It’s been dubbed as ‘the Squid Game effect’ in certain circles already, with the awareness and visibility of Korean drama increasing exponentially after the socially conscious, societally timely and gruesomely violent thriller went on to dominate the Netflix most-watched list for well over a month on its way to becoming the platform’s most-watched original episodic effort ever.
Almost as soon as Squid Game‘s stranglehold on the Top 10 rankings began to loosen, along came Yeon Sang-ho’s supernatural horror Hellbound to pick up the slack. While there are no direct similarities to be drawn between the two other than the fact they were produced and shot in the same country, it can’t be denied that Squid Game may have convinced subscribers to check out another high concept Korean offering.
In fact, a glance at the ten most popular shows across the planet shows that K-drama is experiencing a sustained resurgence, with no less than four in-house exclusives currently making the cut. As per FlixPatrol, Hellbound is still holding onto the top spot, with Squid Game slipping down to sixth.
Bringing up the rear are romantic comedy Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha in ninth and epic historical drama The King’s Affection in tenth, meaning that 40% of the Top 10 is now occupied by Korean television.