Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that 'nothing in the data' suggested the series would gain the global following it did.

The series' debut season garnered 111 million viewers in fewer than four weeks, elevating Lee Jung-jae's career and making him the first Asian star to be awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

The Data-Defying Success of 'Squid Game'

Negotiating the uncertainty of original storytelling, Netflix made a bold bet on 'Squid Game'.

Despite the disappointing update, the series' legacy will live on through Netflix's reality show, "Squid Game: The Challenge," which has already been renewed for Season 3.

The reality series reimagines the ruthless competition from the original "Squid Game," with 456 contestants participating in high-stakes children's games in the hopes of winning a million-dollar cash prize.

Netflix Nothing Data Details and Timeline

"Squid Game" proved that great TV requires a leap of faith. According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, "nothing in the data" suggested that the Korean thriller would gain the global following that it did — but when it hit Netflix in September 2021, it became one of the most popular non-English titles on the streaming platform.

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The series followed Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), a chauffeur with a gambling addiction who joins a deadly competition to pay off his debts.

The series' debut season garnered 111 million viewers in fewer than four weeks and elevated Jung-jae's career to new heights, making him the first Asian star to be awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Clearly, the overwhelming reception to the series showed that taking a risk on original storytelling can pay off.

"If anybody made, you know, big creative decisions based only on data, that would be a fool's errand," Sarandos shared during a panel at Express Adda . Although Netflix has reported concerns over its shows' declining retention rates, with fewer audience members coming back for new seasons, "Squid Game" was an exception.

Season 3, for instance, secured 60.1 million viewers in the first three days of its release, marking a new record for Netflix.

"Squid Game" had an impressive turnout, leading Netflix to consider a follow-up series. In 2024, Deadline reported that the streamer was eyeing a U.S. spin-off to be helmed In early August 2026, however, sources close to Fincher told The Playlist that the show had since been scrapped.

And while "Squid Game" fans believed that Cate Blanchett's surprise cameo in the series finale might have been linked to the spin-off, that theory was later debunked.