There's a new hit series in town, thanks to Netflix and the public's penchant for dystopian action. NBC News reports that Squid Game—a nine-episode thriller out of South Korea that debuted on the streaming platform on Sept. 17—is now "the internet's favorite show," shooting to Netflix's top spot among viewers in dozens of countries, including the US, the UK, and, not surprisingly, South Korea, per streaming stats from FlixPatrol. Rotten Tomatoes gives Squid Game a 94% critics' rating, and Ted Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO, says it looks like it will not only be Netflix's biggest non-English-language program of all time, but perhaps "our biggest show ever." Deadline notes that Squid Game could soon surpass Bridgerton as Netflix's No. 1 blockbuster globally. More on this surprise hit:
- A primer: First, it's important to know there are no actual squid involved (thanks, Vogue). Per CNN, the show's name is the name of one of the six children's games that the characters on the show, all competitors who are deeply in debt, are forced to play for a chance to win big money. Think tug of war and "Red Light, Green Light" (two of the other featured games; spoilers here), but higher stakes. Meaning the contestants get killed if they quit or lose.
- 'Worth the hype': So writes Bethonie Butler for the Washington Post, adding that the show is much more than just an "ultraviolent thriller." Specifically, it takes a deep dive into human nature, offering a "haunting microcosm of real life." "Like reality TV, it's a window into how human beings treat each other and what we'll do to succeed or, in this case, what we'll do to survive," she writes.
- 'Overhyped but still historic': That's the take Ahmed Twaij has for NBC News, noting some characters can feel "overly melodramatic," and that the first few episodes can seem a bit tedious. But he makes another big observation: The show's success "[dispels] the myth that Americans won't watch movies and TV shows with subtitles."
- Subtitle complaints: One big gripe that Korean-speaking fans have with the show: "botched" closed-captioned subtitles that lead to lost meaning, per the BBC. "Translation was so bad," one viewer noted online. "The dialogue was written so well and zero of it was preserved."
- Lawsuit: A South Korean internet provider isn't thrilled with the show, either. Fox Business reports that SK Broadband has filed a complaint against Netflix due to a sudden surge of internet traffic, and the accompanying required maintenance, because of Squid Game. Netflix says it will review the firm's claim.
- There are memes: Because of course there are. Vogue rounds up some of its favorites.
- Sequel: Kotaku notes that writer/director Hwang Dong-Hyuk didn't seem too keen at first to continue on with the series, but in a recent interview with the Times of London, he seemed more receptive to the idea. "While I was writing season one, I thought about the stories that could be in season two if I get to do one," he said, noting that police officers is one topic he'd like to touch upon. "I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late on acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. ... Maybe in season two I can talk about this more."
- Watch for yourself: Intrigued? Here's the show's official trailer to suck you in.
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