of consequence–I strongly suspect Netflix knows that as well. And despite their doing all that they could to provide spin-offs and brand extensions such as the unscripted actual competition that dropped last fall–produced by some opportunistic Brits–to keep people engaged, as the old saying, ain’t nothing like the real thang, baby.
If you need any further reference to how anticipatory viewing can lead to both initial success and disappointment at once, take a gander at how SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE performed in its initial days:
In its release week (20–26 November 2023), Squid Game: The Challenge was the most-watched show globally on Netflix, with 85.7 million hours. It reached number one in 74 countries that same week, including the US and UK – and was Top 10 in a further 19 countries. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 45% based on 44 reviews, with an average score of 5.8/10. The website’s critics consensus reads: “The Challenge can be an addictive binge thanks to the sheer ingenuity of Squid Games’ set pieces, but playing the original series’ barbed satire completely straight gives this spinoff a soulless aftertaste.
Perhaps that’s why Netflix has already started to tease the third season and is making sure the audience knows it will actually hit a lot sooner than did Season 2. RADIOTIMES.com’s Jason Hibbs made sure his audience knew that early this morning:
In the 15-second clip, which was originally released as a Critical acclaim is all well and good, and no doubt Netflix will carp as loudly and aggressively as they have with SQUID GAME S2’s numbers should they emerge with a few Golden Globes this weekend. But they’ll be doing so with the likes of BABY REINDEER, THE DIPLOMAT, THE GENTLEMAN, RIPLEY and NOBODY WANTS THIS. Shows that haven’t asked their audiences to wait 38 months for an encore that couldn’t possibly deliver on such bloated expectations.
And that alone may be why Netflix is turning their attention to content that is more consistently available–to provide a baseline for promotion as well as advertisers. They can fire out one-off critic’s consensus faves as well as anyone. They don’t really need SQUID GAME as much now as they did then–nor, apparently, do a significant percentage of its viewers.
Can this all be turned around? Time will tell. But as most of those 456 participants would likely confess in any OTF, I’m not sure I’d be all that upbeat about the odds.
Until next time…