Netflix’s “Yellowstone-Inspired” Crime Drama Just Lost Its #1 Spot — Overtaken by a 4-Year-Old Fan-Favorite Returning Series 📉😱

The Waterfront dropped to #2 with 11.6M views, overtaken by Squid Game S3’s massive 60M+ debut.
Two dynasties. One winner.
👇 Can the Buckleys bounce back?

Harlan, in black suit and sunglasses, next to Belle in olive jacket and sunglasses in The Waterfront

Netflix has been trying to recreate the success of Paramount+ and Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone for years, and it has finally managed to do so with Kevin Williamson’s The Waterfront. Although the two shows are in different genres, they have several joint themes.

The Waterfront Season 1 premiered on Netflix on June 19, and it was immediately a massive streaming hit. The crime series topped the charts in its first week, but that won’t happen for its sophomore week on Netflix because the streamer’s biggest show is back. Per FlixPatrol, The Waterfront has just lost its No. 1 spot to the South Korean hit Squid Game, which just returned with Season 3.

The Waterfront continued to dominate the charts on Netflix even after its first week. The crime show was the No. 1 film TV title in over 30 countries for several days after Netflix stopped the count for the week between June 16 to June 22. However, that changed on June 28.

Squid Game Season 3 returned to the platform on June 27, just six months after the popular Season 2. The new season is set to wrap up the original story, although the universe will continue, as there are more plans, including an English-language version from David Fincher.

Immediately after Squid Game Season 3’s release, the show went to No. 1. On the first day, June 27, the film had become the No. 1 film in seven countries, although it wasn’t available everywhere just yet. On June 28 and June 29, it was already the No. 1 film everywhere, topping the charts in 93 countries, with 930 points on FlixPatrol.

Squid Game is Netflix’s most popular TV show of all time. The South Korean dystopian survival thriller has beaten the likes of Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Bridgerton to the No. 1 title. Season 1 has 265.2 million views on the platform and 2.2 billion hours viewed, while Season 2 is in second place with 192.6 million views, and 1.38 billion hours viewed. Netflix officially reveals the streaming charts on Tuesdays, when it details how well Squid Game Season 3 did compared to the previous seasons.

Squid Game Season 3 Opened to Mixed Reviews

Squid Game is a violent take on social inequality and how far people would go for survival. The series follows a series of unorthodox games held on a remote island, where 456 players, often poor or in debt, play to the death in hopes of a sum that would change their lives. Season 3 closes this chapter after four years.

The Waterfront cast stands on a waterfront.Image via Netflix Cane, wearing a suit, with Peyton holding his arm next to Bree in Netflix TV show The WaterfrontImage via Netflix Gi-hun handcuffed to a bed in Squid Game Season 3Image via Netflix Ali Abdul (Anupam Tripathi) is holding up Gi-hun, saving him during the Red-Light, Green-Light game in Squid Game(1)Image via Netflix Player 001 approaches Gi-hun in a crowd of players.Image via Netflix

The Waterfront cast stands on a waterfront. Cane, wearing a suit, with Peyton holding his arm next to Bree in Netflix TV show The Waterfront Gi-hun handcuffed to a bed in Squid Game Season 3 Ali Abdul (Anupam Tripathi) is holding up Gi-hun, saving him during the Red-Light, Green-Light game in Squid Game(1) Player 001 approaches Gi-hun in a crowd of players.

However, the final season didn’t impress as much as the other entries. Season 3 debuted with an 88% approval rating from the critics and only 39% from the audience. As more reviews came in, the new entry has settled on a Certified Fresh 81% approval from the critics and a higher, but not great 52% from the audience, the lowest scores from both camps.

The Waterfront Season 1 and Squid Game Seasons 1 to 3 are available to stream on Netflix.