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There are millions who have waited years now for the final season of Stranger Things to start. In fact, one might wonder if fans have moved on. Sure, anticipation is a good thing, but waiting so long between seasons can sometimes mean that many fans won't come back. Life has brought them newer and shinier shows to watch.
Or maybe that is a false narrative. After all, Squid Game took three years off and was expected to be huge when it returned. It did not disappoint. Season 2 is just as good as season 1, and fans were impressed. So much so that the series broke a record that no other Netflix Original had come close to setting previously.
The final viewership numbers are not in yet, but we do know that Squid Game debuted at number one in all 93 nations where Netflix is available. There could still be issues with the popularity, or at least how high viewership goes, for season 2 versus season 1. And season 3 as well.
Squid Game sets a record no other show has come close to
Season 1, which brought 2.2 billion viewing hours globally, was nine episodes long. Season 2 is just seven episodes. Plus, one might rightfully assume, though this is not always the case, that any season after the first one will have fewer views. This is because if one loves the program then they might want to start from the beginning so people just catching up to the show will begin with season 1.
The other problem is that while season 2 is still highly entertaining, the plotlines are not quite as tight. The second season also stops quite suddenly and the story arcs will continue into season 3. This is a bit of a cop-out that shows and studio heads are doing now. Instead of giving us standalone seasons of greatness, we basically get one season spread over two.
Some of the plotlines begun in season 2 also appear to go nowhere, so one might wonder if there is a bit too much fluff and that the creators of the show knew they had to spread out ideas over two "seasons" and added some filler.
This is meant as no disrespect to Squid Game, though. Even the filler material is better than what we get from most other shows. So what if Rotten Tomatoes' Popcornmeter has given the second season a 63 percent approval rating compared to 83 percent for the first season? 63 is still good.