If you’ve been on the internet in the past month, chances are that Squid Game is everywhere – with good reason. With the series becoming Netflix’s biggest hit ever, it’s no surprise that people can’t stop talking about it, from the actors to the games played on the show. With such success, it seems to be a given that fans want a season two – here’s why that might not be possible.
In order to analyze the potential future of the show, we have to know the past. Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of Squid Game, sat on the script for over a decade before finding a production company willing to produce the limited series. When Netflix picked up the series in 2019, it was time to visualize the series with a global audience in mind.
It’s no doubt that the international success of Squid Game opened doors for linguistic diversity in North American media consumption. The impact of a non-English language series winning EGOT awards (assuming Squid Game will win, but I have high hopes for the show!) paves the way for immersing oneself in a culture they may not have experience in – allowing for the opportunity to learn about global customs and traditions. This can be seen with how the appearance of dalgona candy on the show started a global conversation about the Korean treat on social media.
Squid Game is easily Netflix’s biggest hit of the year (if not ever), so there is a huge amount of audience interest in a second season. Unfortunately, that may not be possible. Hwang Dong-hyuk has said in interviews that he lost six teeth while creating the series due to stress. While the article previously referenced claims that there’s some contemplation over producing more content for the series – but don’t expect anything too soon!
Still need your Squid Game fix? Thankfully, since the series has become a global phenomenon, there has been plenty of fan works inspired by the series. From Squid Game Halloween costumes to recreations of the game (without the violence!), we’ll have no shortage of Squid Game content.