To name the first season of Squid game A hit would be a huge understatement. The disturbing dystopian drama was an international sensation. It remains Netflix’s biggest success story of all time, literally outperforming even its closest competitors.

Squid games A single season has over 1.6 billion hours of watch time, which if you add it all up would equate to over 188,000 years. The next season of Netflix is ​​starting Stranger Things Season 4 with over 1.3 billion hours and then Wednesday with just over 1.2 billion. Dahmer is in fourth place with 856 million, just half of that Squid games in total.

It’s been over three years since the series first hit Netflix and shocked audiences with its cruel “Most Dangerous Game” style competitions. Season 2 is about to end and fans are filled with both excitement and anxiety. Will the second season live up to the first or will the novelty have worn off? Will the new season solve some of the problems of the first season and clarify some outstanding questions? Or will it follow the path of so many second seasons and quickly wear out its appeal?

Honestly, I wasn’t convinced that this show should have even had a second season until the end of the first. It felt like the story was told and Seong Gi-hun’s story was beautifully summarized. He should have gone to his daughter in the end instead of dying his hair pink and going back for revenge. Still, I’m excited to return to the fiendish Squid Games and see what happens, even if the ending leaves me a little cold – especially the big twist.

The new season arrives on Netflix on Thursday, December 26th at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. You can basically drink it overnight if you feel like it. Maybe I’ll stay up late to watch the first episode, but maybe I’ll dive in tomorrow too. Part of me feels like I should have rewatched the first season, but it might feel fresher to go into the second season with a foggy memory. Of course, many of the most brutal moments of the first season remain in my memory, for better or worse.

Here is the trailer for season two:

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