Netflix's 'Dead-End Job' Hits No. 4 on Global Non-English Chart

Netflix's new Korean horror series "Dead-End Job" has reached No.4 on Netflix's global Top 10 chart for non-English shows within three days of its release on Oct. 30 marking an impressive start.

According to Netflix's Top 10 website which counts views by dividing total viewing hours by a title's full runtime, the series logged 25.4 million viewing hours and five million views in its first three days.

Furthermore, the show also took No. 1 on Netflix's "Top 10 Series in South Korea Today" list right after its release. It made the Top 10 in 51 countries including Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

The series stars Lee Jae-wook as Hyuk-jun, a young man who gets pulled into various nightmarish job sites. The story is set at a strange staffing agency that only offers "sweet" part-time gigs, with pay starting at 50 times the normal hourly wage. However, the catch is that every job turns out to be a horror show.

Netflix describes the series as a horror story about making a living by pairing the everyday struggles to pay the bills with scares. An interesting point which has drawn attention from critics as reviews have started to pour out.

"From solid direction that blends comedy and horror just right to actors who bring their strong characters fully to life, 'Sweet Part-Time Job' is packed with strengths," wrote Park Jin-young of Joy News 24.

Kim Saet-byeol of The Fact pointed to the show's tone. "Rather than being blindly brutal or heavy, it mixes in the right amount of humor to create a strange atmosphere," Kim wrote. "The way it turns familiar part-time job sites into spaces ruled by different rules and moods in each episode is especially interesting."

Overseas also outlets weighed in, India Today praised the show's intriguing premise, fast pacing and a cast that understands the balance between horror and humor. Moreover, decider said it expects the series to be a fun ride for horror fans.

Viewers have been just as vocal on movie and TV review platforms such as Watch Pedia, one viewer wrote that the show "blends social issues and fantasy action naturally," adding, "the acting is good, the special effects are good, and the music is good."

Another said it was a thrill to see a "Napolitan" ghost story, a Korean internet horror format built around eerie lists of rules, come to life on screen.

"It's so fun I wish I could erase it from my memory and watch it again," one fan posted on X. Another praised the cast's everyday acting, saying it felt "so natural that they seem like real people living in that situation."

On YouTube, one viewer noted that time flies while watching and that the show is "full of hidden Easter eggs." Reviews on IMDb called it a must-watch for fans of unpredictable plots and supernatural mystery, with one user adding that the pacing is great and "it keeps you watching because you want to know what happens in the next episode."

Netflix also released new stills from the series with several showing Hyuk-jun fighting to survive at his job sites and running into strange events that keep him from clocking out. Lee plays a character who throws himself into life-or-death situations, then has no choice but to take another gig anyway. It is a funny but sad reality, and Lee plays both sides of it.

Go Min-si plays Yeon-ju, a mysterious figure digging into the secrets of the staffing agency, 'Spider Staffing.' She keeps her own background hidden while circling around Hyuk-jun and his sister, Ji-yoon, which raises questions about who she really is.

Ji-yoon, played by Kim Min-ha, steps into the world of these jobs on her own to save her older brother. One still even shows the siblings teaming up to escape a job site.

Lee Hee-joon plays the head of 'Spider Staffing,' who lures people into dangerous work with sweet offers. He also takes on bold action scenes to keep the balance of the show's world. The character is hard to pin down as simply good or evil, and that adds tension through the end.

Other stills show happier days for the family. They feature Min-su (Baek Hyun-jin), the missing father who has weighed on Hyuk-jun's mind, and Sun-hee (Kim Soo-jin), the mother who has stayed by her children's side. A rotating lineup of odd characters appears in each episode, including Hee-dong (Choi Hyun-wook) and the Clown (Lee Sung-hyung).

Ultimately, so far the show's early numbers suggest that a horror story built on something as ordinary as needing a paycheck can travel well beyond just the Korean entertainment scene.

"Dead-End Job" is now streaming only on Netflix.