Squid Games Gold Coin Revolving Dolls Head South Korea Autograph Childrens Retro

EUR 21,39 Compralo Subito o Proposta d'acquisto, EUR 7,12 Spedizione, 30-Giorno Restituzione, Garanzia cliente eBay
Venditore: lasvegasormonaco ✉️ (3.187) 99.7%, Luogo in cui si trova l'oggetto: Manchester, Take a look at my other items, GB, Spedizione verso: WORLDWIDE, Numero oggetto: 266710080012 Squid Games Gold Coin Revolving Dolls Head South Korea Autograph Childrens Retro. ‘Side Hustlers’ Renewed For Season 2 By Roku. watch it on netflix. Lee Jung-jae 2021. (Image credit: Soyun Jeon, Seowoo Jung/Netflix). 'Bloodhounds'. watch it on viki. Won Ji-an[29]. (Image credit: Wavve). Squid Games Rotating Dolls Head + Squid Games Card This is a Gold Plated "Squid Games" Coin with Autograph Card It shows the first game from the TV Series "Red Light, Green Light" and the Dolls Head Rotates and turns around (please see the video included in the photos" In front of the doll is a scene from the TV series with all the main actors The back has the name "Squid Game" The Square and the Square and Circle Squid Logo Also is three of the masked "Game Helpers" Also included is a card one side is a replica of the invitational card on the show with the Square, Triangle, Circle Logo and the phone number the contestants call The back has an image from the show and autographs from all the main actors and their names Would make an Excellent Gift for anyone who loves the TV Show Dimension 50 mm x 40 mm x 5mm Weights about 1 oz In Excellent Condition Would make an Excellent Birthday or Christmas Gift for anyone  Click Here to Check out my other Unique Items!

Bid with Confidence please read my 100% Positive feedback from over 2,000 satisfied customer

Read how quickly they receive their items -  I post all my items within 24 hours of receiving payment I am a UK Based Seller with over 10 years of eBay Selling Experience I am Highly Rated Seller by Ebay and  My selling Performance is Rated  Premium Service

International customers are welcome.  I have shipped items to over 120 countries and I will ship anywhere worldwide UK Buyers can expect their items in a few days sometimes they arrive the next day Items sent to Europe usually take about a week and outside Europe take around 2 weeks International orders may require longer handling time if held up at customs. A small percentage do get held up at customs if they do they can take up to 6 weeks to arrive Returns Accepted Why not treat yourself? I always combine multiple items and send an invoice with discounted postage I leave instant feedback upon receiving yours All payment methods accepted from all countries in all currencies Are you looking for a Interesting conversation piece?  A birthday present for the person who has everything? A comical gift to cheer someone up? or a special unique gift just to say thank you? You now know where to look for a bargain! All Items Dispatched within 24 hours of Receiving Payment. 

Thanks for Looking and Good Luck with the Bidding!! 

I have sold items to coutries such as Afghanistan * Albania * Algeria * American Samoa (US) * Andorra * Angola * Anguilla (GB) * Antigua and Barbuda * Argentina * Armenia * Aruba (NL) * Australia * Austria * Azerbaijan * Bahamas * Bahrain * Bangladesh * Barbados * Belarus * Belgium * Belize * Benin * Bermuda (GB) * Bhutan * Bolivia * Bonaire (NL)  * Bosnia and Herzegovina * Botswana * Bouvet Island (NO) * Brazil * British Indian Ocean Territory (GB) * British Virgin Islands (GB) * Brunei * Bulgaria * Burkina Faso * Burundi * Cambodia * Cameroon * Canada * Cape Verde * Cayman Islands (GB) * Central African Republic * Chad * Chile * China * Christmas Island (AU) * Cocos Islands (AU) * Colombia * Comoros * Congo * Democratic Republic of the Congo * Cook Islands (NZ) * Coral Sea Islands Territory (AU) * Costa Rica * Croatia * Cuba * Curaçao (NL)  * Cyprus * Czech Republic * Denmark * Djibouti * Dominica * Dominican Republic * East Timor * Ecuador * Egypt * El Salvador * Equatorial Guinea * Eritrea * Estonia * Ethiopia * Falkland Islands (GB) * Faroe Islands (DK) * Fiji Islands * Finland * France * French Guiana (FR) * French Polynesia (FR) * French Southern Lands (FR) * Gabon * Gambia * Georgia * Germany * Ghana * Gibraltar (GB) * Greece * Greenland (DK) * Grenada * Guadeloupe (FR) * Guam (US) * Guatemala * Guernsey (GB) * Guinea * Guinea-Bissau * Guyana * Haiti * Heard and McDonald Islands (AU) * Honduras * Hong Kong (CN) * Hungary * Iceland * India * Indonesia * Iran * Iraq * Ireland * Isle of Man (GB) * Israel * Italy * Ivory Coast * Jamaica * Jan Mayen (NO) * Japan * Jersey (GB) * Jordan * Kazakhstan * Kenya * Kiribati * Kosovo * Kuwait * Kyrgyzstan * Laos * Latvia * Lebanon * Lesotho * Liberia * Libya * Liechtenstein * Lithuania * Luxembourg * Macau (CN) * Macedonia * Madagascar * Malawi * Malaysia * Maldives * Mali * Malta * Marshall Islands * Martinique (FR) * Mauritania * Mauritius * Mayotte (FR) * Mexico * Micronesia * Moldova * Monaco * Mongolia * Montenegro * Montserrat (GB) * Morocco * Mozambique * Myanmar * Namibia * Nauru * Navassa (US) * Nepal * Netherlands * New Caledonia (FR) * New Zealand * Nicaragua * Niger * Nigeria * Niue (NZ) * Norfolk Island (AU) * North Korea * Northern Cyprus * Northern Mariana Islands (US) * Norway * Oman * Pakistan * Palau * Palestinian Authority * Panama * Papua New Guinea * Paraguay * Peru * Philippines * Pitcairn Island (GB) * Poland * Portugal * Puerto Rico (US) * Qatar * Reunion (FR) * Romania * Russia * Rwanda * Saba (NL)  * Saint Barthelemy (FR) * Saint Helena (GB) * Saint Kitts and Nevis * Saint Lucia * Saint Martin (FR) * Saint Pierre and Miquelon (FR) * Saint Vincent and the Grenadines * Samoa * San Marino * Sao Tome and Principe * Saudi Arabia * Senegal * Serbia * Seychelles * Sierra Leone * Singapore * Sint Eustatius (NL)  * Sint Maarten (NL)  * Slovakia * Slovenia * Solomon Islands * Somalia * South Africa * South Georgia (GB) * South Korea * South Sudan * Spain * Sri Lanka * Sudan * Suriname * Svalbard (NO) * Swaziland * Sweden * Switzerland * Syria * Taiwan * Tajikistan * Tanzania * Thailand * Togo * Tokelau (NZ) * Tonga * Trinidad and Tobago * Tunisia * Turkey * Turkmenistan * Turks and Caicos Islands (GB) * Tuvalu * U.S. Minor Pacific Islands (US) * U.S. Virgin Islands (US) * Uganda * Ukraine * United Arab Emirates * United Kingdom * United States * Uruguay * Uzbekistan * Vanuatu * Vatican City * Venezuela * Vietnam * Wallis and Futuna (FR) * Yemen * Zambia * Zimbabwe and major cities such as Tokyo, Yokohama, New York City, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Mexico City, Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Manila, Mumbai, Delhi, Jakarta, Lagos, Kolkata, Cairo, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Shanghai, Karachi, Paris, Istanbul, Nagoya, Beijing, Chicago, London, Shenzhen, Essen, Düsseldorf, Tehran, Bogota, Lima, Bangkok, Johannesburg, East Rand, Chennai, Taipei, Baghdad, Santiago, Bangalore, Hyderabad, St Petersburg, Philadelphia, Lahore, Kinshasa, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Madrid, Tianjin, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, Fukuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and Accra

Squid Game (Korean: 오징어 게임) is a South Korean television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi and Kim Joo-ryoung.

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 deadly children's games for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion prize. The series' title draws from a similarly named Korean children's game. Hwang conceived the idea based on his own economic struggles, as well as the class disparity in South Korea and capitalism.[4][5] Though 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 their foreign programming offerings.

Squid Game was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, to critical acclaim and international attention. It became Netflix's most-watched series and the most-watched program in 94 countries, attracting more than 142 million member households and 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first four weeks, surpassing Bridgerton as the service's most-watched show. It has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for O Yeong-su, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae and HoYeon Jung, respectively; all three were also the first Korean actors to win in those categories. The first season received 14 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including for Outstanding Drama Series, making it the first non-English-language work to be nominated in this category; Lee won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, the first time an Asian actor won the award for a non-English part.

A second season was officially announced in June 2022, along with a reality competition series titled Squid Game: The Challenge. Production for the second season began in July 2023, and expected to broadcast in 2024.

Plot

In a dystopian South Korea, Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father and indebted gambler who lives with his elderly mother, is invited to play a series of children's games for a chance at a large cash prize. Accepting the offer, he is taken to an unknown location where he finds himself among 456 other players who are all in deep financial trouble. The players are made to wear green tracksuits and are kept under watch at all times by masked guards in pink jumpsuits, with the games overseen by the Front Man, who wears a black mask and black uniform. The players soon discover that losing a game results in their deaths, with each death contributing ₩100 million to the potential ₩45.6 billion grand prize.[a][b] Gi-hun allies with other players, including his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo and North Korean defector Kang Sae-byeok, to try to survive the games' physical and psychological twists.[7][8]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Squid Game characters

Main cast

Cast

Lee Jung-jae 2021

Lee Jung-jae (Seong Gi-hun, Player 456)

Park Hae-soo (Cho Sang-woo, Player 218)

Wi Ha-joon (Police Officer Hwang Jun-ho)

Jung Ho-yeon (Kang Sae-byeok, Player 067)

Numbers in parentheses denote the character's assigned player number in the Squid Game universe.

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun (성기훈, [sʌŋ gi hun] ⓘ, 456),[9] a divorced chauffeur and gambling addict. He lives with his mother and struggles to support his daughter financially. He participates in the game to settle his many debts, and to prove himself financially stable enough to have custody of his daughter, who is to leave for the United States with her mother and stepfather. (seasons 1–2)

Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (조상우, Korean pronunciation: [tɕo saŋ u], 218[c]),[9] the former head of an investment team at a securities company. He was a junior classmate to Gi-hun, and studied at Seoul National University. He joins the game to escape the police, who want him for stealing money from his clients and racking up massive debts from bad investments. (season 1)

Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho (황준호, Korean pronunciation: [hwaːŋ tɕun ho]),[10] a police officer who sneaks into the game disguised as a guard, to find his missing brother. (seasons 1–2)

Jung Ho-yeon as Kang Sae-byeok (강새벽, Korean pronunciation: [gaŋ sɛ bjʌk], 067),[11] a North Korean defector from North Hamgyong Province, North Korea.[12] She enters the game to pay for a broker who can rescue her parents across the border, and to buy a house for her reunited family. (season 1)

O Yeong-su as Oh Il-nam (오일남, Korean pronunciation: [o il nam], 001),[13] an elderly man with a brain tumor who prefers playing the game as opposed to waiting to die in the outside world and who is later revealed to be the main antagonist of the series (season 1)

Heo Sung-tae as Jang Deok-su (장덕수, Korean pronunciation: [dzaŋ dʌk su], 101),[14] a gangster who enters the game to settle his massive gambling debts, including money he stole from his boss and underlings. (season 1)

Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul (알리 압둘, 199),[13] a migrant worker from Pakistan, who enters the game to provide for his young family after his employer withholds his wages for months. (season 1)

Kim Joo-ryoung as Han Mi-nyeo (한미녀, Korean pronunciation: [han mi njʌ], 212),[15] a loud and manipulative woman. Her reasons for entering the game are unexplained. (season 1)

Recurring cast

Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi (병기, 111),[16] a doctor who secretly works with a group of corrupt guards to traffic the organs of dead participants in exchange for information on upcoming games

Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-yeong (지영, 240),[17] a young woman who has just been released from prison after killing her abusive step-father

Kim Si-hyun as Player 244, a pastor who rediscovers his faith during the game

Lee Sang-hee as Do Jung-soo (도정수, 017),[18] a former glassmaker

Kim Yun-tae as Player 069, a player who joins the game with his wife, Player 070

Lee Ji-ha as Player 070,[19] a player who joins the game with her husband, Player 069

Kwak Ja-hyoung as Player 278, a player who joins Deok-su's group and acts as his henchman

Christian Lagahit as Player 276,[20][21] a player who joins Seong Gi-hun's group in the Tug of War round

Kim Young-ok as Oh Mal-soon, Gi-hun's mother[22]

Cho Ah-in as Seong Ga-yeong, Gi-hun's daughter

Kang Mal-geum as Kang Eun-ji, Gi-hun's ex-wife and Ga-yeong's mother[22]

Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo's mother

Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Sae-byeok's younger brother

Guest cast

Gong Yoo as a salesman who recruits participants for the Game[23] (seasons 1–2)

Lee Byung-hun as Hwang In-ho, the Front Man, overseer of the Game[24] (seasons 1–2)

Lee Jung-jun as Guard[25]

John D Michaels as VIP #1[26]

Daniel C Kennedy as VIP #2[26]

David Lee as VIP #3[27]

Geoffrey Giuliano as VIP #4[26]

Stephane Mot as VIP #5[27]

Michael Davis as VIP #6[27]

Season 2

Im Si-wan[28]

Kang Ha-neul[28]

Park Sung-hoon[28]

Yang Dong-geun[28]

Jo Yu-ri[29]

Kang Ae-shim[29]

Lee David[29]

Lee Jin-wook[29]

Choi Seung-hyun[29]

Roh Jae-won[29]

Won Ji-an[29]

Park Gyu-young[29]

Jeon Seok-ho[30]

Kim Si-eun[31][32][33][clarification needed]

Episodes

Squid Game consists of one season with nine episodes that are 52-63 minutes in length, except episode 8 which is only 33 minutes. All nine episodes were written and directed by Hwang. The full series was released in all Netflix worldwide markets on September 17, 2021.[34]

No. Title Directed by Written by Original release date

1 "Red Light, Green Light"

Transliteration: "Mugunghwa Kkoch-i Pideon Nal" (Korean: 무궁화 꽃이 피던 날)[d] Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

Seong Gi-hun is down on his luck, having accumulated enormous debts with loan sharks while becoming estranged from his daughter and ex-wife. In a subway, a well-dressed man asks him to play a game of ddakji for money and offers an opportunity to play more games with much higher stakes. Gi-hun accepts, is sedated, and awakens in a dormitory with 455 others, identified only by numbers on their green tracksuits. A group of masked guards in pink jumpsuits arrive and explain that the players are all in dire financial straits but will be given billions of won in prize money if they can win six games over six days. The games are overseen by the Front Man, who is masked and dressed in black. Gi-hun befriends Player 001, an elderly man suffering from a brain tumor. He also recognizes two other players: Cho Sang-woo, a childhood classmate who became an investment broker, and Player 067, a pickpocket who stole Gi-hun's money after he won a horse race wager. The first game is Red Light, Green Light, where anyone caught moving is shot dead on the spot, revealing the sadistic nature of the games. Half the contestants panic and attempt to flee upon realizing this, turning the game into a massacre. With help from Sang-woo and Player 199, Gi-hun finishes the game alive.

2 "Hell"

Transliteration: "Jiok" (Korean: 지옥) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

With over half of the players killed in the first game, many survivors demand to be released. Using the game's third clause, they narrowly vote to cancel the game and send everyone home, but without any prize money. Back in Seoul, Gi-hun goes to the police, but no one believes him except Detective Hwang Jun-ho, whose brother received the same invitation card and has recently disappeared. The players are invited to re-enter the game, and many return out of desperation. This includes Gi-hun, whose mother needs surgery; Sang-woo, who is about to be arrested for financial fraud; Player 001, who does not wish to die in the outside world; Player 067, who wishes to rescue her parents from North Korea and get her little brother out of an orphanage; Player 199, a Pakistani migrant worker who attacked and gravely injured his boss for withholding his wages; and Player 101, named Jang Deok-su, a gangster on the run from gambling debts and his ex-bosses. Jun-ho secretly follows Gi-hun when the guards pick him up.

3 "The Man with the Umbrella"

Transliteration: "Usan-eul Sseun Namja" (Korean: 우산을 쓴 남자) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

Jun-ho successfully infiltrates the games by disguising himself as a masked worker, and it is revealed that the location is a remote island. The players are now more prepared and start forming alliances. Gi-hun, Sang-woo, Player 001, and Player 199 team up. Player 067 explores an air vent and witnesses workers melting pots of sugar. The second game is revealed to be Ppopgi, where each player must perfectly extract a stamped shape from a dalgona (honeycomb candy) under a 10-minute time limit. Sang-woo learns of Player 067's discovery and recognizes the game beforehand, but does not warn his teammates and chooses the most straightforward shape for himself. Gi-hun ends up picking the most difficult shape, an umbrella. Still, he is able to complete the game by licking the back of the honeycomb to melt it. Player 212, a rowdy and manipulative woman, helps Deok-su complete the game with a smuggled lighter. A player about to be executed takes a guard hostage and forces him to unmask. Shocked that the staff member is a young man, the player shoots himself, and the Front Man kills the guard for revealing his identity.

4 "Stick to the Team"

Transliteration: "Jjollyeodo Pyeonmeokgi" (Korean: 쫄려도 편먹기) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

Player 111, a disgraced doctor, secretly works with a handful of guards to harvest organs from dead players to sell on the black market in return for information on upcoming games. When Deok-su kills a player accusing him of taking extra food, the guards do nothing to stop him, and the prize money's value is increased. Realizing they can freely kill other players to raise the prize money, Deok-su and his gang start a massive riot after lights out, resulting in players attacking each other. Gi-hun's group survives and exchanges names to build trust: Player 199 is Ali Abdul, and Player 067 is Kang Sae-byeok. Player 001, because of his brain tumor, has trouble remembering his name. Player 212, named Han Mi-nyeo, has sex with Deok-su. In the third game, players are told to form groups of ten. For Gi-hun's team, Sae-byeok recruits Player 240, a girl close to her age. The game is revealed to be tug of war on two raised platforms, where a team wins by dragging the opposing team off the other platform to their deaths. Deok-su, having learned of the game from Player 111 beforehand, picks only strong men and rejects Mi-nyeo, who joins Gi-hun's team. After Deok-su's team wins their match handily, Gi-hun's team struggles against another all-male team.

5 "A Fair World"

Transliteration: "Pyeongdeung-han Sesang" (Korean: 평등한 세상) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

Gi-hun's team wins their tug-of-war match with Player 001's strategy and Sang-woo's quick thinking. Anticipating another riot, they build a barricade and spend the night taking turns on guard, but Deok-su's team does not attack. Gi-hun reminisces on a similar situation from ten years ago when he and many other workers from an automobile factory protested a mass layoff, which caused the failed trajectory of Gi-hun's life. Player 240 attempts to befriend Sae-Byeok, but she does not reciprocate. Jun-ho witnesses the organ harvesting racket, as the guard whose identity he stole took part in it. Player 111 turns on the racketeers when the guards are unable to tell him what the next game is. Everyone involved in the racket, except Jun-ho, is eventually killed, including Player 111. The Front Man begins a facility-wide manhunt for Jun-ho, who breaks into the Front Man's office. Jun-ho learns that the game has been running for over 30 years and that his elder brother, Hwang In-ho, was the winner in 2015.

6 "Gganbu"

Transliteration: "Kkanbu" (Korean: 깐부) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

The players see the bodies of Player 111 and his co-conspirators strung up for cheating and are assured that the games are designed to give every player a fair chance without discrimination. For the fourth game, players are told to pair up, but discover that instead of working as a team, they will have to play against their partner in a marble game of their choice. Whoever gets all their partner's marbles within 30 minutes will win and survive. Sae-byeok and Player 240, named Ji-yeong, share their life stories; Ji-yeong sees Sae-byeok has more to live for and sacrifices herself. Sang-woo tricks Ali into giving up his marbles and wins. Deok-su wins against his partner and henchman, Player 278. Gi-hun exploits Player 001's dementia to defeat him, only to discover that the old man was aware of the deception the entire time. Player 001, who remembers his name as Oh Il-nam, allows Gi-hun to win anyway, as he is his gganbu (trusted friend). Gi-hun and Sae-byeok are traumatized by the deaths of their friends.

7 "V.I.P.S" Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

The players return to find Mi-nyeo, who did not have a partner for the marbles game, still alive. Foreign VIPs, who had been wagering on the games remotely, arrive to watch and wager on the following rounds live. Jun-ho, posing as one of the masked servants, is sexually propositioned by one of them. In a private room, he attacks the VIP, records his confession, and escapes the island. Meanwhile, the fifth game has players crossing a two-panel wide bridge, where the panels are each made of either tempered or regular glass, the latter of which cannot support their weight. The players at the front of the line fall to their deaths as they progressively test the panels. Deok-su refuses to move despite the clock ticking, daring others to pass him. Mi-nyeo grabs him and, as revenge for betraying her, pulls him down with her to their deaths. Player 017, a seasoned glass worker, is able to determine which panels are safe until the Front Man turns off the lights, removing his advantage. With time running out, Sang-woo pushes Player 017 to his death, revealing the last trick panel. Only Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok complete the game; at its conclusion, explosions shatter the remaining panels and injure the three players.

8 "Front Man"

Transliteration: "Peuronteumaen" (Korean: 프론트맨) Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

As finalists, Gi-hun, Sang-woo, and Sae-byeok are given a change of outfit to formal clothes. Sae-byeok hides a severe stab wound she received from the glass bridge explosion. After eating dinner, each player is left with a steak knife. Gi-hun suggests to Sae-byeok that they should ally against Sang-woo, realizing he will do anything to win. Sae-byeok instead begs Gi-hun to promise that whoever wins the game will look after the other's loved ones. Gi-hun goes to kill Sang-woo when he falls asleep, but Sae-byeok stops him, telling him he is not a murderer. Sae-byeok's injury worsens, prompting Gi-hun to call for help. When Gi-hun is away, Sang-woo kills Sae-byeok, and the guards arrive only to collect her corpse. Furious and heartbroken, Gi-hun tries to attack Sang-woo but is prevented by the guards. Meanwhile, Jun-ho makes it to another island but is quickly tracked down by the Front Man and the guards. To Jun-ho's shock, the Front Man reveals himself to be his brother, In-ho, who tries to recruit him. When he refuses, In-ho shoots Jun-ho in the shoulder, causing him to fall back over a cliff edge and into the sea.

9 "One Lucky Day"

Transliteration: "Unsu Joeun Nal" (Korean: 운수 좋은 날)[e] Hwang Dong-hyuk Hwang Dong-hyuk September 17, 2021

In the final eponymous Squid game, Gi-hun defeats Sang-woo after a brutal fight but refuses to kill him; he begs Sang-Woo to stop the game using the third clause. Sang-woo instead stabs himself in the neck and asks Gi-hun to take care of his mother before dying. Gi-hun is returned to Seoul with a bank card to access the prize money, but discovers his own mother has died. A year later, Gi-hun remains traumatized and has not touched his prize money out of guilt. He receives an invitation card from his gganbu and finds Oh Il-nam on his deathbed. Il-nam reveals he created the game to entertain bored wealthy people like himself. He chose games he played as a child and participated in Gi-hun's group out of nostalgia. As they talk, Il-nam wagers with Gi-hun on whether an unconscious man lying on a street corner will be helped before midnight. The man is saved just before the stroke of midnight, and Il-nam dies shortly after. Gi-hun retrieves Sae-byeok's brother and has him looked after by Sang-woo's mother, and gives them a share of the prize money. As Gi-hun travels to the airport to reconnect with his daughter in Los Angeles, he sees the same game recruiter playing ddakji with another desperate player but manages only to get that player's invitation card. He calls the card's number before boarding his plane, demanding to know who is running the games. The person behind the phone number curtly orders him to get on the plane, but Gi-hun ends the call and returns to the terminal.

Production

Development

Season 1

Series creator and director Hwang Dong-hyuk.

Around 2008, Hwang Dong-hyuk had tried unsuccessfully to get investment for a different movie script that he had written, and he, his mother, and his grandmother had to take out loans to stay afloat, but still struggled amid the debt crisis within the country.[5][36][f] He spent his free time in a Manhwabang (South Korean manga cafe) reading Japanese survival manga such as Battle Royale, Liar Game and Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.[38][39][4][40] Hwang compared the characters' situation in these works to his own current situation and considered the idea of being able to join such a survival game to win money to get him out of debt, leading him to write a film script on that concept throughout 2009.[40] Hwang stated, "I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we've all met in real life."[41] Hwang feared the storyline was "too difficult to understand and bizarre" at the time.[38] Hwang tried to sell his story to various Korean production groups and actors, but had been told it was too grotesque and unrealistic.[42] Hwang put this script aside without any takers, and over the next ten years successfully completed three other films, including the crime drama film Silenced (2011) and the historical drama film The Fortress (2017).[40]

In the 2010s, Netflix had seen a large growth in viewership outside of North America, and started investing in productions in other regions, including Korea.[43] Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, stated in 2018 that they were looking for more successes from overseas productions: "The exciting thing for me would be if the next Stranger Things came from outside America. Right now, historically, nothing of that scale has ever come from anywhere but Hollywood."[44] Netflix had opened up a division in Asia in 2018, and while they were still operating out of temporary leased office space in Seoul, Hwang brought his script to their attention. Kim Minyoung, one of Netflix's content officers for the Asian regions, recognized Hwang's talent from The Fortress and his other films, and upon seeing his script for Squid Game, knew they needed it for the service. Kim said "[W]e were looking for shows that were different from what's traditionally 'made it,' and Squid Game was exactly it".[45] Netflix formally announced in September 2019 they would produce Hwang's work as an original series.[42][46] Netflix's Bela Bajaria, head of global television operations, said that of their interest in Hwang's work, "we knew it was going to be big in Korea because it had a well-regarded director with a bold vision", and that "K-Dramas also travel well across Asia".[43] Regarding his return to the project, Hwang commented, "It's a sad story. But the reason why I returned to the project is because the world 10 years from then has transformed to a place where these unbelievable survival stories are so fitting, and I found that this is the time when people will call these stories intriguing and realistic."[38] Hwang further believed that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the economic disparity between classes in South Korea, and said that "All of these points made the story very realistic for people compared to a decade ago".[42]

With the Netflix order, the film concept was expanded out to a nine-episode series. Kim stated that there was "so much more than what was written in the 120-minute format. So we worked together to turn it into a series."[45] Hwang said he was able to expand the script so that it "could focus on the relationships between people [and] the stories that each of the people had".[47] Initially, Netflix had named the series Round Six, rather than Squid Game as Hwang had suggested; according to Netflix's vice president for content in Asia Kim Minyoung, while they knew that the name "squid game" would be familiar to Korean viewers from the children's game, it "wouldn't resonate because not many people would get it", and opted to use Round Six as it self-described the nature of the competition. As production continued, Hwang pushed on the service to use Squid Game instead; its cryptic name and unique visuals helped to draw in curious viewers, according to Kim.[46][48] At the time that Hwang wrote the series, his goal was for having the series reach the most-watched show in Netflix in the United States for at least one day.[5] Hwang had initially written the series as eight episodes, which was comparable to other Netflix shows, but found that the material for the last episode was longer than he planned, so it was split into two.[49]

Season 2

In late October 2021, Hwang stated he was in discussions with Netflix regarding a second season.[5] He further stated in December 2021 that he was also discussing a third season with Netflix.[50] Hwang wanted to produce another film first, as well as secure a contract with Netflix to release additional films he may create alongside further Squid Game seasons, so as to avoid becoming known only for Squid Game.[5] Hwang confirmed that he had begun conceptualization work on a second season during a press event in November 2021, with plans to bring back Lee Jung-jae to reprise his role of Gi-hun.[51] Netflix stated in response to Hwang's comments that they had not yet officially greenlit a second season, but were in discussions with Hwang towards one.[52] During an earnings call in January 2022, Netflix's Sarandos said when asked about a second season "Absolutely...the Squid Game universe has just begun."[53][54][55] Hwang said in April 2022 that he presently was working on Killing Old People Club, an adaption of a work called "Pape Satan Aleppe: Chronicles of a Liquid Society" by Umberto Eco (Korean: 미친 세상을 이해하는 척하는 방법; "The way to pretend to understand the crazy world"), and anticipated that the second season of Squid Game would be completed and broadcast by 2024.[56] Netflix confirmed that the second season was greenlit in June 2022.[57][58] It will be released in 2024.[59]

Writing

Season 1

Hwang described the work as "a story about losers".[60] The names of the characters – Seong Gi-hun, Cho Sang-woo, and Il-nam – were all based on Hwang's childhood friends, as well as the character name Hwang Jun-ho, who was also a childhood friend in real life with an older brother named Hwang In-ho.[40] The two main characters Gi-hun and Sang-woo were based on Hwang's own personal experiences and represented "two sides" of himself; Gi-hun shared the same aspects of being raised by an economically disadvantaged single mother in the Ssangmun district of Seoul, while Sang-woo reflected on Hwang having attended Seoul National University with high expectations from his family and neighborhood.[40][60] Further, Gi-hun's background was inspired by the organizers of the SsangYong Motor labor strike of 2009 against mass layoffs.[61]

Shapes punched into dalgona, a Korean sugar candy treat, based on the shapes used in the second game of the show. Within the show, players had to extract the inner shapes intact.

Hwang based the narrative on Korean games of his childhood to show the irony of a childhood game where competition was not important becoming an extreme competition with people's lives at stake.[39] Additionally, as his initial script was intended for film, he opted to use children's games with simple rules that were easy to explain in contrast to other survival-type films using games with complex rules.[47] The central game he selected, the squid game, was a popular Korean children's game from the 1970s and 1980s.[46][62] Hwang recalled the squid game as "the most physically aggressive childhood game I played in neighborhood alleys as a kid, which is why I also loved it the most", and because of this "it's the most symbolic game that reflects today's competitive society, so I picked it out as the show's title".[63] The colors of the ddakjis in the initial game, which are blue and red, were inspired from the Korean and Japanese urban legend "blue paper, red paper".[64][g] The "Red light, Green light" game was selected because of its potential to make a lot of losers in one go. Regarding the selection, Hwang said, "The game was selected because the scene filled with so many people randomly moving and stopping could be viewed as a ridiculous but a sad group dance."[39] Hwang joked that the dalgona candy game they chose may influence sales of dalgona, similar to how sales of Korean gats (traditional hats) bloomed after the broadcast of Netflix's series Kingdom.[65] Licking the candy to free the shape was something that Hwang said that he had done as a child and brought it into the script.[63] Hwang had considered other Korean children's games such as Gonggi, Dong, Dong, Dongdaemun, and Why did you come to my house? (우리 집에 왜 왔니?, a Korean variant of the Hana Ichi Monme).[39]

Hwang wrote all of the series himself, taking nearly six months to write the first two episodes alone, after which he turned to friends to get input on moving forward.[41] Hwang also addressed the challenges of preparing for the show which was physically and mentally exhausting, saying that he had forgone dental health while making Season 1 and had to have six teeth pulled by his dentist after production was complete.[38][49] As such, Hwang was initially unsure about a sequel after completing these episodes,[41] though he wrote the ending to keep a potential hook for a sequel in mind.[5] Hwang had considered an alternate ending where Gi-hun would have boarded the plane after concluding his call with the game organizers to see his daughter, but Hwang said of that ending, "Is that the right way for us to really propose the question or the message that we wanted to convey through the series?"[66]

Season 2

Due to the stress of writing and producing the first series of nine episodes himself, Hwang initially had no immediate plans to write a second season to Squid Game. He did not have well-developed plans for a follow-up story and said that if he were to write one, he would likely need a staff of writers and directors to help him.[41] With the immense popularity of the show, Hwang later opined about the possibility of a second season, telling CNN, "There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it."[60] Hwang said in an interview with The Times that a second season may focus more on the story of the Front Man as well as incorporating more about the police. Hwang said, "I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late in acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise."[67] He added he also wanted to explore the relationship between the cryptic Front Man and his policeman brother Hwang Jun-ho, as well as the background of the salesman character (portrayed by Gong Yoo).[68]

Casting

Season 1

Director Hwang requested that actors Gong Yoo (left) and Lee Byung-hun (right), with whom he had previously worked, appear as the recruiter and the Front Man, respectively, in Squid Game.

Hwang said he chose to cast Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun as to "destroy his charismatic image portrayed in his previous roles".[69] HoYeon Jung was requested by her new management company to send a video to audition for the series while she was finishing a shoot in Mexico and preparing for New York Fashion Week. Although this was her first audition as an actor and her expectations were low, Hwang said, "The moment I saw her audition tape from New York, I immediately thought to myself, 'this is the girl we want.' My first impression of her was that she is wild and free like an untamed horse".[70][71][72] On casting Anupam Tripathi as Ali Abdul, Hwang said, "It was hard to find good foreign actors in Korea." He chose Anupam Tripathi because of his emotional acting capabilities and fluency in Korean.[73] Both Gong Yoo and Lee Byung Hun had worked with Hwang during his previous films, Silenced and The Fortress respectively, and Hwang had asked both to appear in small roles within Squid Game.[70][unreliable source?] The VIPs were selected from non-Korean actors living in Asia; in the case of Geoffrey Giuliano, who played the VIP that interacted with Jun-ho, his prior role from Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula led to his casting for Squid Game.[26]

Casting for the series was confirmed on June 17, 2020.[74]

Season 2

In April 2022, Hwang confirmed that the characters of Gi-hun and the Front Man will return for the second season, and will introduce Cheol-su, Young-hee's boyfriend.[75][57] Hwang said that he would like to bring back some of the dead characters, such as Ji-young, and expressed regret that he had killed off several beloved characters since he did not have any plans for a second season at that time.[76]

During Netflix's Tudum: A Global Fan Event in June 2023, Lee Jung-jae was confirmed to reprise his role alongside Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo and Wi Ha-joon. On June 29, Netflix released more info on the new season's cast, which includes Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, Im Si-wan, Yang Dong-geun, Park Gyu-young, Lee Jin-wook, Won Ji-an, Jo Yu-ri, Kang Ae-shim, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won.[77][29][28] Controversy arose when it was revealed that T.O.P, a former member of the band BigBang with a drug-related conviction during military service in 2016, was cast in the second season.[78]

Costume, set design, and filming

Season 1

External videos

video icon Squid Game – Behind the Scenes, from Netflix

Production and filming of the series ran from June to October 2020, including a mandatory month-long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[79] City scenes were filmed in Daejeon,[80] while the island set pieces were filmed on Seongapdo located in Ongjin.[81]

The shapes of Ojingo (Squid) played heavily in the graphic design of the show.

As Netflix was targeting the work for a global audience, the visuals were emphasized and some of the rules of the children's games were simplified to avoid potential issues with the language barrier.[42] The colorful sets and costumes were designed to look like a fantasy world. The players and soldiers each wear a distinctive color, to reduce the sense of individuality and emphasize the difference between the two groups.[39] The green tracksuits worn by the players were inspired by 1970s athletic wear, known as trainingbok (Korean: 트레이닝복).[82] The maze-like corridors and stairs drew inspiration from the 4-dimensional stair drawings of M. C. Escher including Relativity. Production designer Chae Kyoung-sun said these seemingly infinite stairways represented "a form of bondage for the contestants".[83] The complex network of tunnels between the arena, the dorm, and the administrative office was inspired by ant colonies.[39]

Chae was also inspired by the Saemaul Undong political initiative of the 1970s aimed to modernize rural Korean villages.[84] The mint green and pink color theme throughout the show were a common theme from Korean schools in the 1970s and 1980s. Green-suited characters develop associations of fear with pink through its use in guard outfits and the stairway room.[85][83]

The players' dormitory was envisioned with the concept of "people who are abandoned on the road" according to Chae; this was also used in the tug-of-war game.[85] The room was designed using white tiles and the curved opening like a vehicular tunnel. The bed and stairs initially were laid out to look like warehouse shelves, but as the episodes progressed and these furnishing used as makeshift defenses, they took the appearance of broken ladders and stairs, implying the way these players were trapped with no way out, according to Chae.[85] The dinner scene that took place in the eighth episode was inspired by the art installation The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago.[83] Walls of many of the areas where the games took place were painted in skies inspired by The Empire of Light series by René Magritte.[83]

The crew spent the most time crafting the set for the Marbles game, creating a mix of realism and fakeness as to mirror the life and death nature of the games themselves.[86] Chae stated that this set was designed as a combination of small theatrical stages, each stage representing parts of Player 001's memories.[85] The VIP room was one of the last pieces to be designed, and Chae said that they decided on an animal-based theme for both the costumes and room for this; "The VIPs are the kind of people who take other people's lives for entertainment and treat them like game pieces on a chessboard, so I wanted to create a powerful and instinctive look for the room."[85]

Most sets were a combination of practical sets and chroma key backgrounds. For example, in the Glass Stepping Stones scenes, the set, designed as if in a circus tent for the players performing for the VIPs, was only 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) off the ground, using chroma key screens to simulate the height in post-production. In filming, this was far enough from the ground to make the actors nervous, which contributed to the scene.[86][85] The tug-of-war set was actually set more than 10 metres (33 ft) off the ground, which further created anxiety for some of the actors with fears of heights.[85]

The robot doll in the first episode, "Red Light, Green Light", was inspired by Younghee, a character who appeared on the covers of Korean textbooks Chul-soo and Young-hee in the 1970s and 1980s,[83] and her hairstyle was inspired by Hwang's daughter's.[82][85] The doll singsongs, in Korean, "Mugunghwa flower has blossomed", referring to the hibiscus syriacus, the national flower of South Korea.[63] The use of this familiar character was meant to juxtapose memories of childhood and unsettling fear in the players, according to Chae.[85] Similarly, the set for the dalgona game, using giant pieces of playground equipment, were to evoke players' memories of their childhood, and was a common place where Korean children would have played dalgona with friends.[85] The dalgona used in "The Man with the Umbrella" were made by a street vendor from Daehangno.[87]

The Korean and English language title logos incorporated the circle, triangle and square shapes into their design.

Throughout the series, the trio of circle, triangle, and square shapes appear frequently on the cards given to recruit players, on the guards' masks, and inside the show's title. These are shapes associated with the playing field for the children's game of Squid (Ojing-eo). They are also used to represent the hierarchy of the guards within the complex. Following from the comparison with an ant colony, the guards with circles are considered the workers, triangles as the soldiers, and squares as the managers (see also: Korean honorifics). Further, in the Korean alphabet, Hangul, the circle represents the romanized letter "O", the triangle represents part of the letter "J", and the square represents the letter "M"; together, "OJM" are the romanized initials of Ojing-eo Geim, the Korean translation of Squid Game.[88]

Season 2

Principal photography for the second season was scheduled to start in July 2023 and was expected to last for "at least 10 months".[89] On July 10, staff members of the production faced a controversy involving allegations of mistreatment towards citizens during filming at Incheon Airport. The production company issued an official apology on the matter.[90] Filming was reportedly underway in August 2023.[91]

Music

See also: Squid Game (soundtrack)

Jung Jae-il composed the score for the series.

Jung Jae-il, who previously composed the soundtrack for Parasite, composed and directed Squid Game's score.[92] To prevent it from becoming boring, he asked the help of composers Park Min-ju, and Kim Sung-soo, a music director for musicals who uses the stage name "23" as a composer.[93]

Two classical music pieces are also used throughout the show as part of the players' routine: the third movement of Joseph Haydn's "Trumpet Concerto" is used to wake the players, and Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" is used to indicate the start of a new game.[92] Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" is also heard in the VIP lounge.[92] A cover of "Fly Me to the Moon",[h] arranged by Jung and sung by Korean artist Joo Won Shin, was used over the "Red Light, Green Light" game of the first episode; according to Joo, Hwang wanted a contrast between the brutal killing of the players and the "romantic and beautiful lyrics and melody" of the song, such that the scene "embodies the increasingly polarized capitalist society that we live in today in a very compressed and cynical way".[94]

For the song "Way Back Then" that accompanies children playing Squid Game, Jung wanted to use instruments that he practiced in elementary school, such as recorders and castanets.[93] The rhythm of the song is based on a 3-3-7 clapping rhythm that is commonly used in South Korea to cheer someone on.[93] The recorder, played by Jung himself, had a slight "beep", which was unintentional.[95] The song "Round VI" was played by the Budapest Scoring Orchestra.[96]

The soundtrack was released on September 17, 2021.[97]

Marketing

A promotional event for Squid Game in Shibuya, Tokyo

In the Philippines, a replica of the doll used in the episode one of the series was exhibited on Ortigas Avenue in Quezon City in September 2021.[98]

A Squid Game doll was installed in Olympic Park, Seoul on October 25, 2021.[99] A replica of Squid Game's set was exhibited at the Itaewon station in Seoul since September 5, 2021.[100][101] However, the exhibit was prematurely closed due to COVID-19 concerns.[102]

A Squid Game pop-up store opened in Paris on October 2 and 3, 2021,[103] and a person could win a free one-month Netflix subscription if they managed to get the right shape from the dalgona in one minute and 30 seconds.[104][105]

In the Netherlands, Netflix hosted its own Squid Game where people were able to play the game Red Light, Green Light in both Maastricht and Rotterdam. A replica of the doll was exhibited and staff were dressed as guards. Winners were awarded with Squid Game memorabilia. The event attracted hundreds of people.[106][107][108] Similar events featuring replicas of the doll have occurred across the world, including Sydney[109] and the United Kingdom.[110]

In October 2021, the Hollywood Reporter interviewed Netflix Asia's executive Kim Minyoung, who said that the company was looking into a possible video game adaptation of the series.[48]

Netflix has licensed Squid Game for merchandising. A Young-hee vinyl figure was released in January 2022.[111] Funko released a set of Squid Game themed Funko Pop! figurines in May 2022.[112]

Reception

Critical reception

The show received critical acclaim.[113] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 95% based on 76 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Squid Game's unflinching brutality is not for the faint of heart, but sharp social commentary and a surprisingly tender core will keep viewers glued to the screen – even if it's while watching between their fingers."[114] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[115]

Joel Keller of Decider opined that the concept of the show was creative. When writing about the narrative, he described it as "a tight narrative and a story that has the potential to be tense and exciting". Keller concluded, "STREAM IT. Squid Game takes a fresh idea and spins it into a thrilling drama; we hope it continues to build the tension we saw in the last 20 minutes throughout the season."[116] Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post rated the series with 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Overall, this is still a savagely entertaining slam dunk from Netflix Korea, which is likely to be embraced around the world as its predecessors were."[117] Hidzir Junaini of NME rated the series with 4 out of 5 stars and opined, "Thematic intelligence aside, Squid Game is also a white-knuckle watch, thanks to its visceral competition element."[118] John Doyle of The Globe and Mail described the series as "a brave, dark, ambitious tale, at times moving and at times terrifying" and added, "Its power is in its understanding that money is survival. This is not some dystopian fantasy like Hunger Games. This is present-day life in all its complex awfulness."[119]

Karl Quinn of The Age described the series as "enormously derivative", but wrote: "there are two tensions that elevate Squid Game. One is within the narrative, where the primacy of the individual is in direct combat with the notion of community, and where the illusion of "choice" justifies all manner of exploitation."[120] S. Poorvaja of The Hindu wrote that "the nine episodes manage to leave its viewers horrified, yet invested in the show, thanks to the razor-sharp writing and compelling performances by its ensemble cast".[121] Abha Shah of the Evening Standard wrote that the series was "tightly written, each episode packed with enough pace to make it truly binge worthy", and praised its themes as being "universally engaging".[122] Hugo Rifkind of The Times described parts of the series as being "glacially slow", but stated that it was "definitely interesting", and wrote: "Behind it all, there's an almost Lovecraftian sense of horror, to do with normal lives being unliveable, and huge, unknowable powers in the background that will smirk while you die."[123]

Writing for The New York Times, TV critic Mike Hale found Squid Game to be an "utterly traditional, and thoroughly predictable ... melodrama" with "eye-catching" but "not especially interesting ... production design and costuming". He also thought the series' "pretense of contemporary social relevance" failed to justify its "more than mildly sickening" violence, and thought its characters were "shallow assemblages of family and typical battlefield".[124] Daniel D'Addario of Variety wrote: "Like Joker, there's a having-it-both-ways insistence that a culture that could create violence is inherently sick and deranged, while playing out a wildly overstated version of sick derangement in a manner designed to be maximally tense and amusing."[125]

Due to the popularity of Squid Game, Singapore's national newspaper The Straits Times named the show's director Hwang as The Straits Times Asian of the Year in December 2021.[126]

Viewership

The series became the first Korean drama to top Netflix's top ten weekly most-watched TV show charts globally. It reached number one in 94 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.[127] Netflix estimated that Squid Game had drawn over 111 million member households worldwide after 17 days of availability,[128][i] and over 142 million member households after 28 days,[129] surpassing the 82 million that Bridgerton had received in its first 28 days in December 2020, and becoming the service's most-watched series at its launch.[130] After Netflix revamped its published metrics of viewership in November 2021 based on total hours watched of the series, Squid Game remained the most-watched show on the service, with over 1.65 billion hours within its first 28 days compared to Bridgerton's 625 million hours.[131] Although Netflix is not available in mainland China, pirated versions of Squid Game have been widely circulated on the Chinese Internet, making the show a popular topic on Chinese social networking sites.[132] As of July 2022, Squid Game remained the most-watched show on Netflix based on the first 28 days of viewing, ahead of Stranger Things 4.[133][134]

Outside of Asian regions, the show's popularity was driven primarily through word of mouth and viral spread on social media. Vulture also claimed that the show's widespread localization, with subtitles in 37 languages and dubbed versions in 34 languages, helped to capture an international audience.[44] Hwang believed that the show's popularity was due to "the irony that hopeless grownups risk their lives to win a kids' game", as well as the familiarity and simplicity of the games that allowed the show to focus on characterization.[135] The diversity of the characters that play the Squid Game, drawing from different walks of lower- and middle-class life, also helps draw audiences to watch as many could find sympathy in one or more of the characters.[135]

Squid Game had not broken into the Nielsen ratings for streaming media on its first week of availability, but for the week of September 20 through 26, 2021, it was the most-viewed show on streaming services in the United States, with over 1.9 billion minutes watched.[136] It remained the top-viewed program on streaming media from September 27 to October 3, 2021, reaching over 3.26 billion minutes watched in the U.S. These ratings made it the most-viewed streaming program to date in 2021, and the sixth such program to reach over 3 billion minutes watched in a single week since the introduction of Nielsen's streaming media ratings.[137][j] This is the only record achieved in a single season without COVID-19 lockdowns.[138] Squid Game remained the most-watched show according to Nielsen for the weeks starting October 4 and 11, 2021,[139][140] but was ousted by You in the following week.[141] For four consecutive weeks, Squid Game remained as the most watched series on TV tracking service TV Time, where it also became the most followed Korean series to date.[142] On YouTube, Squid Game related content generated 17 billion views within eight weeks, the highest for a television show, surpassing the viewership generated by Game of Thrones related content in ten years.[143] Nielsen reported that Squid Game was the second-most watched original series in the United States on streaming services for all of 2021 behind Lucifer.[144]

According to Bloomberg News, by October 2021, Netflix estimated that Squid Game had generated nearly US$900 million in value based on extended viewer data;[145] it cost $21.4 million to produce.[146] Due to Squid Game's surprising success for Netflix, operators of other streaming services with original content, such as Disney+, Paramount+ and Apple TV+, have begun looking to follow Netflix's model of discovering regional content beyond Hollywood and finding similarly successful works for their platforms, with one executive calling this an area of "unlimited potential".[147] Besides bringing new ideas and veering from common themes of typical Hollywood productions, such foreign productions are typically less expensive to make, with tax breaks or incentives by the host country for filming and production.[148] Several producers of non-US TV series, who had little luck in pitching their shows to US-based streaming services in the past, were hopeful that these services would now seriously consider their works as a result of Squid Game's success.[147]

Accolades

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Squid Game

O Yeong-su's Golden Globe win made him the first Korean-born actor to win the award. The show's four SAG Award nominations also made history in it becoming the first non-English series and first Korean series to be nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Individually, Lee Jung-jae became the first male actor from Asia and Korea to receive an individual SAG Award nomination and HoYeon Jung became the second actress of Asian as well as Korean descent to do the same.[149] With both performers winning, the show made history in becoming the first non-English language television series to win at the SAG Awards. The show also received 14 nominations for the Primetime Emmy Awards, including for Best Drama, making it the first non-English show to be nominated in this category.[150]

Public response and impact

People cosplaying as guards from the series.

Squid Game is considered one of the latest examples of the Korean wave, the growing trend of popular South Korean media to gain international attention since the early 2010s, similar to popular Korean pop acts like BTS and Korean dramas and films like Parasite. Such works had drawn more attention due to streaming services like Netflix and YouTube making South Korean content, traditionally controlled by the country's national broadcasters, available across the globe. Further, according to Choe Sang-Hun of The New York Times, South Korean creators have a way of taking ideas from foreign works and applying their own cultural spin on it that draws in more audiences.[151]

While all of the actors saw increases in followers on their social media accounts in the weeks after Squid Game premiered, HoYeon Jung saw one of the largest increases, going from about 400,000 to over 13 million followers in three weeks after Squid Game premiered,[152] and reaching over 23.5 million by November 2021.[153] In October 2021,  announced Jung as their new global ambassador for fashion, watches, and jewelry; creative director Nicolas Ghesquière said he "immediately fell in love with Jung's great talent and fantastic personality" from her performance on Squid Game.[154] O Yeong-su, who had a modest career in Korean theater and film prior to Squid Game, was surprised by his newfound fame following the show, making him feel like he was "floating on air". Lacking a casting agent, he had to turn to help from his daughter to handle the volume of calls asking him to appear in various roles.[155] Several major talent agencies sought to sign Hwang and the lead actors of Squid Game in the months after its debut, with Jung being the first to sign on with Creative Artists Agency by mid-November 2021.[153]

Cosplay of Squid Game players for Halloween in Tokyo, 2021

In South Korea, the popularity of Squid Game led to a surge of network traffic which caused SK Broadband to file a lawsuit against Netflix, seeking monetary damages to pay for increased broadband usage and maintenance costs associated with the program.[156] By September 2023, both SK Broadband and Netflix agreed to drop the lawsuit and instead opted to become partners, with SK Broadband packaging Netflix as part of its services.[157] One of the phone numbers used in the show belonged to a private resident who reported receiving up to 4,000 calls each day from people, several of whom desired to play a real-life version of the game;[158] Netflix stated they would edit the show to remove the number.[159]

Vendors of dalgona, the honeycomb candy featured in the second game, both within Korea and internationally found a significant increase in sales after the show's release.[160][161] Everyday clothing items matching those worn in the show saw large growths in sales in the weeks after the show's initial broadcast, such as Vans slip-on shoes which spiked by 7,800%. Variety attributed this sales increase in part to preparation for Halloween costumes inspired by the show.[162][163][164] Vendors of other costume props that mirrored those in the show, such as the guards' masks, also saw sales spikes in advance of Halloween following the show's premiere.[165] The garment industry in South Korea saw a brief resurgence as demand for green tracksuits based on the show grew.[166]

Netflix claimed that Squid Game had "pierced the cultural zeitgeist" and became a popular Internet meme, with over 42 billion views of videos related to Squid Game in the first month after broadcast.[129] Analytics firm Vobile stated that by November 2021, Squid Game-related videos on YouTube totaled over 17 billion views, surpassing Game of Thrones in the same metric.[167] On October 16, 2021, an episode of the American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live, featuring guest host Rami Malek and cast member Pete Davidson, parodied Squid Game by singing a country song about the series. As of November 5, 2021, the song has over 9.6 million views on Saturday Night Live's YouTube channel.[168][169] In November 2021, American YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast recreated Squid Game in real life with 456 people competing in similar but non-lethal games as the show for a $456,000 cash prize.[170] The video drew more than 303.5 million views as of November 15, 2022, making it one of the most-watched YouTube videos of 2021.[171] Series creator Hwang has reacted positively to the recreations and parodies.[172] Google reported that Squid Game was the most-searched television show on search engine in 2021,[173] while Twitter said that Squid Game was the most-tweeted about television show of 2021.[174]

Shortly after the show's release, users of social media adapted some of the games featured in Squid Game as Internet challenges, including the first "Red Light, Green Light" game and the second honeycomb cookie game.[175] Users of video games supporting user-created content, such as Roblox, Fortnite Creative, and Grand Theft Auto Online, created numerous games within these systems that were based on one or more of the Squid Game challenges.[176][177][178] A video game named Crab Game was also created in response to Squid Game's popularity.[179] Some groups also worked to organize safe, mock Squid Game events for fans of the show.[180][181] Concerns have been raised about children's exposure to Squid Game from either watching it or through its viral popularity, as it is considered to have a high level of violence for that age group.[182] A number of schools around the United Kingdom observed that despite the show being aimed at mature audiences, young children were emulating some of the games from Squid Game during school recess, and warned parents about these activities.[183] Parents and school boards in Quebec, Canada and in the Fayetteville-Manlius Central School District of New York have also observed young children emulating games from Squid Game and taken steps such as warning parents and banning such activities from school grounds.[184][185]

Chinese online video platform Youku announced plans in October 2021 to launch the show Squid Victory (鱿鱼的胜利, Yóuyú de Shènglì) in 2022. The upcoming show, initially named Victory of Squid, was heavily criticized by Chinese netizens after it was discovered that it had plagiarized the plot and themes of Squid Game. After facing criticism, the company apologized and stated that the show's poster and the title were abandoned. Youku later shared a new poster and announced that the show's name has been changed to Game's Victory.[186][unreliable source?][187][188]

Squid Game has been accused of plagiarizing the 2014 Japanese movie As the Gods Will, as both involve children's games where the penalty for losing is death. However, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk claimed he wrote Squid Game's script in 2009 (5 years before As the Gods Will was released), saying "the similarities that were pointed out are purely coincidental and there is no copying from either party".[189]

The show was used as the basis for an unaffiliated short-lived cryptocurrency scam named SQUID, which had started trading in late October 2021. The currency was poised to be used eventually to back a site for online games where player would buy tokens to play in games inspired by Squid Game, with those buying the currency helping to support the investment of the site, with the currency's value to increase as more players used the site. The currency had drawn enough buyers to increase in value by over 2,300% within a day of trading, but news organizations like the BBC identified that the scheme appears to be a "rug pull" scam due to several red flags in the proposition.[190] By November 1, 2021, the backers of the currency completely pulled out, crashing the currency and effectively making off with $2.1 million.[191]

YouTuber and member of the Yogscast network Lydia Ellery, who had used the handles "Squid Game" and "SquidGaming" for 11 years, was refused work because of her handle's perceived association with the show. She has also been subject to harassment by fans of Squid Game who "thought [she] took the account from the show", with some fans attempting to hack into her accounts.[192]

Themes and analysis

Capitalism and economic disparity

Hwang wrote Squid Game based on his own personal experiences and observations of capitalism and economic class struggles within South Korea.[41] Hwang also considered that his script was targeted towards global issues regarding capitalism, stating, "I wanted to create something that would resonate not just for Korean people but globally. This was my dream." He added, "I do believe that the overall global economic order is unequal and that around 90% of the people believe that it's unfair. During the pandemic, poorer countries can't get their people vaccinated. They're contracting viruses on the streets and even dying. So I did try to convey a message about modern capitalism. As I said, it's not profound."[5]

Commentators agreed that these themes applied to capitalism across the globe today.[119][193][194][195][196] The Guardian's Nemo Kim and Justin McCurry describe that the situation that many of the players in Squid Game leading to their debt reflects the reality of the South Korean personal debt crisis, which had exceeded 100% of the country's gross domestic product at the time the show first broadcast. Rising debt had led to the government placing restrictions on borrowing practices to try to prevent people from falling further in debt, but this itself had the impact of making other borrowers finding themselves unable to pay back loans without taking out higher-interest loans, creating a rapid cascading effect.[197] Many Koreans in these situations, often named as the "dirt spoon" class, engage in risky propositions, such as high-risk investments, cryptocurrency, or gambling, anticipating a big payoff but end up further in debt and exacerbating their problem, according to The Associated Press's Kim Tong-Hyung.[198][199] The use of trainingbok outfits for the players was said to allude to their connotation with baeksu, roughly translated as "white hands", people that have not attained financial independence and as a result are discriminated against by society, spending their days idle and doing no work, according to Indiana University professor Jooyoung Shin.[84]

Brian Lowry of CNN wrote that the series "presents a visually arresting variation on themes seen plenty of times before, which include tapping into the class divide – and the rich essentially preying on the poor and destitute – at a moment when the audience might be more receptive to that message".[200] Henry Wong of The Guardian compared the show favorably to the 2019 South Korean film Parasite, and said that the show used the "present-day, very real wealth inequality" in South Korea as a backdrop to keep the viewer interested in its characters.[201] Caitlyn Clark of American socialist magazine Jacobin also compared the series favorably to Parasite and said that it "shreds the capitalist myth that hard work guarantees prosperity".[202] Melanie McFarland of the American liberal website Salon.com described the series as "an excellent distillation of how predatory capitalism works".[203] E. Tammy Kim of American progressive magazine The Nation wrote: "Squid Game is not a subtle show, either in its politics or plot. Capitalism is bloody and mean and relentless; it yells."[193] Morgan Ome of The Atlantic wrote that the series "fits into a category of South Korean works that grapple with economic anxieties and class struggles, which are rooted in the country's concerns but resonate globally", adding that it "indicts the rich for propagating a false sense of upward mobility and the poor for buying into it".[204]

Zach Weissmueller of Reason magazine argued against an anti-capitalist interpretation of the series, saying that "Squid Game isn't really about capitalism, properly understood. It's about developing strategies for undermining and resisting authoritarian control and retaining your humanity under a system designed to strip it all away."[205]

As the series was introduced ahead of the 2022 South Korean presidential election, several of the candidates began using some of the Squid Game imagery in their political ads and challenging opponents to similar games,[42] as well as using the themes of the series related to economic disparity as part of their political platform.[206] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions used outfits and imagery based on Squid Game as part of its messaging and demonstrations against the current economic disparity in South Korea.[207] Closer to the election, the campaign had become drowned in more mudslinging, with the various candidates calling out others through insulting names and asserting that those that lost would be sent to jail, and as a result, the campaign period became known as the "Squid Game Campaign".[208] A North Korean state-run website, 'Arirang Meari', used Squid Game to critically mock the economic situation in South Korea, saying that it exposes the "beastly" nature of the "South Korean capitalist society where mankind is annihilated by extreme competition", and describes South Korea as a country where "corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace".[209][210] A diplomatic cable of the United States Department of State said, "At the heart of the show's dark story is the frustration felt by the average Korean, and particularly Korean youth, who struggle to find employment, marriage, or upward mobility—proving that grim economic prospects are indeed at the center of Korean society's woes."[211]

Other commentary

Several journalists observed that Squid Game effectively used foreshadowing in alluding to the deaths of the major characters and other elements of the series.[212] For example, Ali (Player 199) is shown in the second episode to be tricked by his employer out of his wages, while his death comes after he is tricked into giving Sang-woo his marbles in the sixth episode. Similarly, the gangster Deok-su (Player 101) evades a set-up by his underlings in the second episode by diving off a bridge, while his death in the game comes from the seventh episode Stepping Stones game when pulled to his death from the glass bridge by Mi-nyeo.[213] Sae-byeok has a scar on her neck and holds a knife to the neck of the man who swindled her out of her money; later her throat is slit by Sang-woo.[214] Several additional scenes in early episodes also were said to have hinted towards Il-nam (Player 001) being special and not just a normal player of the game, including being the only old person among the players, having the "001" player identification, and keen awareness of all the games since they were of his design.[215]

The series drew some criticism for its similarity to the 2014 Japanese film As the Gods Will. Like the manga upon which the film was based, Squid Game features dangerous versions of children's games such as Daruma-san ga koronda, the Japanese version of Red Light, Green Light. Responding to allegations of plagiarism, director Hwang Dong-hyuk stated that he had been working on the script since at least 2008 and that similarities between the two films, of which he had been made aware during the process of filming, were coincidental.[216][217] He acknowledged that he had been inspired by Japanese comics and animation, including Battle Royale and Liar Game.[41]

Some bilingual viewers have debated the quality of Netflix's translations, observing that the English closed captioning, which was based on the English dub, changed the meaning of some dialogue when compared to the original Korean. Bilingual performers for the English dub acknowledged that there were some translation issues, and noted that this type of work is challenging due to limitations on how captioning can be presented to viewers.[218] Jinhyun Cho, a senior lecturer in translation at Macquarie University, stated that particularly in the Korean language, there are words that are "untranslatable" such as aegyo, as well as honorifics used in Korean culture. Because on-screen translations are limited to a small space, there is no room for translators to provide the necessary context for these words, and thus they are often left out or overly simplified, frequently so in the case of Squid Game. Cho gave the example of Sang-woo asking Ali to call him hyung, a Korean honorific term used to refer to one as an older brother or an older trusted friend, rather than the more formal sajang-nim (company president) that Ali had been using since they first met. However, due to the complexities of the meaning of hyung, the English translation simplified "Call me hyung" to just "call me Sang-woo", losing the implication of this request.[219] The quality of the subtitles of Squid Game opened debate about Netflix, and other services looking to expand their libraries with international works, to give more effort to the subtitles and closed captioning quality in order to better capture meaning of the original language.[220]

The show received some criticism for its portrayal of women.[221][222] Haeil, a feminist organisation in Korea, said that the show was "neither a representation nor a criticism of the reality of anti-feminism in Korea" and that it demonstrated an "exclusively male gaze".[223] The show was also found to highlight how migrant workers from other Asian countries (in the case of Ali's character being from Pakistan) are treated and at times exploited as second-class citizens within South Korea, though some found Ali's character to be too naïve to the realities of the situation and a caricature of such migrant workers within the country.[224][225]

Related works

Mockumentary

Hwang had also worked with Netflix to create a mockumentary inspired by Squid Game's success, titled The Best Show on the Planet. Hwang said the comedy was based on his own personal experience of being pushed into the spotlight due to the rapid success of Squid Game.[226]

Squid Game: The Challenge

Main article: Squid Game: The Challenge

Netflix announced a reality competition series, Squid Game: The Challenge, in June 2022 along with an open casting call. The ten-episode series will see 456 players competing for a US$4.56 million cash prize, with challenges based on those in the show.[227] Production is a joint work of Studio Lambert and The Garden. The filming started in early 2023 at Cardington Studios in Bedfordshire.[228]

In January 2023, reports emerged that ambulances had been called to treat real life injuries sustained while filming the show. Netflix denied the severity of the reports stating that the injuries were mild medical conditions and that they care about the health and safety of the cast and crew. The local ambulance service also stated that it had not been called out to the studios recently.[229][230] Britain's Health and Safety Executive evaluated the production after these complaints and found no actionable issues, though cautioned the production to be prepared for any future risks.[231]

The first five episodes of the show were released internationally on November 22, 2023, while 4 more episodes were released on November 29,[232] with its finale released on December 6; a second season was announced,[233]

Squid Game

Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk

Official media

Squid GameAwards and nominationsCharactersMusicSquid Game: The Challenge

Related

Crab GameAnnoying Squid Game"$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!""Wet Kuat Amortican Summer"

Awards for Squid Game

vte

Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Series – Long Form

Mr. Robot (2015)Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2016)Atlanta (2017)Killing Eve (2018)When They See Us (2019)Watchmen (2020)Squid Game (2021)Pachinko (2022)A Small Light (2023)

vte

Satellite Award for Best Television Series – Drama

1990s

The X-Files (1996)NYPD Blue (1997)Oz (1998)The West Wing (1999)

2000s

The West Wing (2000)24 (2001)CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2002)The Shield (2003)Nip/Tuck (2004)House (2005)House (2006)Dexter (2007)Dexter (2008)Breaking Bad (2009)

2010s

Breaking Bad (2010)Justified (2011)Homeland (2012)Breaking Bad (2013)The Knick (2014)Better Call Saul (2015)The Crown (2016)Vikings (2017)Homecoming (2018)Succession (2019)

2020s

Better Call Saul (2020)Squid Game (2021)Billions (2022)The Last of Us (2023)

vte

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

24, season 6 (2007)Heroes, season 3, part I (2008)24, season 7 (2009)True Blood, season 3 (2010)Game of Thrones, season 1 (2011)Game of Thrones, season 2 (2012)Game of Thrones, season 3 (2013)Game of Thrones, season 4 (2014)Game of Thrones, season 5 (2015)Game of Thrones, season 6 (2016)Game of Thrones, season 7 (2017)GLOW, season 2 (2018)Game of Thrones, season 8 (2019)The Mandalorian, season 2 (2020)Squid Game, season 1 (2021)Stranger Things, season 4 (2022)The Last of Us, season 1 (2023)

vte

Netflix original current series

Since 2016

Stranger Things

Since 2017

Big Mouth

Since 2018

Live-action

Accidentally in LoveA Taiwanese Tale of Two CitiesElite

Non-fiction

Car Masters: Rust to RichesDogsExplainedHauntedMagic for HumansMy Next Guest Needs No Introduction...Nailed It!Queer EyeSomebody Feed PhilSugar RushSunderland 'Til I Die

Animation

B: The BeginningThe Dragon Prince

Since 2019

Live-action

English

I Think You Should Leave with Tim RobinsonThe PoliticianThe Umbrella AcademyVirgin RiverThe Witcher

Other

Ainori Love Wagon: African JourneyDelhi CrimeHow to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)Nowhere ManSintoniaTriad PrincessUndercover

Non-fiction

Blown AwayFormula 1: Drive to SurviveI Like to WatchThe Movies That Made UsRhythm + FlowSelling SunsetStreet FoodTaco Chronicles

Animation

Chip and PotatoKengan AshuraLove, Death & Robots

Since 2020

Live-action

English

Blood & WaterBridgertonDetentionEmily in ParisOuter BanksRatchedSweet MagnoliasYoung Wallander

Other

Alice in BorderlandBarbariansThe Devil PunisherFalling Into YouThe Ghost BrideGood Morning, VerônicaInto the NightJamtara – Sabka Number AyegaLove & AnarchyMasaba MasabaMismatchedRagnarokSummertimeSweet HomeThe Victims' Game

Non-fiction

The CircleFloor Is LavaLove Is BlindToo Hot to Handle

Animation

BeastarsBlood of ZeusMighty Express

Since 2021

Live-action

English

Jiva!Ginny & GeorgiaScaredy CatsSweet ToothThe Upshaws

Other

AlRawabi School for GirlsBombay BegumsD.P.Daughter from Another MotherGlóriaHellboundJaguarLife's a GlitchLight the NightLupinMore Than Blue: The SeriesSquid GameThe Snitch Cartel: OriginsTribes of EuropaYoung Royals

Non-fiction

Age of Samurai: Battle for JapanBake SquadBaking ImpossibleBuried by the BernardsFresh, Fried and CrispyHigh on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed AmericaInsidersLove Is Blind: BrazilPretend It's a CitySchool of ChocolateSurviving DeathToo Hot to Handle: BrazilVoirWaffles + Mochi

Animation

ArcaneBaki HanmaGo, Dog. Go!Record of RagnarokSharkdogTear Along the Dotted Line

Since 2022

Live-action

English

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of CuriositiesHeartbreak HighHeartstopperThe Lincoln LawyerMan vs. BeeMurdervillePieces of HerThe RecruitThe SandmanSelling the OCSurviving SummerVikings: ValhallaWednesday

Other

All of Us Are DeadAlpha MalesBack to 15CATDi4riesEverything Calls for SalvationHe's ExpectingHigh HeatI Hate ChristmasKleoMidnight at the Pera PalaceMom, Don't Do That!Secrets of SummerShards of Her

Non-fiction

The EmpressHype HouseIron Chef: Quest for an Iron LegendIs It Cake?Love Is Blind: JapanThe Ultimatum: Marry or Move On

Animation

Action PackBastard!!The Creature CasesLookismMy Little Pony: Make Your MarkRomantic KillerSonic PrimeSpirit RangersSpriggan

Since 2023

Live-action

English

African Queens All the Light We Cannot SeeBeefThe DiplomatFUBARI Woke Up a VampireMy Life with the Walter BoysNeonObliteratedOne PieceSurvival of the ThickestThe Night AgentThat '90s ShowUnstableWellmaniaWho Is Erin Carter?XO, Kitty

Other

1670Absolute BeginnersBarracuda QueensBerlinCigarette GirlCopenhagen CowboyClassEva LastingFake ProfileFeedbackGyeongseong CreatureInfamyKaala PaaniThe Law According to Lidia PoëtThe Lying Life of AdultsThe Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko HouseThe Railway MenRana NaiduReplacing Chef ChicoSanctuarySuburræternaToreTurn of the TideWave MakersYuYu Hakusho

Non-fiction

Break PointCaptains of the WorldFull SwingLife on Our PlanetOutlastPerfect MatchPhysical: 100Squid Game: The ChallengeStranded with my Mother-in-LawTour de France: UnchainedWrestlers

Animation

Barbie: A Touch of MagicBlue Eye SamuraiCaptain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon RemixCastlevania: NocturneGamera RebirthGood Night WorldJunji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the MacabreMulliganMy Dad the Bounty HunterMy DaemonNinjago: Dragons RisingOnimushaOnmyōjiŌoku: The Inner ChambersPlutoPokémon ConciergePrincess PowerScott Pilgrim Takes OffSkull IslandSupa Team 4This World Can't Tear Me DownUnicorn AcademyYakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune

Since 2024

Live-action

English

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Other

A Killer ParadoxDetective ForstKiller SoupSupersex

Non-fiction

Love Is Blind: SwedenNASCAR: Full SpeedSix Nations: Full Contact

Animation

Delicious in DungeonHot Wheels Let's Race

 Original ended series 2012–20182019 onward Continuation series Specials Upcoming series

Portals:

flag South Korea

icon Television

Authority control databases: National Edit this at Wikidata

Czech Republic

Categories: Squid Game2021 South Korean television series debutsBattle royaleCriticism of capitalismDystopian television series2021 web series debutsSouth Korean drama web seriesKorean-language television showsNetflix original programmingSouth Korean action television seriesSouth Korean horror fiction television seriesSouth Korean thriller television seriesTelevision productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemicTelevision series set on fictional islandsTelevision shows about death gamesTelevision series set in 2020Television series set in 2021Television shows set in SeoulMass media franchises introduced in 2021Works about North Korean defectors2020s fads and trendsGrand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners

The 60 Best K-Dramas You'll Be Completely Hooked On

Wait, how is it already 2 a.m.?

a still from one of the best korean dramas, Lovestruck In the City

(Image credit: Netflix)

Jump to category:

    Action/Thriller Korean Dramas

    Romance Korean Dramas

    Fantasy Korean Dramas

    Melodrama Korean Dramas

    Historical Korean Dramas

    Professional Korean Dramas

    Slice of Life Korean Dramas

Quinci LeGardye

By Quinci LeGardye

last updated January 16, 2024

If you're not watching Korean dramas, better known as K-dramas, then you're missing out in several ways. First, there's the big-picture, cultural impact to consider: K-dramas and K-movies have become a worldwide phenomenon, and if you're going to be a pop culture connoisseur/productive denizen of the entertainment-loving internet—and you're here, so you obviously are both of those things—then you need to be versed in all things K-drama. And then there's the more important reason to watch Korean dramas: They are addictive and amazing, and you'll thank yourself for adding them to your pop culture diet.

Known for their interesting storylines and intense (if sometimes predictable) plot twists, Korean dramas can go from super sappy to incredibly heartbreaking to "WTF, what was that?" in a heartbeat. That variety is exactly what keeps viewers coming back for more. Here, we've listed the 50 best-ever K-dramas to watch, grouped by the most popular genres—and if you're well versed in the more established K-dramas, consult our list of the best new Korean shows on Netflix in 2023. (And if you're looking specifically for the all-time best K-dramas on Netflix, best K-dramas on Viki, best Korean dramas on Prime Video, or best Korean dramas on Hulu? We've got you covered there too.)

Action/Thriller Korean Dramas

If your Korean entertainment knowledge doesn't expand beyond Squid Game and Train to Busan, here's where to start. These thrilling K-dramas are filled with action and intrigue, with some selections touching on societal issues in a similar vein to Parasite. (Also, so many zombies!) Your next stops: the best Korean action flicks, thrillers, and horror movies.

Sponsored Links

Had A Diesel Car Between 2008-2020? You Need To Read ThisDiesel Claims Checker

'Squid Game'

still from squid game kdrama

(Image credit: Noh Juhan/Netflix)

If you haven't yet checked out Squid Game, which is set to become Netflix's most-watched show ever, then here's one more recommendation: This edge-of-your-seat Korean thriller on Netflix is definitely worth a look. In the viral hit, a group of characters in serious debt sign up to play a series of children's games for a chance at 45.6 billion won (about $38 million). The catch? If the players loose at Tug of War or Red Light, Green Light, they die. (For fans eagerly awaiting season 2, here's everything we know so far.)

watch it on netflix

'Sweet Home'

song kang in sweet home

(Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

If you enjoyed Korean movies like The Call and #Alive, you'll be able to stomach the gruesome monsters at the center of Sweet Home. The multi-season drama follows a depressed loner (Song Kang) who moves into a new apartment complex after the death of his family. After he begins to witness frightening things in the building from some of his odd neighbors, the building's survivors have to band together to survive a monster apocalypse. If you're a peek-over-the-blanket-type person when watching horror shows like I am, then I'd advise you to tune into this during the day time. (And once you dive in, make sure to catch up before season 3 arrives later in 2024.)

watch it on netflix

'Happiness'

han hyo joo and park hyung sik in happiness kdrama

(Image credit: Studio Dragon)

This modern zombie drama is full of surprises at every turn, starting with being one of the only dramas to acknowledge the COVID-19 pandemic. Officer Yoon Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo) has been dreaming of having her own apartment when she gets the chance to move into a high-rise with her high-school friend, Detective Jung Yi-hyun (Park Hyung-sik). Soon after they move in, an infectious disease sweeps the country, with those infected getting a craving of human blood. The apartment building ends up quarantined, with Sae-bom and Yi-hyun trying to keep the peace amoung the eccentric tenants.

watch it on viki

'All of Us Are Dead'

still from all of us are dead kdrama

(Image credit: Yang Hae-sung/Netflix)

This heart-racing zombie thriller offers another unique spin on the genre, following a group of high school students as the zombie apocalypse comes to their school. The kids are left on their own as their classmates quickly return, and we see how they handle the survival challenge while also getting storylines of parents and politicians handling the virus outside the school. The most interesting part is how classic high school tropes (crushes, bullies, etc.) are twisted into thrilling plots.

watch it on netflix

'My Name'

han so hee in my name kdrama

(Image credit: Min Jeehee/Netflix)

In this intense thriller, a young woman named Ji-woo (Han So-hee) sets out to avenge the death of her father, who was involved in the criminal underworld. She takes up a new identity as a member of the police force working with her father's old partner, Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon). 

watch it on netflix

'D.P'

jung hae in in dp kdrama

(Image credit: Netflix)

This brutally realistic drama stars Jung Hae-in as An Jun-ho, following the young man as he enlists in the South Korean army as part of his mandatory military service. After his basic service, during which he struggles with the ritualistic hazing and "survival of the fittest" culture of bullying, he lands a spot in the Deserter Pursuit unit, where he's sent to catch soldiers who've gone AWOL. The stories of the deserters are intense, with the drama shining a light on mistreatment in the armed forces.

watch it on netflix

'Weak Hero Class 1'

still from weak hero class one kdrama

(Image credit: Wavve)

This brutal webcomic-based drama tackles school violence through a realistic lens, taking place at a boy's high school where the richest students are the most powerful. Bullied student Yeon Si-eun (former Wanna One member Park Ji-hoon) sees his tormentors as an obstacle towards reaching academic success and getting a scholarship to Seoul National University. Though he doesn't see much need for friends, he eventually finds allies in fellow class outcast Oh Beom-seok (Hong Kyung), and the school's best fighter An Soo-ho (Twenty Five Twenty One's Choi Hyun-wook). Fair warning, the eight-episode drama has major twists and a devastating ending that left fans clamoring for news on season 2.

watch it on viki

'Bloodhounds'

lee sang yi and woo do hwan in bloodhounds

(Image credit: Soyun Jeon, Seowoo Jung/Netflix)

This action-packed crime drama takes place in fall 2020, as families and small businesses struggle to recover in the wake of pandemic lockdowns. Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan), a talented emerging boxer, works part-time at various jobs to help support his mom's coffee shop. One day the shop is targeted by Smile Capital, a company run by loan sharks who convince Gun-woo's mom to sign a predatory loan. Gun-woo and his new friend, fellow boxer Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), team up with a benevolent lender to bring down Smile Capital's boss, Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong).

watch it on netflix

'Moving'

the cast of moving hulu disney+

(Image credit: Disney+)

This innovative, decades-spanning drama is the best superhero series that Disney has released in years. (Sorry, MCU.) It follows a group of super-powered parents with ordinary jobs (played by Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Ryu Seung-ryong and Kim Sung-kyun), who have passed their abilities down to their high-school aged children (Go Youn-jung, Lee Jeong-ha and Kim Do-hoon). The intricate plot jumps between the parents' backstories, including their involvement with the shady government operatives who may have had a hand in creating them, and the present-day storyline where Frank (Ryu Seung-bum), a vicious Korean-born American spy operative, begins hunting down both generations of heroes.

watch it on hulu

Romance Korean Dramas

These romantic K-dramas are for the fans of intense, sweeping romances that can span from heart-fluttering to heart-wrenching in one episode. (Think Bridgerton, but even more swoon-worthy.) If you want to spend 16-20 hours invested in a serious slow burn, look here.

'Crash Landing on You'

son ye jin and hyun bin in crash landing on you kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

A South Korean heiress, Yoon Se-ri, gets caught in a storm while paragliding and finds herself blown off course into North Korea. Se-ri then runs into Ri Jeong-hyeok, Captain of the North Korean Special Forces and a member of the North Korean elite family. Captain Ri eventually hatches a plan to get Se-ri back to South Korea with the help of his squad, but not before they all tackle the obstacles that come their way—and then some. This drama mixes romance with comedy and ultimately tells the tale of two star-crossed lovers. It's currently the highest rated tvN drama and the second-highest Korean drama in cable television history. (Also, stars Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin have since gotten married and welcomed a baby!)

watch it on netflix

'Business Proposal'

kim se jeong and ahn hyo seop in business proposal kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

This 2022 rom-com drama has become the year's biggest hit so far thanks to its hilarious romances (and a super-popular kissing clip). Shin Ha-ri (I.O.I. and The Uncanny Counter's Kim Se-jeong) is a food researcher at a company that just welcomed a new president, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). When her wealthy BFF (played by Seol In-ah) asks her to go on a blind date for her and ruin it, the date turns out to be Tae-moo. The morning after the disastrous date, Ha-ri receives a call—Tae-moo wants to marry her!?! Their hilarious courtship, as well as the second lead romance, will definitely steal your heart.

watch it on netflix

'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha'

kim seon ho and shin min a in hometown cha cha cha kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This country-boy meets city-girl romance starts when Seoul dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-ah) loses her shoe during a visit to the seaside village of Gonjin. It's found by Hong Doo-shik (Kim Seon-ho), a jack-of-all-trades who does odd jobs around town. Hye-jin ends up moving to Gonjin, where Doo-shik helps her adapt to the new environment, and the couple slowly (and sweetly) grows feelings for each other.

watch it on netflix

'Coffee Prince'

promotional image from coffee prince kdrama

(Image credit: MBC)

This classic k-drama follows Choi Han-gyul (Goblin's Gong Yoo), the irresponsible heir to a conglomerate with a popular chain of coffee shops. One day he meets Ko Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye), a tomboy who's often mistaken for a man and has been the breadwinner of her family since she was 16. Not knowing Eun-chan is a girl, Han-gyul hires her to be his gay lover to get out of the blind dates his grandmother sets up. Han-gyul also takes over a derelict coffee shop, renamed Coffee Prince, to prove to his grandmother and ex-girlfriend that he is capable. As he's only hiring good-looking male employees, Eun-chan decides to keep up her gender charade to get a job at his cafe.

watch it on viki

'Boys Over Flowers'

lee min ho and gu hye son in boys over flowers kdrama

(Image credit: KBS2)

Boys Over Flowers is an old-school teen drama, focused on a group of popular/privileged/not-so-nice boys at the prestigious Shinhwa High School. The group, known as F4, bully others to get their way—until a working class girl named Geum Jan-di arrives at the school on scholarship and stands up to the boys.

watch it on netflix

'True Beauty'

hwang in youp mun ka young and cha eun woo in true beauty kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

If you want to follow a high-school love triangle, then this hilarious coming-of-age drama is for you. High schooler Im Ju-yeong (Moon Ga-young) has an inferiority complex after being bullied for years by students and family members for her looks. After learning makeup artistry from YouTube, she is considered a "goddess" and becomes more popular at school. Soon she falls into a triangle between mysterious Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo), who recognizes her through her makeup, and his former best friend Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-youp).

watch it on viki

'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo'

nam joo hyuk and lee sung kyung in weightlifting fairy kim bok joo kdrama

(Image credit: MBC)

This drama has one of the most likable protagonists and the cutest friends-to-lovers story. Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), a collegiate weightlifter training for the Olympics, meets Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) a swimmer at the same school recovering from a psychological problem. The two athletes start out as reluctant friends, but watching them fall in love makes for some hilarious, heart-warming moments.

watch it on viki

'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim'

park seo joon and park min young in whats wrong with secretary kim kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This beloved rom-com stars Park Min-young as Kim Mi-so, the skilled secretary to chaebol businessman Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon). The job is demanding and Young-joon is narcissistic and self-absorbed, and after nine years at her job, Mi-so has finally decided to quit and start living her life for herself. However, Young-joon refuses to let her go, and eventually he realizes that his feelings for Mi-so go beyond professional admiration. On Mi-so's side, she begins to see her slowly-softening boss in a new life, leading to a genuinely sweet love story (and some top-tier kissing scenes).

watch it on hulu

'Our Beloved Summer'

kim da mi and choi woo shik in our beloved summer

(Image credit: Studio N/SBS)

Ten years have passed since high schoolers Choi Ung (Parasite's Choi Woo-sik) and Kook Yeon-su (Kim Da-mi) starred in a documentary together. Though they started out hating each other, the pair later began dating and stayed together for five years. Now, five years after the rough breakup, the two adults find each other back in their lives at the same time the documentary goes viral, with fans clamoring for an update. Will Ung and Da-mi fall in love again while filming the sequel? Check out this enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers(?) drama to find out.

watch it on netflix

'Semantic Error'

park jae chan and park seo ham in semantic error kdrama

(Image credit: Rakuten Viki)

BL (a.k.a. "Boys Love") dramas have grown in popularity over the years, and this acclaimed, college-based web series is a great intro to the genre. Strict computer science major Choo Sang-woo (Park Jae-chan) is placed into a group project with Jang Jae-young's (Park Seo-ham), the popular campus star. When Sang-woo removes Jae-young's name from the project because he didn't contribute, it ruins the design student's plans to study abroad. As Jae-young plots his revenge to torment the analytical brainiac, their feud blossoms into something more, as Sang-woo learns to follow his heart over his head.

watch it on viki

'Crash Course in Romance'

a woman in a blue shirt laughs while sitting next to a man in a blazer

(Image credit: Netflix)

This multi-generational romance has a little bit of everything, from a slow-burn love between mature protagonists, a sweet high school friends-to-lovers story, and a murder-mystery subplot (for some reason). Former national handball player Nam Haeng-seon (Kill Boksoon's Jeon Do-yeon) is now a devoted mother to her adopted niece Hae-yi (Roh Yoon-seo). When Yoon-seo shows promise at her studies, Haeng-seon becomes determined to enroll her in the elite hagwon (a.k.a. a private tutoring program) led by legendary math teacher Choi Chi-yeol (played by Jung Kyung-ho). In addition to Haeng-seon and Chi-yeol's eventual love story, the show also offers another thoughtful look at the excessive competition within South Korea’s education system.

watch it on netflix

'Doona!'

bae suzy and yang se jong in doona kdrama

(Image credit: Kim Seung-wan/Netflix)

This heart-fluttering college romance is based on the WEBTOON webcomic The Girl Downstairs. Doo-na (Bae Suzy) was a member of the popular K-pop girl group Dream Sweet before she went into hiding due to mysterious circumstances. Won-jun (Yang Se-jong) is an ordinary college student who moves into a group home to discover his downstairs neighbor is a former idol. The two housemates from entirely different worlds slowly become curious about each other and let their respective guards down as the school year goes on.

watch it on netflix

Fantasy Korean Dramas

These sci-fi/fantasy shows range from modern to historical, and the magical elements can either be hidden among day-to-day life or blown out to encompass tons of lore Game of Thrones-style (though minus the gore, most of the time). K-dramas also love a good fated romance, so expect some mystical love connections.

'Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)'

kim go eun and gong yoo in guardian the great and lonely god goblin kdrama

(Image credit: Studio Dragon/tvN)

This series, written by Kim Eun-sook, is the fourth highest-rated Korean drama of all time. The fantasy romance is about a modern day goblin, Gong Yoo, who needs a human bride (Kim Go Eun) to end his cursed immortal life. His life then becomes intertwined with a grim reaper, Lee Dong-wook, who is unable to remember his past. The story evolves as all these strangers' lives intertwine.

watch it on viki

'Hotel de Luna'

iu in hotel del luna kdrama

(Image credit: Studio Dragon/tvN)

The Hotel Del Luna is a refuge for the dead, a middle ground that helps souls pass into the afterlife. All souls pass on after dealing with their unfinished business in life, except Man-wol (IU), the owner who has been cursed to run the hotel for over a millennium, as penance for her sins. The hotel also needs a human manager to help it run; the next fated human is Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo), a Harvard grad who discovers that he can see ghosts. As they work together, Chan-sung begins to unravel the secrets of Man-wol's past.

watch it on netflix

'The Uncanny Counter'

yeom hye ran cho byeong kyu yoo joon sang and kim se jeong in the uncanny counter kdrama

(Image credit: Netflix/OCN)

This show loosely reminds me of Ghostbusters, but with an eclectic group of characters who each possesses special abilities. The five-person group, called "Counter," work at a noodle restaurant by day and at night, hunt down evil spirits who have escaped from the after life to go after humans. (Their red tracksuits in the show are iconic and honestly would make for great group Halloween costume in 2022—just putting the idea out there.) This K-drama has been very well received by the audience and will have you binging all the episodes in one weekend.

watch it on netflix

'Tale of the Nine Tailed'

lee dong wook and jo bo ah in tale of the nine tailed kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

You might want to keep the lights turned on for Lee Dong-wook's new show because it's a little scary (think scenes with ghosts and a water well à la The Ring). Aside from some minor scenes that make you shudder, however, the story largely revolves around his character Lee-yeon, a mythical fox known as gumiho, and a documentary filmmaker Nam Ji-a (played by Jo Bo-ah) who were once lovers in the past. (The foxes adopt human appearances, but have special powers.) Circumstances in the present bring the two on a treacherous journey that involves solving Ji-a's parents mysterious deaths and the two rediscovering their love for each other.

watch it on netflix

'Legend of the Blue Sea'

jun ji hyun and lee min ho in legend of the blue sea kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

This fantasy romance show explores the relationship between a con artist and a mermaid who meet and fall in love. The mermaid, Shim Cheong, (played by the talented and beautiful Jun Ji-hyun) follows her lover Heo Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho) to land unbeknownst to him that she is a mer person. Juxtaposed against present day, the storyline also focuses on the two's Joseon-era incarnations, town head Kim Dam-ryeong and the mermaid Se-hwa. That pair met a tragic fate, so what does this mean for their current counterparts? Will Shim Cheong and Joon-jae meet the same bad fate?

watch it on hulu

'My Love from the Star'

jun ji hyun and kim soo hyun in my love from the star kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

In this rom-com, Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) is a handsome alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago during Korea's Joseon era. He's been waiting for a chance to return to his home planet for centuries. When he has three months left on Earth, he gets a new neighbor, Hallyu star Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun), who resembles a young woman from his past. Their romance will have you watching the skies hoping for an alien invasion (as long as they look like Min-joon).

watch it on viki

'Alchemy of Souls'

jung so min and lee jae wook in alchemy of souls kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

Set in the fictional country of Daeho, this period fantasy takes place in the world of mages, who live as nobles and warriors among other mortals. Elite warrior Nak-su has evaded authorities by using a forbidden spell called "alchemy of souls," which allows her to switch bodies. When she jumps into the weak body of Mu-deok (Jung So-min), she has to re-build enough strength to wield her powerful sword. So she takes a position as a servant for Jang-uk (Lee Jae-wook), a noble who needs a teacher to help him unbind his magic.

watch it on netflix

'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon'

park bo young in strong woman do bong soon kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

This genre-bending action rom-com stars Park Bo-young as Bong-soon, a petite woman with superhuman strength. All the women in her family inherit this gift, but they can only keep it if they use it for the greater good. After witnessing Bong-soon as she single-handedly fights off a group of gang members, handsome gaming CEO Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) hires her to be his bodyguard, as he's being threatened by an unknown enemy. While Bong-soon and Min-hyuk slowly begin to care for one another, the heroine is also put in increasing danger as a serial killer pops up in her neighborhood. (A Netflix sequel series, Strong Girl Nam-soon, aired in 2023.)

watch it on viki

Melodrama Korean Dramas

While many see "melodrama" and think of women in beautiful gowns slapping each other (and yes, that does show up), we consider the genre as anything involving heightened emotions of the non-romantic variety. Think intense jealousy, blood feuds, lifelong revenge plots, deep misery, and life-or-death situations. If you're not lunging for the "Keep Watching" button, it's not enough.

'The Glory'

park sung hoon and song hye kyo in the glory kdrama

(Image credit: Graphyoda/Netflix)

When Moon Dong-eun (played as a teen by Jung Ji-so) was in high school, she was severly bullied and assaulted by a group of classmates, led by the unrepentant Park Yeon-jin (Im Ji-yeon). The bullies run the aspiring architect out of school and leaves her with deep emotional scars, so much that she dedicates her life to getting revenge. Decades later, and having become a teacher, Dong-eun (Song Hye-ko) begins her elaborate scheme when she becomes the homeroom teacher of Yeon-jin's young daughter.

watch it on netflix

'It's Okay, That's Love'

zo in sung and gong hyo jin in its okay thats love kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

This complex drama follows the building relationship between Jang Jae-yeol (Zo In-sung), a famous mystery novelist who lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Ji Hae-soo (Gong Hyo-jin), an ambitious psychiatrist with negative feelings about relationships. Though they don't get along when they meet on a talk show panel, they eventually get thrown together as housemates, and as they get to know each other, the duo helps each other heal from deep emotional scars. 

watch it on viki

'The Penthouse: War in Life'

eugene and kim so yeon in penthouse kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

If you thought shows like Big Little Lies and Revenge laid the melodrama on thick, just wait until you take a bite out of this rollercoaster of a series. Penthouse follows three wealthy families vying for power in the exclusive Hera Palace community–a luxurious 100-floor high-rise that juts out of the Seoul skyline. Like its forebears, the series centers on three women who hide behind their various secrets and traumas with piles of money and their boundless ambitions for their children. Their world begins to crumble after a mysterious girl falls to her death and the trio attempt to cover up the location of her death to protect the reputation of Hera Palace. It’s messy, and I am living for it.

watch it on viki

'SKY Castle' 

cast of sky castle kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

This series follows the journeys of four women and their families as they try to maintain the status quo among the upper crust of South Korean society. The drama revolves around one mother's obsession with getting her daughter into an elite university by any means necessary...sound familiar? This one is a nice mix of romance, soapy drama, and comedy, so if you enjoy human-interest stories, SKY Castle is definitely the K-drama for you.

watch it on netflix

'The Heirs'

cast of the heirs kdrama

(Image credit: SBS)

This drama (also known as Inheritors) tells the story of a group of rich, privileged high school students who will one day take over their families businesses. The coming-of-age themes explored in the drama include identity, wealth, and relationships. One of the main characters is Kim Tan, a chaebol heir to Jeguk Group, who hasn't had the easiest relationship with his older half-brother Kim Won because he thinks Tan is trying to steal their father's company from him. To make Tan's life even more difficult, he ends up falling in love with his housekeeper's daughter, Cha Eun-sang, much to his father's disapproval and he has to compete with classmate Choi Young Do's sudden interest in Eun-sang too when she transfers into their elite school. Tan seeks to overcome all the obstacles to be with Eun-sang no matter what his family or friends at school say.

watch it on netflix

'Move to Heaven'

tan jun sang and lee je hoon in move to heaven kdrama

(Image credit: Netflix)

You'll need to gather some tissues before you watch this gorgeous story about life, death, and love. Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, works with his father as a trauma cleaner, arranging the items left by the deceased and delivering them to their families. When his father dies in an accident, his uncle Sang-gu (Lee Je-Hoon) reappears and becomes his guardian. The ex-convict and martial arts fighter needs to learn to work with Geu-ru on the business, named Move to Heaven, for three months before he can receive the inheritance. The beloved show is best known for changing viewers' perspectives about grief and family.

watch it on netflix

'My Mister'

a man and a woman sit next to each other in front of glass doors

(Image credit: tvN/Netflix)

Another series known for eliciting tears, this melancholy, immersive drama tackles heavy subjects including depression and poverty, through its depiction of an unlikely and comforting friendship. (It's also a rare drama that has a platonic, rather than romantic, relationship between male and female leads.) Lee Ji-ahn (singer and actor IU) is a debt-ridden young woman who works several jobs while supporting her ill grandmother. While working as a temp at a construction company, she encounters Park Dong-hoon (Parasite's Lee Sun-kyun), an unhappy middle manager who supports his two unemployed younger brothers, and whose wife is having an affair with an executive at his company. The pair slowly recognize that they both have deep pain and strife within in their lives, and are able to help each other in very unexpected ways.

watch it on netflix

'Reborn Rich'

song joong ki in reborn rich kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

One of the most-watched dramas in South Korean cable TV history, this revenge drama stars Song Joong-ki as Yoon Hyun-woo, devoted secretary to the chaebol family behind the conglomerate Soonyang Group. When Hyun-woo is betrayed and murdered by one of founder Jin Yang-cheol's (Lee Sung-min) children during a succession battle, he wakes up in the body of the youngest member of the family, Jin Do-jun. With his new position, Hyun-woo forms a plot to take over the company and punish the unknown family member who killed him.

watch it on viki

Historical Korean Dramas

Korea's historical dramas, also known as sageuk, take place throughout the country's history, including the well-known Goryeo (10th-14th century) and Joseon (14th-late 19th century) periods. They can range from rom-com to political saga to even zombie thriller, with the customs of each time heavily affecting the story. Perfect watches when you want remember a simpler time (and yes, there are handsome princes and brave princesses).

'Kingdom'

still from kingdom kdrama

(Image credit: JUHAN NOH/Netflix)

Two subjects K-dramas do extremely well: historical epics and zombie horror. Put them together and you get the first Netflix original drama to become an international hit. As a mysterious plague moves through the country, a crown prince sets out to find the source. Luckily, this drama doesn't end at one season; a prequel film premiered in 2021, and there's been a long-rumored third season reportedly in the works.

watch it on netflix

'Mr. Queen'

shin hye sun in mr queen kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This hilarious genre-bending drama is a must-watch for anyone interested in a time-traveling, body-swapping comedy with a hint of romance. In the present day, Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) is the virtuoso, womanizing head chef at the Blue House (the presidential residence, so literally South Korea's White House). After he gets in an accident and nearly drowns in his apartment swimming pool, he wakes up in the body of the queen of Joseon, Kim So-yong (the stellar Shin Hye-sun). As the time traveler gets used to 19th century palace politics, they also need to contend with their irritating husband King Cheoljong (Crash Landing on You's Kim Jung-hyun), who's hiding secrets of his own.

watch it on netflix

'Pachinko'

kim min ha in pachinko kdrama

(Image credit: Apple TV+)

If there isn't already a label for the international, prestige K-drama, we're creating it for Pachinko. Created by Soo Hugh based on a novel by Korean-American writer Min Jin Lee, this gorgeous drama tells the tale of four generations of a Korean family living in permanent residents in Japan, spanning from Japanese-occupied Korea in the 1910s to 1980s Tokyo. With a cast including Oscar winner Yuh-jung Youn, Hallyu star Lee Minho, and newcomer Kim Min-ha, the saga of love, family duty, and perseverance is a must-watch tearjerker.

watch it on apple tv+

'Mr. Sunshine'

lee byung hun and kim tae ri in mr sunshine kdrama

(Image credit: Jisun Park)

This historical saga is based on real historical events that affected Korea (then Joseon) in the early 1900s. Born in Joseon as the child of slaves, Marine Corps officer Eugene Choi (Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun) returns to his native country, years after smuggling his way to the U.S. There he meets Ae-shin (Twenty Five, Twenty One's Kim Tae-ri), a noblewoman who's part of efforts to secure the country's independence against the threat of colonization. The two fall in love, despite their class differences and Ae-shin's impending marriage, against the backdrop of a changing nation.

watch it on netflix

'The Red Sleeve'

lee se young and lee jun ho in the red sleeve kdrama

(Image credit: MBC)

This historical romance, based on a fictional novel about real historical figures, is a slow-burn that both warms your heart and leaves you in tears. Crown Prince Yi San (2PM's Junho) falls in love with one of his court ladies, Sung Deok-im (Lee Se-young), and wants her to be his concubine. However, strong-willed Deok-im wants to live her life freely, and rejects his advances. Eventually, she realizes that his love for her is true, and that together, they can create a better future for their country.

watch it on viki

'Under the Queen's Umbrella'

still from under the queen's umbrella kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This period drama has drawn comparisons to SKY Castle, though these ambitious mothers and children aren't competing for a place at a top university. Instead, they're princes and concubines of the king of Joseon, who are striving to become heir in a system based on talent and merit. When the current Crown Prince and Queen Hwa-ryeong's (Kim Hye-Soo) eldest son falls gravely ill, the queen has to whip her four younger sons into shape, or their lives as well as their positions will be in danger.

watch it on netflix

'Youth of May'

go min si and lee do hyun in youth of may kdrama

(Image credit: KBS2/Wavve)

This romance takes place amid the Gwangju uprising, as local citizens took up arms against the martial law government. Rather than focusing on the tumultuous time, it shows the love story between medical student Hwang Hee-Tae (Lee Do-hyun) and nurse Kim Myung-Hee (Go Min-si). As the couple goes through hardships that are both personal and related to the era's politics, they begin to depend on each other and find themselves in a twist of fate.

watch it on viki

Professional Korean Dramas

Including the subcategories medical and legal, these dramas show workplaces or schools within a certain professional industry, with many covering cases or projects of the week. As with Grey's Anatomy and The Good Wife, the characters' relationships are just as important as their jobs.

'Hospital Playlist'

cast of hospital playlist kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

Grey's Anatomy and other medical drama fans will want to dive right into this drama that depicts the stories of people working at a hospital. The five doctors have been friends for 20 years (they all went to the same medical school) and now they're colleagues navigating through a career centered around life and death. This show is currently one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history with two seasons so far and a third already confirmed!

watch it on netflix

'Doctor Cha'

promotional image of uhm jung hwa in doctor cha kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

Cha Jung-sook (Uhm Jung-hwa) has been full time housewife for the past 20 years, after dropping out of her medical residency to raise her family. She's spent the past two decades devoted to her family, while her husband Seo In-ho (Kim Byung-chul) has become a chief surgeon and professor at the hospital where they both studied. After a health scare, Jung-sook decides to restart her medical resident course at the hospital, unknowingly raising big problems for In-ho, who has been keeping several huge secrets.

watch it on netflix

'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'

promotional image of park eun bin in extraordinary attorney woo

(Image credit: ENA/Netflix)

Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin, spelled the same way backwards and forwards) is a young law prodigy, who graduated from the best school at the top of her class and lives with autism spectrum disorder. When she starts her first job at Hanbada Law Firm, she has to adapt both in the office and at court, as her social skills are very different from her colleagues, clients, and opponents. But with the help of her kind co-workers and her love of whales, Young-woo can find success and maybe even love at her work.

watch it on netflix

'Queenmaker'

a woman wearing white reaches for paper on a desk as another wearing green holds open a folder in Queenmaker

(Image credit: Kim Ji-yeon/Netflix)

This gripping political drama centers on Hwang Do-hee (The World of the Married's Kim Hee-ae) as a cutthroat fixer (think Olivia Pope in Scandal) who has spent the past decade covering up the crimes of the corrupt family who owns the conglomerate Eunsung Group. Oh Kyung-sook (Moon So-ri) is a stubbornly moral civil rights lawyer, whose determination has earned her the moniker "Rhino of Justice." When Do-hee unceremoniously fired, right before the Eunsung Group heir Baek Jae-min (Ryu Soo-young) announces his mayoral campaign, she teams up with Kyung-sook to make the "Rhino" the next mayor of Seoul.

watch it on netflix

'Law School'

kim bum kim myung min and ryu hae young in law school kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

How to Get Away With Murder fans are sure to love Law School, which focuses on students and professors are prestigious Hankuk University Law School. The show's plot kicks off when one law professor at the school is found dead and another, Professor Yang (played by Kim Myung-min) is arrested for the crime, forcing the students to team up to prove Yang's innocence.

watch it on netflix

'Search: WWW'

lee da hee im soo jung and jeon hye jin in search www kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This workplace drama follows the relationships between three women running two competing web portal companies. Bae Ta-mi (Im Soo-jung) is the director of search department of Unicon, until she becomes the scapegoat for company corruption and gets fired. She's then scouted by Barro, a rival company that wants to overtake Unicon and become Korea’s top web portal. She teams up with Barro director Cha-hyun (Lee Da-hee) to beat their mutual frenemy, Unicon director Song Ga-kyeong (Jeon Hye-jin). While the show focuses on the three strong female characters, there's also a sweet side romance between 38-year-old Ta-mi and 28-year-old Park Morgan (Jang Ki-yong).

watch it on netflix

'Misaeng: Incomplete Life'

kim dae myung and yim si wan in misaeng incomplete life kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This heart-wrenching drama explores the existential questions of life through the journeys of everyday office workers. Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan) dedicated his life to the game of Go, but fate ultimately keeps him from building a career as a professional player. Equipped with only a GED and his Go skills, he takes an internship with a large conglomerate, where he perseveres through the new environment and eventually lands a two-year contract position. As he and his fellow newbies are assigned to their respective departments, they set out to find their niche and build a career.

watch it on netflix

Slice of Life Korean Dramas

This is another genre that's best described by a vibe. Rather than the heightened emotions of melodrama, these shows depict characters experiencing and working through the everyday emotions that make up a life. They're the perfect comfort watches, for when you want to see characters that you'd consider friends, and cheer for them as they go through familiar situations. (This is also where you'll find some great coming-of-age stories.)

'Reply 1988'

cast of reply 1988 kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

The Reply series are different kinds of period dramas; instead of taking us back to  the Goryeo or Joseon eras, these comedies show recent cultural events through the eyes of young people coming of age at the time. The slice-of-life series is beloved for its storylines of young love and its portrayals of pop cultural phenomenons. Though Reply 1988 was the last series made (they came out in reverse chronological order by year), it's the most popular, following both the kids and parents of the Ssangmun-dong neigborhood in Seoul.

watch it on netflix

'Itaewon Class'

ryu kyung soo lee joo young and park seo joon in itaewon class kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

Where to start with this one? This series tells the story of Park Sae-royi, who opens a restaurant in Itaewon after having spent a few years in prison for beating up chaebol heir Jang Geun-won. The two have a rough history and now, with a fresh start, Sae-royi wants to not only franchise his restaurant DanBam, but have it overtake Jangga Group as a household name. (His ultimate goal is to get revenge for his father's death, which was caused by the Jangga family.) The CEO of Jangga Group is a self-made man of success and he will not let Sae-royi defeat him or his son. The two engage in a power struggle throughout the entire series that's filled with juicy plot twists and turns.

watch it on netflix

'Something in the Rain'

promotional image of jung hae in and son ye jin in something in the rain kdrama

(Image credit: JTBC)

Although we love outrageously plotted k-dramas, Something in the Rain is a more straightforward and realistic look into an ill-fated romance and workplace discrimination. Yoon Jin-ah (Crash Landing on You's Son Ye-jin) is a single career woman who begins a romance with her friend’s little brother (played by your new crush Jung Hae-in) after he returned from a stint abroad. But their relationship draws an immense amount of scrutiny from their families, who don’t approve. Jin-ah also faces a sexist workplace, where she and her female co-workers are demeaned by their male colleagues.

watch it on netflix

'Because This Is My First Life'

jung so min and lee min ki in because this is my first life kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

Does broke millennials working underpaid jobs and dealing with today’s high cost of living sound familiar? The characters in Because This Is My First Life are just like us–following their dreams, working in high-powered industries, all the while just barely reaping the benefits. Nam Sae-hee (Lee Min-ki) is a software developer working for a start-up who suffers from a mortgage that eats up all his disposable income. Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) is a struggling screenwriter who dreams of developing her own k-dramas, but she’s relegated to being a writer’s assistant on mediocre shows. When the unlikely pair realize that a fake-marriage would be mutually advantageous for both their financial situations and societal expectations, they decide to tie the knot. Obviously, one thing leads to another and they’re unable to separate their contractual marriage from the real feelings that they begin to develop.

watch it on netflix

'Fight For My Way'

kim ji won park seo joon song ha yoon and ahn jae hong in fight for my way kdrama

(Image credit: KBS2)

This drama follows that transformative period of the quarter-life crisis, as a quartet of friends make big changes in their professional and romantic lives. Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) works at a department store, but she's decides to finally follow her dream of becoming a television anchor. Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-joon), a former teenage athlete, overcomes his past to become a rookie MMA fighter. Meanwhile, their best friends Kim Joo-man (Ahn Jae-hong) and Baek Seol-hee (Song Ha-yoon) have been dating for six years, and now face a new challenge to their relationship. You'll end up rooting for each of these characters as they grow, and the friends-turned-lovers arc between Dong-man and Ae-ra will make your heart flutter.

watch it on viki

'When the Camellia Blooms'

kang ha neul and gong hyo jin in when the camellia blooms kdrama

(Image credit: KBS2)

Single mother Dong-baek (Kong Hyo-jin) moves to the small town of Ongsan with her baby boy to open up her own bar, The Camellia. After five years where she's the subject of local gossip and the bar isn't doing that well, Dong-baek meets local police officer Hwang Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul), who falls for her at first sight and does whatever he can to win her love. Several dilemmas pop up amid the couple's growing romance, including the arrival of Dong-baek's ex-boyfriend, and a mysterious serial killer who may be targeting her.

watch it on netflix

'Our Blues'

cast of our blues kdrama

(Image credit: tvN/Netflix)

This melancholic anthology drama separates the interwoven lives of a community of Jeju Island locals into a series of novel-like chapters, letting each of the characters become the main characters for their own episodes. Led by a cast of all-star actors including Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Kim Woo-bin, and Han Ji-min, the episodes balance humorous subplots with serious topics including teen pregnancy, bullying, depression, poverty, and prejudice against the disabled. Though the heavy topics may require watching along with a box of tissues, each character's storyline ultimately shows the power of love, forgiveness, and a community coming together to look out for each other.

watch it on netflix

'Yumi's Cells'

promotional image of kim go eun and ahn bo hyun in yumi's cells kdrama

(Image credit: tvN)

This adorable rom-com, based on the webtoon of the same name, follows the life of ordinary office worker Kim Yu-mi with an extraordinary twist. Her everyday joys and dilemmas are seen through the point-of-view of her cells, animated avatars of the emotions and functions that power her body, including the Rational, Emotional, Hungry, Naughty, and Fashion Cells. Three years ago, her Love Cell went into a coma following a devastating breakup. When she accepts a blind date with game designer Goo Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun), her heart begins to thaw as Woong's own Cells go into overdrive to get her to fall for him.

watch it on viki

'Hello, My Twenties!'

five women lying down and smiling in promo image for hello my twenties

(Image credit: jTBC)

This friendship drama centers on five very different young women who all live in a share house, called Belle Epoque, while attending a Seoul university. Each of them have their different concerns: Eun-jae (Park Hye-soo) is living away from home for the first time and extremely shy. Jin-myung (Han Ye-ri) is an older student working several jobs to afford tuition. Ye-eun (KARA's Seungyeon) is constantly dealing with drama from her horrible boyfriend (a college rite of passage.) Yi-na (Ryu Hwa-young) is hiding multiple secrets, including her regular dates with older, wealthy men. Come for Extraordinary Attorney Woo's Park Eun-bin in a standout early role as the fifth roommate, stay for the nuanced stories of female friendship and necessary life lessons.

watch it on netflix

Related

crash landing on you yoon se ri, song yejin

(Image credit: Netflix)

'The Best In Korean Entertainment'

Stay In The Know

Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands

Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Quinci LeGardye

Quinci LeGardye

Contributing Culture Editor

Quinci LeGardye is a Contributing Culture Editor who covers TV, movies, Korean entertainment, books, and pop culture. When she isn’t writing or checking Twitter, she’s probably watching the latest K-drama or giving a concert performance in her car.

Had A Diesel Car Between 2008-2020? You Need To Read ThisFree online checking tool to see if you're owed up to £10,000 for owning or leasing a diesel vehicle between 2008 - 2020! Just enter you Reg and in less than 45 seconds you'll know if you have a claim or not! Diesel Claims Checker|

Sponsored

This Resurfaced Video of Princess Charlotte Demanding to Switch Seats With Older Brother Prince George at the Platinum Jubilee Has Gone ViralPrincess Charlotte rules the roost when it comes to brothers Prince George and Prince Louis, as evidenced in this resurfaced clip from the Platinum Jubilee that has gone viral.Marie Claire

If you have a mouse, this game will keep you up all night. No Install. Play for free.Combat Siege|

Sponsored

If you own a mouse, you have to play this game. No Install. Play for free.The most realistic game 2023. No Installation. Play for free.NAVY.QUEST|

Sponsored

Latest

    Zendaya on the Essence red carpet in a silver cuff necklace

    Zendaya's Archival Fashion Flexes Keep on Coming

    She didn't even wait a full day before revealing her next major look.

    Gisele Bundchen

    Gisele Bundchen Is the Latest Celebrity to Weigh In on Becoming a Stepmother, Sharing Rare Comments About 16-Year-Old Stepson Jack

    Christie Brinkley and Martha Stewart

    Christie Brinkley, Martha Stewart, and Maye Musk—All Over the Age of 70—Will Appear in the 60th Anniversary Spread for ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’

You might also like

    bachelor in paradise host wells adams

    ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023: Everything We Know

    Cue up Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise."

    golden bachelor

    Who Is Gerry Turner, the ‘Golden Bachelor’?

    The Indiana native is the first senior citizen to join Bachelor Nation.

    virgin river season 5 part 2

    ‘Virgin River’ Season 6: Everything We Know

    Here's everything we know on the upcoming episodes.

    Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones

    Kim Cattrall Didn't See or Speak to Her Costars When Filming 'And Just Like That' Cameo

    That's some type of commitment.

    Actor Meryl Streep attends The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

    Selena Gomez Revealed Meryl Streep Is Joining 'Only Murders in the Building' Season 3

    Fans are losing it.

    Sophia Brown in a still from 'The Witcher: Blood Origin'

    Sophia Brown on Joining the World of ‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’

    The actress opens up about the “surreal process” of playing the Lark in the Netflix fantasy prequel.

    Ginny and Georgia season 1

    'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2: Everything We Know

    Netflix owes us answers after that ending.

    Imelda Staunton playing The Queen in 'The Crown' season 5

    The Cast of 'The Crown' Season 5: Your Guide

    The Mountbatten-Windsors have been recast—again.

IMDb Charts

Top 250 TV Shows

Top 250 as rated by IMDb Users

250 Titles

Sort by

Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad (2008)

1. Breaking Bad

2008–2013

62 eps

18

9.5

 (2.1M)

TV Series

Planet Earth II (2016)

2. Planet Earth II

2016

6 eps

U

9.5

 (157K)

TV Mini Series

Planet Earth (2006)

3. Planet Earth

2006

11 eps

PG

9.4

 (219K)

TV Mini Series

Donnie Wahlberg, Scott Grimes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, Shane Taylor, and Peter Youngblood Hills in Band of Brothers (2001)

4. Band of Brothers

2001

10 eps

15

9.4

 (520K)

TV Mini Series

Chernobyl (2019)

5. Chernobyl

2019

5 eps

15

9.3

 (854K)

TV Mini Series

Idris Elba, Wood Harris, Sonja Sohn, and Dominic West in The Wire (2002)

6. The Wire

2002–2008

60 eps

18

9.3

 (374K)

TV Series

Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, and Jack De Sena in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)

7. Avatar: The Last Airbender

2005–2008

62 eps

PG

9.3

 (363K)

TV Series

Blue Planet II (2017)

8. Blue Planet II

2017

7 eps

U

9.3

 (46K)

TV Mini Series

Lorraine Bracco, James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Steven Van Zandt, Dominic Chianese, Robert Iler, Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Aida Turturro in The Sopranos (1999)

9. The Sopranos

1999–2007

86 eps

18

9.2

 (464K)

TV Series

Cosmos (2014)

10. Cosmos

2014

13 eps

U

9.3

 (128K)

TV Mini Series

Carl Sagan in Cosmos (1980)

11. Cosmos

1980

13 eps

U

9.3

 (44K)

TV Mini Series

David Attenborough in Our Planet (2019)

12. Our Planet

2019–2023

12 eps

U

9.3

 (50K)

TV Series

Sean Bean in Game of Thrones (2011)

13. Game of Thrones

2011–2019

74 eps

18

9.2

 (2.3M)

TV Series

The World at War (1973)

14. The World at War

1973–1974

26 eps

15

9.2

 (28K)

TV Series

Bluey (2018)

15. Bluey

2018–

173 eps

U

9.4

 (25K)

TV Series

Justin Roiland in Rick and Morty (2013)

16. Rick and Morty

2013–

74 eps

15

9.1

 (596K)

TV Series

Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)

17. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

2009–2010

68 eps

15

9.1

 (195K)

TV Series

Life (2009)

18. Life

2009

11 eps

E

9.1

 (43K)

TV Mini Series

Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, Steve Kerr, and Scottie Pippen in The Last Dance (2020)

19. The Last Dance

2020

10 eps

15

9.1

 (150K)

TV Mini Series

Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone (1959)

20. The Twilight Zone

1959–1964

156 eps

12

9.1

 (92K)

TV Series

Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock (2010)

21. Sherlock

2010–2017

15 eps

15

9.1

 (990K)

TV Series

The Vietnam War (2017)

22. The Vietnam War

2017

10 eps

15

9.1

 (28K)

TV Mini Series

Batman: The Animated Series (1992)

23. Batman: The Animated Series

1992–1995

85 eps

PG

9.0

 (116K)

TV Series

Marina Inoue, Yûki Kaji, and Yui Ishikawa in Attack on Titan (2013)

24. Attack on Titan

2013–2023

98 eps

15

9.1

 (500K)

TV Series

Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (2020)

25. Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

2020

10 eps

15

9.3

 (156K)

TV Mini Series

Shōgun (2024)

26. Shōgun

2024

10 eps

TV-14

9.2

 (20K)

TV Mini Series

Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, and B.J. Novak in The Office (2005)

27. The Office

2005–2013

188 eps

15

9.0

 (702K)

TV Series

The Blue Planet (2001)

28. The Blue Planet

2001

8 eps

E

9.0

 (42K)

TV Mini Series

Arcane (2021)

29. Arcane

2021–

10 eps

15

9.0

 (264K)

TV Series

Bob Odenkirk in Better Call Saul (2015)

30. Better Call Saul

2015–2022

63 eps

15

9.0

 (638K)

TV Series

Human Planet (2011)

31. Human Planet

2011

8 eps

PG

9.0

 (28K)

TV Mini Series

Adam Baldwin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, Jewel Staite, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and Summer Glau in Firefly (2002)

32. Firefly

2002–2003

14 eps

12

9.0

 (280K)

TV Series

Frozen Planet (2011)

33. Frozen Planet

2011–2012

10 eps

E

9.0

 (33K)

TV Mini Series

Jeremy Clarkson in Clarkson's Farm (2021)

34. Clarkson's Farm

2021–

18 eps

15

9.0

 (55K)

TV Series

Keiji Fujiwara, Miyuki Sawashiro, Mariya Ise, and Megumi Han in Hunter x Hunter (2011)

35. Hunter x Hunter

2011–2014

148 eps

U

9.0

 (131K)

TV Series

David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, and Lennard Pearce in Only Fools and Horses (1981)

36. Only Fools and Horses

1981–2003

64 eps

12

9.0

 (56K)

TV Series

The Civil War (1990)

37. The Civil War

1990

9 eps

TV-14

9.0

 (18K)

TV Mini Series

Kappei Yamaguchi, Shidô Nakamura, and Mamoru Miyano in Death Note (2006)

38. Death Note

2006–2007

37 eps

12

8.9

 (373K)

TV Series

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards in Seinfeld (1989)

39. Seinfeld

1989–1998

173 eps

PG

8.9

 (349K)

TV Series

Dekalog (1989)

40. Dekalog

1989–1990

10 eps

15

8.9

 (28K)

TV Mini Series

Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and The Beatles in The Beatles: Get Back (2021)

41. The Beatles: Get Back

2021

3 eps

15

9.0

 (28K)

TV Mini Series

Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in True Detective (2014)

42. True Detective

2014–

31 eps

18

8.9

 (648K)

TV Series

Haluk Bilginer and Cansu Dere in Sahsiyet (2018)

43. Sahsiyet

2018–

22 eps

TV-MA

9.0

 (47K)

TV Series

Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, and Alex Hirsch in Gravity Falls (2012)

44. Gravity Falls

2012–2016

41 eps

PG

8.9

 (133K)

TV Series

Megumi Hayashibara, Unshô Ishizuka, Aoi Tada, and Kôichi Yamadera in Cowboy Bebop (1998)

45. Cowboy Bebop

1998–1999

26 eps

12

8.9

 (137K)

TV Series

Fargo (2014)

46. Fargo

2014–2024

51 eps

15

8.9

 (417K)

TV Series

Nathan Fielder in Nathan for You (2013)

47. Nathan for You

2013–2017

32 eps

Not Rated

8.9

 (38K)

TV Series

Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)

48. Apocalypse: The Second World War

2009

6 eps

TV-MA

9.0

 (14K)

TV Mini Series

John Oliver in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014)

49. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

2014–

344 eps

15

8.9

 (95K)

TV Series

Asante Blackk, Marquis Rodriguez, Caleel Harris, and Ethan Herisse in When They See Us (2019)

50. When They See Us

2019

4 eps

15

8.8

 (137K)

TV Mini Series

Greg Davies and Alex Horne in Taskmaster (2015)

51. Taskmaster

2015–

161 eps

15

9.0

 (19K)

TV Series

Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Brian Cox, Matthew Macfadyen, Jeremy Strong, Nicholas Braun, and Sarah Snook in Succession (2018)

52. Succession

2018–2023

39 eps

15

8.8

 (266K)

TV Series

Africa (2013)

53. Africa

2013

7 eps

PG

8.9

 (17K)

TV Mini Series

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer in Friends (1994)

54. Friends

1994–2004

234 eps

15

8.9

 (1.1M)

TV Series

Feyyaz Yigit and Kivanç Kilinç in As If (2021)

55. As If

2021–

43 eps

9.0

 (21K)

TV Series

TVF Pitchers (2015)

56. TVF Pitchers

2015–2022

10 eps

TV-MA

9.1

 (72K)

TV Series

Danny DeVito, Charlie Day, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and Glenn Howerton in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)

57. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

2005–

172 eps

15

8.8

 (250K)

TV Series

Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Monty Python in Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969)

58. Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969–1974

45 eps

PG

8.8

 (78K)

TV Series

Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Moira Kelly, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)

59. The West Wing

1999–2006

155 eps

12

8.9

 (85K)

TV Series

Das Boot (1985)

60. Das Boot

1985

3 eps

TV-MA

8.8

 (33K)

TV Mini Series

Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)

61. Curb Your Enthusiasm

2000–2024

120 eps

18

8.8

 (143K)

TV Series

One Piece (1999)

62. One Piece

1999–

1108 eps

12

9.0

 (227K)

TV Series

Will Arnett in BoJack Horseman (2014)

63. BoJack Horseman

2014–2020

77 eps

18

8.8

 (186K)

TV Series

Fawlty Towers (1975)

64. Fawlty Towers

1975–1979

12 eps

12

8.8

 (100K)

TV Series

Köksal Engür, Ahmet Mümtaz Taylan, Serkan Keskin, Ali Atay, Cengiz Bozkurt, and Osman Sonant in Yeniden (2021)

65. Leyla ile Mecnun

2011–2023

144 eps

TV-PG

9.1

 (96K)

TV Series

Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in Pride and Prejudice (1995)

66. Pride and Prejudice

1995

6 eps

U

8.8

 (92K)

TV Mini Series

Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Martin Starr, and Jason Segel in Freaks and Geeks (1999)

67. Freaks and Geeks

1999–2000

18 eps

15

8.8

 (152K)

TV Series

Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

68. Blackadder Goes Forth

1989

6 eps

15

8.8

 (57K)

TV Series

Twin Peaks (1990)

69. Twin Peaks

1990–1991

30 eps

15

8.8

 (214K)

TV Series

Dragon Ball Z (1989)

70. Dragon Ball Z

1989–1996

277 eps

PG

8.8

 (146K)

TV Series

Narcos (2015)

71. Narcos

2015–2017

30 eps

15

8.8

 (466K)

TV Series

Dave Chappelle in Chappelle's Show (2003)

72. Chappelle's Show

2003–2006

33 eps

15

8.8

 (71K)

TV Series

Dragon Ball Z (1989)

73. Dragon Ball Z

1989–1996

291 eps

PG

8.8

 (87K)

TV Series

Lee Il-hwa, Ahn Jae-hong, Sung Dong-il, Ra Mi-ran, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Dong-hwi, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Lee Hyeri, and Yoo Jae-myung in Reply 1988 (2015)

74. Reply 1988

2015–2016

20 eps

9.1

 (11K)

TV Series

I, Claudius (1976)

75. I, Claudius

1976

13 eps

15

8.8

 (19K)

TV Mini Series

Black Mirror (2011)

76. Black Mirror

2011–

29 eps

18

8.7

 (634K)

TV Series

Matt Stone and Trey Parker in South Park (1997)

77. South Park

1997–

330 eps

18

8.7

 (404K)

TV Series

Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis, Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Nick Mohammed in Ted Lasso (2020)

78. Ted Lasso

2020–2023

34 eps

15

8.8

 (341K)

TV Series

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

79. Over the Garden Wall

2014

10 eps

PG

8.8

 (69K)

TV Mini Series

Urvi Singh, Ranjan Raj, Jitendra Kumar, Alam Khan, Mayur More, Vaibhav Thakkar, and Revathi Pillai in Kota Factory (2019)

80. Kota Factory

2019–2021

11 eps

12

9.0

 (80K)

TV Series

Vinland Saga (2019)

81. Vinland Saga

2019–2023

48 eps

15

8.8

 (69K)

TV Series

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us (2023)

82. The Last of Us

2023–

10 eps

15

8.7

 (506K)

TV Series

Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Harsh Mayar, and Vaibhav Raj Gupta in Gullak (2019)

83. Gullak

2019–

16 eps

9.1

 (21K)

TV Series

Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders (2013)

84. Peaky Blinders

2013–2022

36 eps

18

8.8

 (639K)

TV Series

Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodríguez, Frances Conroy, Rachel Griffiths, Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, and Mathew St. Patrick in Six Feet Under (2001)

85. Six Feet Under

2001–2005

63 eps

18

8.7

 (148K)

TV Series

Rome (2005)

86. Rome

2005–2007

22 eps

18

8.7

 (184K)

TV Series

Oz (1997)

87. Oz

1997–2003

56 eps

15

8.7

 (106K)

TV Series

Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik, and Jitendra Kumar in Panchayat (2020)

88. Panchayat

2020–

24 eps

15

8.9

 (84K)

TV Series

Steins;Gate (2011)

89. Steins;Gate

2011–2015

26 eps

12

8.8

 (72K)

TV Series

Maya Erskine in Blue Eye Samurai (2023)

90. Blue Eye Samurai

2023

9 eps

18

8.8

 (59K)

TV Series

Lisa Vicari in Dark (2017)

91. Dark

2017–2020

26 eps

15

8.7

 (438K)

TV Series

Kentarô Itô, Masakazu Morita, Fumiko Orikasa, Takayuki Sugô, Yuki Matsuoka, Noriaki Sugiyama, Tite Kubo, and Hiroki Yasumoto in Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War (2022)

92. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

2022–

27 eps

16

9.0

 (34K)

TV Series

Laz Alonso, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Tomer Capone, and Karen Fukuhara in The Boys (2019)

93. The Boys

2019–

32 eps

18

8.7

 (637K)

TV Series

Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag (2016)

94. Fleabag

2016–2019

12 eps

15

8.7

 (198K)

TV Series

Mary McDonnell, Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Aaron Douglas, Michael Hogan, Grace Park, Katee Sackhoff, and Tricia Helfer in Battlestar Galactica (2004)

95. Battlestar Galactica

2004–2009

74 eps

12

8.7

 (175K)

TV Series

Michael Chiklis in The Shield (2002)

96. The Shield

2002–2008

89 eps

15

8.7

 (87K)

TV Series

Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, Allen Leech, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Lily James, Fifi Hart, and Oliver Barker in Downton Abbey (2010)

97. Downton Abbey

2010–2015

52 eps

12

8.7

 (223K)

TV Series

Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, and Yeardley Smith in The Simpsons (1989)

98. The Simpsons

1989–

763 eps

15

8.7

 (433K)

TV Series

Nobutoshi Canna, Yûko Miyamura, Toshiyuki Morikawa, and Kenji Utsumi in Berserk (1997)

99. Berserk

1997–1998

25 eps

18

8.7

 (52K)

TV Series

Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and Alia Shawkat in Arrested Development (2003)

100. Arrested Development

2003–2019

84 eps

15

8.7

 (323K)

TV Series

Hugh Laurie in House M.D. (2004)

101. House M.D.

2004–2012

176 eps

15

8.7

 (507K)

TV Series

Adam Scott in Severance (2022)

102. Severance

2022–

19 eps

15

8.7

 (194K)

TV Series

One Punch Man: Wanpanman (2015)

103. One Punch Man: Wanpanman

2015–2019

25 eps

15

8.7

 (184K)

TV Series

Mad Men (2007)

104. Mad Men

2007–2015

92 eps

15

8.7

 (259K)

TV Series

Steven Yeun in Invincible (2021)

105. Invincible

2021–

18 eps

18

8.7

 (192K)

TV Series

David Mitchell and Robert Webb in Peep Show (2003)

106. Peep Show

2003–2015

54 eps

18

8.7

 (66K)

TV Series

Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, and Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

107. Star Trek: The Next Generation

1987–1994

176 eps

12

8.7

 (135K)

TV Series

Winona Ryder, Tom Wlaschiha, David Harbour, Brett Gelman, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Natalia Dyer, Joseph Quinn, Caleb McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Priah Ferguson, and Eduardo Franco in Stranger Things (2016)

108. Stranger Things

2016–2025

42 eps

15

8.7

 (1.3M)

TV Series

Nitish Bharadwaj in Mahabharat (1988)

109. Mahabharat

1988–1990

94 eps

TV-14

8.9

 (23K)

TV Series

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984)

110. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

1984–1985

13 eps

15

8.7

 (24K)

TV Series

Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)

111. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

2017–2023

43 eps

15

8.7

 (142K)

TV Series

Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond in The Grand Tour (2016)

112. The Grand Tour

2016–2024

46 eps

15

8.7

 (83K)

TV Series

Naveen Kasturia, Sunny Hinduja, Shivankit Singh Parihar, Namita Dubey, and Abhilash Thapliyal in Aspirants (2021)

113. Aspirants

2021–

10 eps

9.2

 (310K)

TV Series

Justice League Unlimited (2004)

114. Justice League Unlimited

2004–2006

39 eps

PG

8.7

 (20K)

TV Series

Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, Timothy F. Crowley, Blue Deckert, Brad Leland, Jesse Plemons, Louanne Stephens, Minka Kelly, Zach Gilford, Adrianne Palicki, Aimee Teegarden, Taylor Kitsch, Kate Krause, Gaius Charles, Scott Porter, Kate Melton, Derek Phillips, Stacey Oristano, Omaka Omegah, and Sarah Kate Allsup in Friday Night Lights (2006)

115. Friday Night Lights

2006–2011

76 eps

12

8.7

 (72K)

TV Series

Ratna Pathak Shah, Satish Shah, Rupali Ganguly, and Sumeet Raghavan in Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai (2004)

116. Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai

2004–2017

79 eps

TV-PG

8.9

 (18K)

TV Series

Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Pedro Pascal, Shirley Henderson, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Katee Sackhoff, Amy Sedaris, Omid Abtahi, Emily Swallow, and Katy O'Brian in The Mandalorian (2019)

117. The Mandalorian

2019–

25 eps

12

8.7

 (581K)

TV Series

Erdal Besikçioglu in Behzat Ç: An Ankara Detective Story (2010)

118. Behzat Ç: An Ankara Detective Story

2010–2019

105 eps

TV-14

8.9

 (33K)

TV Series

Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond in Top Gear (2002)

119. Top Gear

2002–2022

328 eps

Not Rated

8.7

 (126K)

TV Series

Line of Duty (2012)

120. Line of Duty

2012–2021

37 eps

15

8.7

 (69K)

TV Series

Naruto: Shippuden (2007)

121. Naruto: Shippuden

2007–2017

501 eps

12

8.7

 (164K)

TV Series

1883 (2021)

122. 1883

2021–2022

10 eps

15

8.7

 (113K)

TV Mini Series

Peter Capaldi in The Thick of It (2005)

123. The Thick of It

2005–2012

24 eps

18

8.7

 (26K)

TV Series

Monster (2004)

124. Monster

2004–2005

75 eps

15

8.7

 (43K)

TV Series

Deepika Chikhalia, Dara Singh Randhawa, Arvind Trivedi, Sanjay Jog, and Arun Govil in Ramayan (1987)

125. Ramayan

1987–1988

78 eps

TV-14

9.0

 (24K)

TV Series

John Wilson in How to with John Wilson (2020)

126. How to with John Wilson

2020–2023

18 eps

15

8.7

 (13K)

TV Series

Kevin Spacey in House of Cards (2013)

127. House of Cards

2013–2018

73 eps

18

8.6

 (529K)

TV Series

Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley, and Chrissy Metz in This Is Us (2016)

128. This Is Us

2016–2022

106 eps

12

8.7

 (158K)

TV Series

Father Ted (1995)

129. Father Ted

1995–1998

25 eps

15

8.7

 (43K)

TV Series

Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz in Atlanta (2016)

130. Atlanta

2016–2022

41 eps

15

8.6

 (87K)

TV Series

Adam Scott, Rashida Jones, Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Retta, Aziz Ansari, and Aubrey Plaza in Parks and Recreation (2009)

131. Parks and Recreation

2009–2015

124 eps

15

8.6

 (286K)

TV Series

Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, and Elizabeth Debicki in The Crown (2016)

132. The Crown

2016–2023

60 eps

15

8.6

 (254K)

TV Series

Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, and Molly Parker in Deadwood (2004)

133. Deadwood

2004–2006

36 eps

18

8.6

 (117K)

TV Series

The X Files (1993)

134. The X Files

1993–2018

217 eps

18

8.6

 (248K)

TV Series

Dexter (2006)

135. Dexter

2006–2013

96 eps

18

8.7

 (760K)

TV Series

Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Matthew Mercer, and Marisha Ray in Critical Role (2015)

136. Critical Role

2015–

412 eps

U

9.2

 (12K)

TV Series

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (2006)

137. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

2006–2008

54 eps

15

8.7

 (79K)

TV Series

Aaron LaPlante in Primal (2019)

138. Primal

2019–

21 eps

15

8.7

 (20K)

TV Series

Nathaniel Curtis, Callum Scott Howells, Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, and Lydia West in It's a Sin (2021)

139. It's a Sin

2021

5 eps

15

8.7

 (37K)

TV Mini Series

Adventure Time (2010)

140. Adventure Time

2010–2018

289 eps

TV-PG

8.6

 (111K)

TV Series

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)

141. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

2015–2024

12 eps

15

8.6

 (51K)

TV Series

Nicolas Bro, Sofia Helin, Maria Kulle, Thure Lindhardt, Reuben Sallmander, and Sonja Richter in The Bridge (2011)

142. The Bridge

2011–2018

38 eps

15

8.6

 (76K)

TV Series

Charlie Cox in Daredevil (2015)

143. Daredevil

2015–2018

39 eps

15

8.6

 (472K)

TV Series

Rowan Atkinson, Tim McInnerny, and Tony Robinson in Blackadder II (1986)

144. Blackadder II

1986

6 eps

15

8.6

 (50K)

TV Series

Lonesome Dove (1989)

145. Lonesome Dove

1989

4 eps

TV-14

8.7

 (26K)

TV Mini Series

Veena Mehta, Anngad Raaj, Juhi Parmar, Rajesh Kumar, and Hetal Gada in Yeh Meri Family (2018)

146. Yeh Meri Family

2018–2023

12 eps

TV-14

9.0

 (25K)

TV Series

Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and Jonathan Groff in Mindhunter (2017)

147. Mindhunter

2017–2019

19 eps

18

8.6

 (332K)

TV Series

Yu Hayashi, Satoshi Hino, Ayumu Murase, and Kaito Ishikawa in Haikyuu!! (2014)

148. Haikyuu!!

2014–2020

89 eps

PG

8.7

 (34K)

TV Series

Jeremy Brett in The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986)

149. The Return of Sherlock Holmes

1986–1988

13 eps

15

8.7

 (13K)

TV Series

Giovanni Ribisi, Dan Fogler, Patrick Gallo, Matthew Goode, Juno Temple, and Miles Teller in The Offer (2022)

150. The Offer

2022

10 eps

18

8.6

 (39K)

TV Mini Series

David Suchet in Poirot (1989)

151. Poirot

1989–2013

70 eps

12

8.6

 (52K)

TV Series

Cristiana Dell'Anna and Salvatore Esposito in Gomorrah (2014)

152. Gomorrah

2014–2021

58 eps

18

8.6

 (44K)

TV Series

Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean (1990)

153. Mr. Bean

1990–1995

15 eps

U

8.6

 (132K)

TV Series

Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (1988)

154. Mystery Science Theatre 3000

1988–1999

199 eps

PG

8.6

 (26K)

TV Series

Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in Blackadder the Third (1987)

155. Blackadder the Third

1987

6 eps

15

8.6

 (47K)

TV Series

Pose (2018)

156. Pose

2018–2021

26 eps

G

8.6

 (33K)

TV Series

Scavengers Reign (2023)

157. Scavengers Reign

2023

12 eps

TV-MA

8.7

 (14K)

TV Mini Series

Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin in Crash Landing on You (2019)

158. Crash Landing on You

2019–2020

19 eps

15

8.7

 (40K)

TV Series

H. Jon Benjamin in Archer (2009)

159. Archer

2009–2023

144 eps

15

8.6

 (165K)

TV Series

Takahiro Sakurai, Toshihiko Seki, Hôchû Ôtsuka, Hiro Shimono, Satoshi Hino, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Natsuki Hanae, Shizuka Ishigami, and Akari Kitô in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019)

160. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

2019–

66 eps

15

8.6

 (144K)

TV Series

Lacey Chabert, Danica McKellar, Jesse McCartney, Nolan North, Stephanie Lemelin, Khary Payton, and Denise Boutte in Young Justice (2010)

161. Young Justice

2010–2023

102 eps

PG

8.6

 (45K)

TV Series

Amybeth McNulty in Anne (2017)

162. Anne

2017–2019

27 eps

U

8.6

 (65K)

TV Series

Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, John Hoogenakker, Will Poulter, and Kaitlyn Dever in Dopesick (2021)

163. Dopesick

2021

8 eps

15

8.6

 (76K)

TV Mini Series

Yes Minister (1980)

164. Yes Minister

1980–1984

22 eps

PG

8.7

 (16K)

TV Series

Greatest Events of WWII in Colour (2019)

165. Greatest Events of WWII in Colour

2019

10 eps

15

8.7

 (10K)

TV Mini Series

Scott Ryan in Mr Inbetween (2018)

166. Mr Inbetween

2018–2021

26 eps

18

8.6

 (29K)

TV Series

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Molly Gordon, Liza Colón-Zayas, Jeremy Allen White, Abby Elliott, Edwin Lee Gibson, Lionel Boyce, Matty Matheson, and Ayo Edebiri in The Bear (2022)

167. The Bear

2022–

19 eps

16

8.6

 (202K)

TV Series

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone (2018)

168. Yellowstone

2018–

53 eps

G

8.7

 (214K)

TV Series

Jeff Daniels in The Newsroom (2012)

169. The Newsroom

2012–2014

25 eps

15

8.6

 (124K)

TV Series

Sandi Toksvig in QI (2003)

170. QI

2003–

333 eps

15

8.6

 (33K)

TV Series

Boardwalk Empire (2010)

171. Boardwalk Empire

2010–2014

56 eps

18

8.6

 (202K)

TV Series

Timothy Olyphant in Justified (2010)

172. Justified

2010–2015

78 eps

15

8.6

 (118K)

TV Series

The Bugs Bunny Show (1960)

173. The Bugs Bunny Show

1960–1975

78 eps

U

8.6

 (36K)

TV Series

Roberto Gómez Bolaños in El Chavo del Ocho (1972)

174. El Chavo del Ocho

1972–1983

357 eps

PG

8.7

 (13K)

TV Series

Mathieu Kassovitz in The Bureau (2015)

175. The Bureau

2015–2020

50 eps

15

8.7

 (14K)

TV Series

Mckenna Grace, Lulu Wilson, Victoria Pedretti, Julian Hilliard, Paxton Singleton, and Violet McGraw in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

176. The Haunting of Hill House

2018

10 eps

15

8.6

 (285K)

TV Mini Series

What We Do in the Shadows (2019)

177. What We Do in the Shadows

2019–2024

51 eps

16

8.6

 (101K)

TV Series

Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)

178. Homicide: Life on the Street

1993–1999

122 eps

15

8.7

 (14K)

TV Series

Kevin Conroy, Susan Eisenberg, and George Newbern in Justice League (2001)

179. Justice League

2001–2004

52 eps

PG

8.6

 (51K)

TV Series

The Venture Bros. (2003)

180. The Venture Bros.

2003–2018

86 eps

15

8.6

 (28K)

TV Series

Anya Taylor-Joy in The Queen's Gambit (2020)

181. The Queen's Gambit

2020

7 eps

15

8.5

 (544K)

TV Mini Series

Tôru Furuya, Kôhei Miyauchi, Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Naoki Tatsuta, Hiromi Tsuru, and Naoko Watanabe in Dragon Ball (1986)

182. Dragon Ball

1986–1989

153 eps

U

8.5

 (65K)

TV Series

Tricia Helfer in Battlestar Galactica (2003)

183. Battlestar Galactica

2003

2 eps

12

8.5

 (80K)

TV Mini Series

Yûichi Nakamura, Asami Seto, Yuma Uchida, and Junya Enoki in Jujutsu Kaisen (2020)

184. Jujutsu Kaisen

2020–

48 eps

15

8.6

 (108K)

TV Series

Akira Toriyama in Dragon Ball (1995)

185. Dragon Ball

1995–2003

153 eps

12

8.5

 (65K)

TV Series

The Family Man (2019)

186. The Family Man

2019–

20 eps

18

8.7

 (98K)

TV Series

Flight of the Conchords (2007)

187. Flight of the Conchords

2007–2009

22 eps

15

8.6

 (66K)

TV Series

Steven Avery in Making a Murderer (2015)

188. Making a Murderer

2015–2018

20 eps

15

8.5

 (102K)

TV Series

Sarah Alexander, Gina Bellman, Richard Coyle, Jack Davenport, Kate Isitt, and Ben Miles in Coupling (2000)

189. Coupling

2000–2004

28 eps

15

8.6

 (48K)

TV Series

Senke nad Balkanom (2017)

190. Senke nad Balkanom

2017–

20 eps

TV-MA

8.9

 (12K)

TV Series

Rocket Boys (2022)

191. Rocket Boys

2022–

17 eps

8.9

 (18K)

TV Series

Yes, Prime Minister (1986)

192. Yes, Prime Minister

1986–1987

16 eps

PG

8.6

 (13K)

TV Series

Ayako Kawasumi, Kazuya Nakai, and Ginpei Sato in Samurai Champloo (2004)

193. Samurai Champloo

2004–2005

26 eps

15

8.6

 (55K)

TV Series

Sal Vulcano, Brian Quinn, James Murray, and Joe Gatto in Impractical Jokers (2011)

194. Impractical Jokers

2011–

284 eps

15

8.6

 (45K)

TV Series

Roger Allam and Shaun Evans in Endeavour (2012)

195. Endeavour

2012–2023

36 eps

12

8.6

 (33K)

TV Series

Eric André in The Eric Andre Show (2012)

196. The Eric Andre Show

2012–

69 eps

15

8.6

 (22K)

TV Series

The IT Crowd (2006)

197. The IT Crowd

2006–2013

25 eps

15

8.5

 (163K)

TV Series

Rami Malek in Mr. Robot (2015)

198. Mr. Robot

2015–2019

45 eps

15

8.5

 (416K)

TV Series

Katy Carmichael, Julia Deakin, Nick Frost, Mark Heap, and Simon Pegg in Spaced (1999)

199. Spaced

1999–2001

14 eps

15

8.5

 (57K)

TV Series

Haluk Bilginer, Tuncel Kurtiz, Kenan Imirzalioglu, Yigit Özsener, Cansu Dere, and Baris Falay in Ezel (2009)

200. Ezel

2009–2011

71 eps

TV-14

8.7

 (37K)

TV Series

Steve Coogan in I'm Alan Partridge (1997)

201. I'm Alan Partridge

1997–2002

12 eps

15

8.6

 (22K)

TV Series

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in Long Way Round (2004)

202. Long Way Round

2004–2010

10 eps

TV-PG

8.6

 (15K)

TV Mini Series

Takahiro Sakurai, Akio Ôtsuka, Miyu Irino, and Setsuo Ito in Mob Psycho 100 (2016)

203. Mob Psycho 100

2016–2022

37 eps

15

8.6

 (44K)

TV Series

Phil LaMarr and Mako in Samurai Jack (2001)

204. Samurai Jack

2001–2017

62 eps

15

8.5

 (59K)

TV Series

Louis C.K. in Louie (2010)

205. Louie

2010–2015

61 eps

15

8.5

 (82K)

TV Series

Mackenzie Crook, Gerard Horan, Toby Jones, Pearce Quigley, Laura Checkley, Divian Ladwa, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, and Orion Ben in Detectorists (2014)

206. Detectorists

2014–2022

20 eps

15

8.6

 (21K)

TV Series

Joe Locke and Kit Connor in Heartstopper (2022)

207. Heartstopper

2022–

24 eps

12

8.6

 (75K)

TV Series

Drew Carey, Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, and Ryan Stiles in Whose Line Is It Anyway? (1998)

208. Whose Line Is It Anyway?

1998–2007

220 eps

12

8.5

 (46K)

TV Series

Carlos Sainz in Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019)

209. Formula 1: Drive to Survive

2019–

60 eps

15

8.5

 (50K)

TV Series

Liam McIntyre in Spartacus (2010)

210. Spartacus

2010–2013

33 eps

18

8.5

 (256K)

TV Series

Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley (2014)

211. Happy Valley

2014–2023

18 eps

15

8.5

 (64K)

TV Series

Lucy Davis, Martin Freeman, and Ricky Gervais in The Office (2001)

212. The Office

2001–2003

14 eps

15

8.5

 (122K)

TV Series

Morgan Freeman in Through the Wormhole (2010)

213. Through the Wormhole

2010–2017

62 eps

TV-PG

8.6

 (18K)

TV Series

Charlie Hunnam in Sons of Anarchy (2008)

214. Sons of Anarchy

2008–2014

92 eps

18

8.6

 (321K)

TV Series

Megumi Hayashibara, Kotono Mitsuishi, Yûko Miyamura, Megumi Ogata, Fumihiko Tachiki, and Yuriko Yamaguchi in Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995)

215. Neon Genesis Evangelion

1995–1996

26 eps

12

8.5

 (84K)

TV Series

William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Steve Howey, Tiffany Ann Johnson, Cameron Monaghan, Shanola Hampton, Jeremy Allen White, Ethan Cutkosky, Emma Kenney, and Christian Isaiah in Shameless (2011)

216. Shameless

2011–2021

134 eps

18

8.5

 (281K)

TV Series

Twin Peaks (2017)

217. Twin Peaks

2017

18 eps

15

8.5

 (75K)

TV Series

Trailer Park Boys (2001)

218. Trailer Park Boys

2001–2018

106 eps

15

8.5

 (50K)

TV Series

Christopher Morris in Brass Eye (1997)

219. Brass Eye

1997–2001

7 eps

18

8.6

 (12K)

TV Series

Josefine Frida Pettersen, Ulrikke Falch, Lisa Teige, Iman Meskini, and Ada Eide in Skam (2015)

220. Skam

2015–2017

43 eps

Not Rated

8.6

 (38K)

TV Series

Dustin Clare in Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011)

221. Spartacus: Gods of the Arena

2011

6 eps

18

8.5

 (145K)

TV Mini Series

Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe in North & South (2004)

222. North & South

2004

4 eps

12

8.6

 (35K)

TV Mini Series

Letterkenny (2016)

223. Letterkenny

2016–2023

81 eps

18

8.6

 (29K)

TV Series

Mark Hamill, William Salyers, Sam Marin, and J.G. Quintel in Regular Show (2010)

224. Regular Show

2010–2017

244 eps

U

8.5

 (56K)

TV Series

Martin Starr, Zach Woods, T.J. Miller, Thomas Middleditch, and Kumail Nanjiani in Silicon Valley (2014)

225. Silicon Valley

2014–2019

53 eps

15

8.5

 (165K)

TV Series

Peter Capaldi in Doctor Who (2005)

226. Doctor Who

2005–2022

175 eps

12

8.6

 (245K)

TV Series

Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy in Schitt's Creek (2015)

227. Schitt's Creek

2015–2020

80 eps

15

8.5

 (144K)

TV Series

Romi Park and Rie Kugimiya in Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)

228. Fullmetal Alchemist

2003–2004

51 eps

15

8.5

 (77K)

TV Series

Futurama (1999)

229. Futurama

1999–

180 eps

U

8.5

 (259K)

TV Series

Park Eun-bin in Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

230. Extraordinary Attorney Woo

2022

16 eps

15

8.6

 (26K)

TV Series

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)

231. From the Earth to the Moon

1998

12 eps

PG

8.6

 (13K)

TV Mini Series

Nathan Fielder in The Rehearsal (2022)

232. The Rehearsal

2022–

7 eps

15

8.5

 (26K)

TV Series

Nicola Coughlan, Louisa Harland, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson in Derry Girls (2018)

233. Derry Girls

2018–2022

19 eps

15

8.5

 (57K)

TV Series

Shohreh Aghdashloo, Wes Chatham, Steven Strait, Frankie Adams, Cara Gee, and Dominique Tipper in The Expanse (2015)

234. The Expanse

2015–2022

62 eps

15

8.5

 (171K)

TV Series

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Tsuioku Hen (1999)

235. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Tsuioku Hen

1999

4 eps

15

8.6

 (16K)

TV Mini Series

Mads Mikkelsen in Hannibal (2013)

236. Hannibal

2013–2015

39 eps

18

8.5

 (275K)

TV Series

Westworld (2016)

237. Westworld

2016–2022

36 eps

18

8.5

 (530K)

TV Series

Umbre (2014)

238. Umbre

2014–2019

21 eps

TV-MA

8.7

 (11K)

TV Series

Kate Atkinson, Danielle Cormack, Robbie Magasiva, Leah Purcell, Pamela Rabe, and Nicole da Silva in Wentworth Prison (2013)

239. Wentworth Prison

2013–2021

100 eps

18

8.6

 (24K)

TV Series

Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace in My Brilliant Friend (2018)

240. My Brilliant Friend

2018–

25 eps

15

8.6

 (18K)

TV Series

Chevy Chase, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale, Jim Rash, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, and Donald Glover in Community (2009)

241. Community

2009–2015

110 eps

12

8.5

 (291K)

TV Series

Hümeyra, Gazanfer Özcan, Ata Demirer, and Gülse Birsel in Avrupa Yakasi (2004)

242. Avrupa Yakasi

2004–2009

190 eps

8.6

 (21K)

TV Series

Tear Along the Dotted Line (2021)

243. Tear Along the Dotted Line

2021

6 eps

15

8.6

 (12K)

TV Mini Series

Chef's Table (2015)

244. Chef's Table

2015–2019

30 eps

15

8.5

 (17K)

TV Series

Gintama (2005)

245. Gintama

2005–2021

375 eps

TV-14

8.7

 (15K)

TV Series

Your Lie in April (2014)

246. Your Lie in April

2014–2018

25 eps

12

8.5

 (37K)

TV Series

Jung So-min and Lee Jae-wook in Alchemy of Souls (2022)

247. Alchemy of Souls

2022–

30 eps

12

8.8

 (16K)

TV Series

Michael Kitchen in Foyle's War (2002)

248. Foyle's War

2002–2015

28 eps

15

8.6

 (18K)

TV Series

Alfred Hitchcock in Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)

249. Alfred Hitchcock Presents

1955–1962

268 eps

12

8.5

 (19K)

TV Series

Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz, and Ben McKenzie in Southland (2009)

250. Southland

2009–2013

43 eps

TV-MA

8.5

 (29K)

TV Series

The Top Rated TV Shows list only includes TV series and TV mini series.

The list is ranked by a formula which includes the number of ratings each show received from users, and value of ratings received from regular users

To be included on the list, a series or mini series must receive ratings from at least 10000 users, and a TV series must also have aired at least 5 episodes

Learn more about how list ranking is determined.

Sponsored 

You have rated

0/250 (0%)

Hide titles you've rated

More to explore

Charts

Top Box Office (US)

From the past weekend

Most Popular Movies

As determined by IMDb users

IMDb Top 250 Movies

As rated by regular IMDb voters.

Top Rated English Movies

English-language movies as rated by IMDb users

Most Popular TV Shows

As determined by IMDb users

Lowest Rated Movies

Bottom 100 as voted by IMDb users

Most Popular Celebs

As determined by IMDb users

TV News

‘BMF’ Scores Series High Audience for Season 3 Premiere

3/7/2024by Rick PorterThe Hollywood Reporter - Movie News

Image

Hulu Orders Amanda Knox Limited Series From Kj Steinberg; Margaret Qualley To Star

3/7/2024by Lynette RiceDeadline Film + TV

Margaret Qualley

‘Side Hustlers’ Renewed For Season 2 By Roku

3/7/2024by Denise PetskiDeadline Film + TV

Mitchell Berg, Isaiah Crews, Jacques Chevelle, Jayden Bartels, and Jules LeBlanc in Side Hustle (2020)

Jake Paul to Fight Mike Tyson in Live Netflix Boxing Event

3/7/2024by Joe OttersonVariety - TV News

Jake Paul

‘Shōgun’ Hits 9 Million Views and Beats ‘The Bear’ Season 2 as FX’s Biggest Hulu Premiere

3/6/2024by Joe OttersonVariety Film + TV

Hiroyuki Sanada in Shōgun (2024)

Top Rated TV by Genre

Recently viewed

Lee Byung-hun, Lee Jung-jae, Anupam Tripathi, Oh Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo, Hoyeon, and Wi Ha-joon in Squid Game (2021)

Squid Game

  • Condition: In Excellent Condition
  • Year of Issue: 2024
  • Country: South Korea
  • Fineness: 0.5
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: Korea, Republic of
  • Colour: Gold

PicClick Insights - Squid Games Gold Coin Revolving Dolls Head South Korea Autograph Childrens Retro PicClick Esclusivo

  •  Popolarità - 2 utenti che lo osservano, 0.2 nuovi utenti che lo osservano ogni giorno, 11 days for sale on eBay. Buona quantità osservato. 0 venduti, 1 disponibile.
  •  Miglior Prezzo -
  •  Venditore - 3.187+ oggetti venduti. 0.3% feedback negativo. Grande venditore con molto buone risposte positive e oltre 50 recensioni.

Persone Apprezzato Anche PicClick Esclusivo