Will 'Teach You a Lesson' be the next 'Squid Game'?

The Netflix original series “Teach You a Lesson” ranked as the No. 6 most-watched show worldwide during the first half of the year, outperforming dozens of global releases despite premiering only in early June, according to the streaming platform's latest viewing numbers. 

“What We Watched,” Netflix's semiannual report, was released Thursday, tallying global viewing hours for content watched between January and June.

“Teach You a Lesson” recorded 48.2 million views during the period, ranking sixth among all shows, excluding films.

Released on June 5, the series follows a team of inspectors at the fictional Educational Rights Protection Bureau who set out to teach lessons to school bullies and parents who cross the line in bid to restore school order. 

“His & Hers” topped the list with 104 million views, followed by the fourth season of “Bridgerton” (2020–) with 102 million, “I Will Find You” with 63.9 million, the fifth season of “Stranger Things” (2016-25) with 55.6 million and “Run Away” with 50.3 million. Netflix calculates views by dividing total watch time by a title's runtime.

U.S. entertainment outlet Deadline wrote that Netflix had “another Korean television hit on its hands.”

It pointed out that the series landed at No. 6 in Netflix’s report “in that time frame despite premiering on June 5,” adding that it is “on track to become the streamer’s second most-watched Korean show ever behind only ‘Squid Game’ (2021-25).”

The most-watched Korean dramas on Netflix remain the first, second, and third seasons of “Squid Game.”

Other Korean titles that made the global charts included “Can This Love Be Translated?” at No. 19 with 28.6 million views and “The Art of Sarah” at No. 27 with 25.8 million views.

Meanwhile, seasons 1 through 3 of “Squid Game” collectively recorded 14.4 million views during the reporting period.

Korean television dramas released simultaneously on domestic broadcasters and Netflix, with two episodes airing each week, also posted strong performances.

SBS series “My Royal Nemesis” garnered 15.7 million views, followed by other SBS series: “Sold Out on You” with 12.4 million views, “Phantom Lawyer” with 8.6 million and “Dynamite Kiss” (2025) with 8.4 million. Other strong performers included tvN’s “Undercover Miss Hong” with 8.1 million views and JTBC’s “We Are All Trying Here” with 4.1 million.

“Streaming platforms’ originals released all at once tend to concentrate most of their global momentum within roughly four weeks,” said Noh Chang-hee, head of the Institute of Digital Industry and Policy.

“By contrast, series that release new episodes weekly on television continue to build word-of-mouth on global platforms each week, creating a powerful long-tail effect that steadily attracts viewers.”

In the film category, “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025), released in June last year, ranked No. 4 globally with 130.4 million views, behind “War Machine” with 146.9 million, “The Rip” with 136.1 million and “Swapped” with 130.8 million.

Among Korean films, “The Great Flood” (2025) recorded 27.5 million views, while “Husbands in Action” drew 12.6 million.

Netflix's overall viewing hours continued to rise. Viewers watched more than 97 billion hours of content during the first half, up 1.9 percent from the same period last year and 1.5 percent from the second half of last year.

The company reported $12.56 billion in revenue for the second quarter, an increase of more than 13 percent from a year earlier, while net income rose about 9 percent to $3.4 billion.

The streamer noted that the increase was “driven primarily by membership growth, pricing and increased ad revenue.”

BY CHOI MIN-JI [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]