By Matthew Creith | Published
Netflix has seen its fair share of ups and downs regarding the streaming wars still ongoing in American households. With the news that Disney+ has brought in more subscribers recently to its streaming platform, Netflix has been dethroned as the top tier of streaming providers. Disney’s great fortune is primarily due to its partnerships with Hulu, the Star Wars franchise, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For Netflix, the streamer has had to make do with its own brand of original content, and in 2021, it looked to its global audience to help further its reach by adopting new subscribers. One series, in particular, Squid Gamesbecame a hit for Netflix, and its upcoming season 2 may introduce fans to a whole new set of deadly games.
According to an interview series star O Yeong-su gave to Discussing Film, Squid Games season 2 will showcase a new set of games for its unlucky participants to play. The 77-year-old actor shared a bit of context to the second season by declaring that the first season included a lot of games that he played himself when he was little, as did many South Korean kids of his generation. He went on to say that the second season may feature some new games and that Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the director of the show, “Would have gotten some new games from his childhood and he actually told me that he has some that are more dramatic . So I’m looking forward to it.” The actor doesn’t believe any of the games in the second season will be created just for the show, but that the Squid Games writers will incorporate games from their childhood and then some.
Netflix scored a big win when it debuted Squid Games on its platform to speak to a global audience looking for more representation on screen. Squid Games was quickly renewed for season 2 after the show became the most watched series in Netflix’s history, beating out previous favorites like Lucifer, House of Cards, Bridgertonand Stranger Thingsaccording to Forbes. For its parts, Stranger Things still reigns supreme as the most watched English language series on Netflix after its fourth season premiered this summer. At the same time, Squid Games kills the competition for English and non-English language shows overall. The show’s place on Netflix has helped demonstrate the power of global audiences, particularly Korean representation and cultural shifts on television.
Squid Games season 2 is set to debut sometime in 2023 or 2024 with a new set of games for its characters to play. The show revolves around a series of deadly games played by over 400 financially strapped participants in order to fight to the death at a chance to win a prize equal to about $35 million. The series’ first season has become a hit with critics and audiences alike, with Rotten Tomatoes ranking the show with a 95% on its Tomatometer and an 83% average Audience Score. The show has garnered many accolades since its debut, particularly 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including one for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for O Yeong-su. The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock on September 12th.