22-Episode Squid Game Replacement Is One Of Netflix's Most-Watched Thriller Shows
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Netflix already has the perfect Squid Game replacement, and it is only 22-episodes long. While the show in question never matched Squid Game's commercial success, it ranks among the most watched thriller shows of all time. The Squid Game franchise's future on Netflix remains unknown, but viewers who are already missing the series must check out its best action-thriller replacement.
Squid Game was an instant hit on Netflix after it landed on the streaming service in 2021. The show's gritty survival drama had a worldwide appeal while its incredibly gripping lethal games appealed to everyone. However, one year before Squid Game popularized the survival games trope, another Netflix series, titled Alice in Borderland, used it as an effective narrative device.
Surprisingly, despite sharing many structural similarities with Squid Game, Alice in Borderland never became as big of a hit as the South Korean series on Netflix. It did, however, go on to become successful enough to spawn two more seasons. Even though it did not manage to beat Squid Game's viewership, Alice in Borderland, too, was a commercial hit.
Alice In Borderland Is One Of Netflix's Most Watched Thriller Shows
As Netflix's viewership data from 2023 reveals (via FlixPatrol), Alice in Borderland boasts a viewing time of 911,900,000 hours with a total of 125,200,000 views. Compared to other thriller TV shows on the streaming service, Alice in Borderland's viewership and viewing hours are only less than that of Stranger Things and Manifest in the genre.
Despite originally being a non-English Japanese TV series, Alice in Borderland ranks well above shows like Lost and Black Doves. It must be noted that this viewership data was collected from 2023 onwards. Given how Alice in Borderland premiered in 2021, its overall viewing hours and total views are even higher.
Similar to Squid Game, Alice in Borderland season 3 also received a mixed reception. However, in the first two seasons, the Japanese manga adaptation almost earned unanimous acclaim for its ambition, performances, and incredible world-building. Arguably, Alice in Borderland is as good as Squid Game and even better than the Netflix K-drama in more ways than one.
Alice In Borderland Is As Good As Squid Game (If Not Better)
Squid Game season 1 had a lot to offer, but its primary appeal came from its grounded but brilliantly executed games. As the show progressed, however, its games became increasingly simple and redundant. Season 2 still had a few decent games, but the show's final installment struggled to leverage its biggest strength.
Alice in Borderland cares little about bringing a brutal spin to nostalgic childhood games. Instead, it features high-stakes and incredibly imaginative games. In its early episodes itself, the show even establishes how brutal and unforgiving its world can be by killing off two of its main characters.
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Unlike Squid Game, Alice in Borderland also does not riff on social themes surrounding capitalism and class divides. Its games become more of a metaphor for finding one's place and identity in the real world. The show also does not shy away from introducing supernatural elements that reveal how something far bigger than humanity is pulling all the threads from behind the scenes.
Audiences looking for a more grounded and gritty survival thriller could be turned off by Alice in Borderland's fantastical elements. However, the ones who loved the high-stakes games from Squid Game's season 1 will love every bit of the Japanese Netflix series.
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Squid Game
8/10
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2025
- Network
- Netflix
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Lee Jung-jae
Seong Gi-hun / 'No. 456'
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Wi Ha-jun
Detective Hwang Jun-ho
Squid Game is a South Korean series released in 2021 that follows numerous financially struggling participants who are invited to partake in children's games with deadly outcomes. As they compete, they vie for a substantial cash prize, all while navigating lethal challenges orchestrated by mysterious figures.
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Alice in Borderland
- Release Date
- 2020 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
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Kento Yamazaki
Ryohei Arisu
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Tao Tsuchiya
Yuzuha Usagi
A video-game-obsessed young man and his two friends as they navigate a surreal version of Tokyo, where they are forced to participate in perilous games to survive. Based on the 2010 manga, this live action series was originally preceded by an anime adaptation back in 2014.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.