‘Squid Game’ makes history – yes, again – with 14 Emmy nominations

Netflix’s megahit survival game series “Squid Game” has made television history yet again.

The South Korean drama became the first non-English language series to be nominated for an Emmy Award on Tuesday. The show is in the running for Best Outstanding Drama Series along with 13 others in the categories of production design, cinematography, main title design, visual effects and more.

Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, “Squid Game” follows 456 debt-ridden participants as they compete in a variety of children’s games for the ultimate prize of $38.6 million. If they lose in any of the games, they die.

Hwang has been nominated in both the writing and directing award categories.

Four members of the main cast have also been nominated for individual awards for their performances in the show: Lee Jung-jae, who played Seong Gi-hun, for Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Jung Ho-yeon, who played Kang Sae-byeok, for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and both Park Hae-soo and Oh Yeong-su, who played Cho Sang-woo and Oh Il-nam, respectively, are up for the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. Meanwhile Lee Yoo-mi, who played Ji-yeong, also nabbed a nomination for Guest Actress in a Drama.

Within days of its release in September 2021, the 10-episode series quickly dominated Netflix’s streaming charts worldwide. In October, the company announced that it became their top series of all time, viewed by over 111 million accounts less than four weeks after it premiered. The show toppled the previous record held by “Bridgerton” at 82 million households within a shorter time span.

“Squid Game” also made history at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards in February, becoming the first foreign-language TV series to win multiple awards. The show took home three awards out of its four nominations, including Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Drama. Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon won the awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male/Female Actor in a Drama.

A second season was confirmed by Hwang back in November, when he revealed he was left with “no choice” but to continue the series following its massive success. Netflix officially greenlit Season 2 months later in June, teasing the return of Gi-hun, the Front Man and “the man in the suit with ddakji,” along with the introduction of the creepy doll Young-hee’s boyfriend Cheol-su.

Feature image via Netflix

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