As the Olympics transfixes audiences around the world, another high-stakes competition is making its much-awaited return: Squid Game is set to launch its second season on 26 December. Netflix has also announced that the South Korean breakaway hit’s third and final season will follow in 2025.
Season one presented viewers with a fictional reality show, where hundreds of contestants in desperate need of cash played a series of deadly children’s games for a massive cash prize. The winner, Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), returns in season two “determined to find the people behind the game and put an end to their vicious sport,” according to Netflix. He uses his winnings to fund the investigation – but alas, “the path toward taking down the organisation proves to be deadlier than he imagined”.
Squid Game premiered in September 2021 is currently ranked as the most popular TV show on Netflix (ranked by views during a title’s first 91 days on the streaming service). Wednesday is the second most popular, followed by Stranger Things’ fourth season.
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After three years away, the dystopian show’s director Hwang Dong-hyuk (who also wrote and executive produced the series) has said he would “make sure it’s worth the wait.” Hwang won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2022 for directing Squid Game’s first season, and was the first South Korean to achieve the honour.
Lee also won a 2022 Emmy for his portrayal of Squid Game’s protagonist. While he’s currently starring in the Star Wars TV series spinoff The Acolyte, Lee is returning to Squid Game alongside season one’s Wi Ha-joon (Jun-ho), Gong Yoo (The Salesman) and Lee Byung-hun (The Front Man) – plus a number of new faces.
After the sweeping success of the first season, expectations are high for Squid Game’s return. Screen Rant writer Shawn Morrison has made the argument that Lee Jung-jae’s recent work on The Acolyte (a character inspired by his previous stint on Squid Game) may be what allows season 2 to “surpass the original”.
