Shortly after premiere Squid Game Season 3 outruns Netflix's latest crime drama in terms of streaming numbers (by a big margin)

Hwang Dong-hyuk's Squid Game Season 3 took the Internet by storm and is already topping Netflix's Top 10 charts in all countries.

The highly anticipated Korean dystopian thriller series even outran The Waterfront, Netflix's latest crime drama, which was topping the platform's Top 10 charts, before Dong-hyuk's final season's arrival.

Created by Scream franchise fame Kevin Williamson, The Waterfront debuted in June 2025 and follows the chaotic lives of the Buckley family. After their fishing family business suffers a major blow, they become embroiled in the dangerous world of drug smuggling.

While The Waterfront was proving to be the network's breakout hit, garnering 8.3M views in its first few days, Squid Game Season 3 snatched the top spot in only three days.

More on this in our story.

Squid Game Season 3 tops Netflix's charts, leaving The Waterfront behind

While The Waterfront was enjoying high ratings and had also climbed Netflix's Top 10 charts in many countries, it did not stand a chance against Squid Game Season 3.

Long before the crime thriller series even hit the platform, Squid Game enjoyed considerable success and quickly became one of the most talked-about shows.

While The Waterfront's future looks bright, the numbers can in no way compare to Dong-hyuk's series, which is now a Global phenomenon.

In addition, the show's success has also paved the way for future spin-off series, with David Fincher's USA spin-off even confirmed to start filming in December 2025. Squid Game Season 3 finale even teased Fincher's spin-off series with a surprising cameo by Cate Blanchett, appearing as the American recruiter for the USA Squid Game.

While Netflix is yet to decide The Waterfront's future, fans and audiences have enjoyed the story of Buckley's dysfunctional family and their slow and dangerous descent into the drug world.

With Netflix's biggest IP now coming to its conclusion, the platform can likely invest in promising shows like The Waterfront. Williamson already seems to have ideas for Season 2, as he discussed in an interview with Netflix's Tudum:

"This season was about Harlan and Cane — how they reconciled their differences and how they’re going to move forward. Now Belle is a little more front and centre. She’s not living in the shadows.”

Squid Game Season 3 was one of the most anticipated series finales on Netflix

Following its debut, it's not surprising that Squid Game Season 3 outran The Waterfront in only three days of its debut, as it was one of the most anticipated series finales on the platform.

The anticipation for the final season was real, and it was just increasing with each trailer and cast interview. Fans were eager to learn about Gi-hun and the other players' fates in the final chapter.

While many fans were left underwhelmed by the show's ending, Dong-hyuk had already warned that Squid Game Season 3 will not have a happy ending.

In the finale, while all the players succumbed to their deaths while playing the deadly games, Gi-hun managed to save Jun-hee's baby by sacrificing himself, making Player 222 the winner of the games.

Discussing the bittersweet ending, Dong-hyuk commented to Tudum:

“Gi-hun’s self-sacrifice to save the baby is the message we need to hear today. This character, who is thrust into the game, endures everything, and then jumps back in to end it, is the one who should deliver this message.”

Both Squid Game and The Waterfront are now streaming on Netflix.

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