The streaming world moves fast. Every year brings new hits, new records, new series that everyone suddenly needs to have seen. But there’s one first season that hit so hard that the record still stands today. This question is about that series, and it’s a good test of whether you’ve been following streaming culture over the past few years.

Netflix counts viewing figures differently now than it used to. It used to be simple: you watched for two minutes? Then you counted. Now they use the total number of viewing hours divided by the runtime. It’s a fairer system, because this way you really see which series people actually watch through and not just click on out of curiosity.

A first season that breaks a record needs to have everything. Strong start, naturally. But also sustain momentum for weeks. Word-of-mouth that continues. Social media that explodes. And it can’t just work in one region, it needs to be a hit worldwide. That rarely happens.

These four series are contenders:

  • A. Wednesday (season 1)
  • B. Squid Game (season 1)
  • C. Stranger Things (season 4)
  • D. The Witcher (season 4)

Wednesday did great. Jenna Ortega played the iconic Addams Family teenager perfectly, and the mix of gothic vibes with high school drama worked surprisingly well. It especially resonated with younger viewers, and that dance in episode four absolutely blew up on TikTok.

Squid Game was the South Korean phenomenon from 2021 that nobody saw coming. People participating in deadly versions of children’s games for an enormous cash prize. Sounds simple, but the series apparently touched something universal. In no time, the whole world knew those pink guards and that creepy doll.

Stranger Things has proven that a series can keep growing season after season. The fourth season came in two parts, had longer episodes, and the tension was really ramped up. That ‘80s nostalgia just keeps working, and the cast is now so large that there’s a favorite character for everyone.

The Witcher built a loyal fanbase with Henry Cavill as Geralt. The fantasy series performed solidly, but would a fourth season really be able to break such a record? That seems unlikely, to be honest.

💡 Need help?

Think about which series went viral worldwide in 2021 and became an enormous cultural phenomenon. This is a series that was massively watched not only in Western countries, but especially also in Asia and worldwide.

✅ View the answer

The correct answer is B. Squid Game (season 1).

This South Korean thriller from September 2021 crushed all records and became the most-watched series ever on Netflix with more than 1.65 billion viewing hours in the first 28 days. The first season attracted 111 million accounts. That record still stands (February 2026). Wednesday did come close with approximately 1.02 billion viewing hours, but didn’t overtake Squid Game.

And yes, the question is formulated a bit misleadingly. It says “broke the record in 2025,” but actually Squid Game’s record from 2021 still stands. That makes it a nicely tricky pub quiz question.

📚 More background information

Squid Game was truly everywhere. Those green tracksuits, the pink guards, that “Red Light, Green Light” game with that giant doll. It wasn’t just a popular series, it was a worldwide cultural thing. TikTok was full of it, Halloween costumes sold out, people recreating the games (fortunately without killing people).

The success also changed Netflix’s strategy. They subsequently pumped billions into content from South Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries. Series like The Glory, Physical: 100, and All of Us Are Dead benefited greatly from that. K-dramas suddenly became mainstream among people who had never heard of them before.

The second season came out in December 2024. The expectations were naturally astronomically high. Whether it could match the record of season 1? That was exciting to watch.

What’s also wild: creator Hwang Dong-hyuk tried for ten years to get financing for his concept. Ten years! Everyone rejected him. Eventually Netflix gave the green light, and the rest is history. Sometimes algorithms and data don’t work, sometimes you just have to trust a good story.

The series also won multiple Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series. Lee Jung-jae became the first Asian actor to win an Emmy for best lead role in a drama series. Quite an important moment for representation in the international TV world.