Underplayed Gems

Squid Game (2021)

Squid Game poster
Original title
오징어 게임
Directed by
Hwang Dong-hyeok
Written by
Hwang Dong-hyeok
Cast
Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Oh Yeong-su, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-ryoung, Wi Ha-jun, Heo Sung-tae
Genre
action television series, drama television series, survival film, thriller television series, mystery television series
Country
South Korea
Length
3 seasons, 22 episodes
Rated
TV-MA
Rating
7.9 of 10 from 17,548 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Hundreds of deeply indebted people agree to play simple children's games for a huge cash prize. They quickly discover that losing a game means dying. The show follows one man's struggle to survive the contest and confront the cruelty of the system that created it.

tensebleaksuspensefulvisceralunsettlingdarkly comicclaustrophobicdesperate

What happens

Squid Game (Korean: 오징어 게임; RR: Ojingeo geim) is a South Korean dystopian survival thriller drama television series created, written, and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. The series revolves around a secret contest where 456 players, all of whom are in deep financial hardship, risk their lives to play a series of children's games that result in death if eliminated, for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion (US$39.86 million) prize. The series' title draws from ojingeo ("squid"), a Korean children's game. Lee Jung-jae, who portrays series protagonist Seong Gi-hun, leads an ensemble cast. Hwang conceived Squid Game based on his own economic struggles, as well as the class disparity in South Korea and capitalism. Although he wrote the story in 2009, Hwang could not find a production company to fund the idea until Netflix took an interest around 2019 as part of a drive to expand its foreign programming offerings. The first season of Squid Game was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, to critical acclaim and international attention. It became Netflix's most-watched series and received numerous accolades, including six Primetime Emmy Awards and one Golden Globe. The second season was released on December 26, 2024, followed by the third and final season on June 27, 2025. The final two seasons were filmed back-to-back and were met with generally positive reviews from critics, though they were considered inferior to the first season. Squid Game has become one of Netflix's flagship series. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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