Squid Game’s second season will land on Netflix this year
After Netflix successfully turned this satirical blood bath into a literal game show, the original hit returns this year
Aux News Squid Game
Despite Netflix and MrBeast’s best efforts to take the sting out of Squid Game, the original Korean series will finally return to the streamer this year. Per Variety, Netflix announced the second season of their 2021 Emmy winner in a letter to shareholders today.
Squid Game was a monster hit for Netflix, securing 14 Emmy nominations and winning six. Netflix called it the “biggest ever series launch,” attracting 111 million viewers (by Netflix’s count) in its first three weeks, thanks primarily to word of mouth, upending the industry’s treatment of non-English language TV series. Though its message, like many works of satirical fiction before it, from iRobot to Soylent Green, the dystopic setting was defanged through misuse.
The need for new Squid Game episodes made it easy for Netflix to gum up the satirical works with an unscripted game show based on the challenges from the show. Of course, in the hands of creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, the idea of contestants fighting to the death for financial reward is not an aspirational thing. As he put it, “People are attracted by the irony that hopeless grownups risk their lives to win a kids’ game,” which can easily translate to real life. Who wouldn’t want to see financially desperate people risking their lives for a fortune? It’s the sort of thinking that leads to a show like Paid Off. As if we needed more proof, MrBeast spent more than $2 million bringing his frozen YouTube grin to a version of the game. Netflix also announced that a video game version of Squid Game is coming. Does all this dull the effect of the original show? Probably. But when there’s a good idea for a game show just sitting there, someone’s got to pick it up. How else can we explain the two versions of Sex Box?
12 Comments
I didn’t watch the Mr. Beast video or Netflix’s spin-off, so I’m still pretty excited to see what sting season 2 offers.
I liked the reality spin-off.
I’ve been staunchly opposed to its existence since it was announced, and think it’s absolutely vile what they did to those poor people. That said, it was incredibly entertaining and well-done and I slurped up every last minute of it.
I just don’t see how a season 2 can possibly measure up to the first. Like the end of the first season makes it seem like season 2 is setting up to be about Gi-hun trying to fight the system and stop the Games from going on, but like, come on. He’s rich after the first season, but he’s a millionaire up against some vague billionaire-Illuminati-types. Then again I guess the joy of fiction is entertaining the possibility that the little guy can triumph.
It doesn’t look like he actually kept hardly any of the money. In the end he was being contacted by the bank asking him why he hasn’t withdrawn any money, and was back to using his line from the beginning about borrowing money from people. Other than using some to go see his daughter, it seems like he gave most of it away.
I took that as meaning he hasn’t touched it because it’s blood money but I guess your way works too.
Where’s my avatar?
Where are all the avatars?
I reloaded mine like five times before I realized it’s everyone not just me
Can’t even change avatars now. Kinja not?
Though its message, like many works of satirical fiction before it, from iRobot to Soylent Green, the dystopic setting was defanged through misuse.God the fucking grammar and editing blows on this site. What was defanged – the message, or the “dystopic” (dystopian, sic) setting? How is a show’s message misused by that very show? Did ChatGPT write this article?
Does all this dull the effect of the original show? Probably.Not if you ignored the game show and don’t know who Mr Beast is. Maybe not for tv writers, but for normal people it’s very easy to just not watch garbage!