Thrillers, History and Data
Popularity of Genre
Squid Game
Netflix’s Squid Game looks at targeting a younger audience, primarily young adults as the rating is 15 in the UK. This is due to the playground game aspect of the show and the challenges that get the audience discussing each episodes games. It is also aimed at a younger audience because Netflix is often used by typically younger people who have grown up with the platform. However, this isn’t to say that every show on Netflix targets a younger audience. The cartoon part of the show is another indication that it is intended for a younger audience. The images of the girl showcase stereotypical Korean culture, and with the main language of the show being Korean, it can be heavily argued that the primary audience are Asian. Netflix have looked at targeting other countries by having different language audios so anyone in the world can access the show. Squid Game is seen as a modern Korean thriller and is unique in its storyline which sees characters compete in life or death games to win a large cash prize.
Statistics:
Users consumed 1.4 billion hours of the show within the first 23 days of release of season 1
68 million views of season 2 within 3 days of release
Is the top most popular non-English show on Netflix
Has generated over $900 million in revenue
Season 1 released on Sep 17th 2021
Season 2 released on Dec 26th 2024
Law and Order is an American legal thriller that has lasted 24 seasons spanning from 1990 to the present (was revived in 2022) The drama/thriller focuses on the New York criminal justice system. During its first stint it was broadcast on American cable TV network A&E and this drew in a large audience, larger than the current day with the show today broadcast on NBC, as well as on streaming platform Peacock. The first stint of the show consistently drew in on average, over 10 million viewers each season until the last 2 (19 and 20). The current stint has pushed to just below 6 million viewers at its peak. It can be argued that Law and Order is a show that is dwindling in the test of time, with numbers having more than halved from its original days. With it being aired on late weeknights, we can assume that this targets an older audience, especially the first stint which aired mainly at 10 pm. This is also due to the mature topics of the show with the legal aspect not particularly popular with younger adults. It can be presumed that the newest run of the show looked to target viewers of the original series however, the show has adapted to cater for 18-49 year olds. Viewer figures are much less mainly due to the show being on scheduled television, as of course people tend to watch shows on streaming platforms.
Statistics:
First stint of show: Sep 13th 1990 – May 24th 2010 (456 episodes)
Second stint of show: Feb 24th 2022 – present
Season 23 (2023 series) dragged in 4.36 million viewers
Currently the 13th most popular show on NBC
Has won a number of Emmy Awards over its period
Has amassed over $1 billion for NBC over its entirety (and including its many spin offs)
The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Twilight Zone was an American sci-fi horror thriller that ran for 5 seasons. Each episode is it’s own story in which the characters find themselves in disturbing and unusual situations, these events described as going into the ‘Twilight Zone’. Created by Rod Serling, a well known name in American TV at the time, the show was intended to ask viewers questions about their beliefs in morality, ethics, power and humanity, with all 156 episodes having a moral story amongst the often creepy and unsettling plots. Many of the episodes involve quite futuristic, dystopian societies including space travel and aliens as well as death and the afterlife. The show was seen as ahead of its time in terms of the Sci-fi genre, and was revolutionary in getting the audience to think about their own lives. When discussing audience, the programme targeted younger viewers, but was one of the first early genre entries that started to target a more adult audience. It is also argued that some episodes look to reach different audiences, whether it be middle aged men or teenagers. The majority of episodes were seen to cover adult content, and some aspects of the show are outdated in modern society, with racial overtones often overshadowing parts, with one certain episode even being banned for racism. However some consider it to be one of the greatest television series of all time and can still be accessed today on some streaming platforms such as Apple TV.
Statistics:
Spanned from Oct 2nd, 1959 – June 19th 1964
Ranked in many top 100 shows of all times lists, including Rolling Stone and Variety
Won 2 Emmy’s and a Golden Globe
Budget of around $50,000 for each episode
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