- Squid Game Season 1 ended with Gi-Hun winning the game.
- Hwang Jun-Ho was assumed to be dead but now it’s confirmed that he will return in Squid Game Season 2.
- Squid Game Season 2 will be released on Netflix on December 26, 2024.
Netflix undoubtedly has one of the best shows on OTT. However, in 2021, Squid Game set a landmark in the OTT world showing us exactly what a well-put-out show looks like. Squid Game was perfect in almost every aspect, the action, storytelling, and even the sub-plot going on in the series were spot on. Now, if a series is so well done, it must have a pretty interesting end as well and such was the case with Squid Game Season 1. So, before Squid Game Season 2 comes out, let me refresh your memory and quickly explain Squid Game Season 1’s ending!
Gi-Hun Won the Squid Game Tournament in Season 1
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Netflix, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
In the final episode of Squid Game, Gi-Hun and his childhood friend, Sang-Woo are the only ones left and have to compete in one final game, the Squid Game. According to the game, one player plays in the offense while the other one plays in defense. Gi-Hun was the offense and Sang-Woo was playing in the defense position. According to the rules of the game, the player in the offense have to make it to the other edge of the squid-shaped court and step on the head of the squid to win and the defense would attempt to stop him.
Sang-Woo had smuggled in a knife and while they both brawled, he almost stabbed and killed Gi-Hun. However, when the tables were turned, Gi-Hun chose to not kill Sang-Woo and used the rule that the game could end early if the majority of the players agreed. Even though Sang-Woo could have walked free, he stabbed himself in the neck so that Gi-Hun could win the tournament and the lives lost during the game are not wasted.
Hwang Jun-Ho Isn’t Dead And Will Return in Season 2
While in the main story, Gi-Hun was fighting to survive, a secondary plot was also in motion in Squid Game Season 1. A talented police officer named Hwang Jun-Ho has been onto The Squid Game since he is certain that it has something to do with the disappearance of his brother. However, as it turns out, his brother is none other than the Front Man.
When Hwang Jun-Ho confronts the Front Man, he gets shot by the latter and falls down a cliff into the ocean. People speculated that since we did not see his dead body, there is a possibility that he might have survived since being shot in the shoulder is not necessarily fatal. The speculations turned out to be true when the cast of Squid Game Season 2 was announced and it featured Wi Ha-Joon, the actor who played Hwang Jun-ho in Season 1.
Il-NamWas The Actual Villain of Squid Game Season 1
Image Credit: Netflix (via Tudum)
One of the biggest twists Squid Game brought to the table was revealing that all this time, Il-Nam was the actual villain of Squid Game. By the end of the series, we get to see that Il-Nam did not die during the game, in fact, he was never in any danger whatsoever. At the end of Squid Game Season 1, it was revealed that Il-Nam is a rich man who organized the Squid Game because he was bored and according to him, too much wealth makes life “no fun” .
Before he died during a bet he made to Gi-Hun, Il-Nam also revealed that he created and joined the game just so he could “feel something” while talking about how empty his life is. The old man made it clear that he is fond of games and the human nature of deception and before Gi-Hun could prove his point of not all people being alike, Il-Nam died.
The upcoming season was teased in the final scenes of Squid Game where Gi-Hun saw the salesman recruiting a man for the Squid Game. He was not able to catch the salesman but managed to snatch away the Squid Game card from the man. He dialed the number and after exchanging threats with the Front Man, decided not to board the flight to see his daughter and went back to take down the Squid Game.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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- Squid Game: America will begin filming on February 26, 2026.
- This update came to us via a listing made on the Film and Television Industry Alliance, where David Fincher is also listed as the director.
- As of now, we don’t have a tentative release date for Squid Game: America
Netflix has given us probably the most successful battle royale show of all time with Squid Game, and it might have been slightly disappointing for fans to watch it end with its final season. Even though the series has come to an end, the Game will live on with its spinoffs, and the first one in line is none other than the much-anticipated spinoff set in the USA, titled Squid Game: America is now confirmed to begin filming in 2026, and here is everything you need to know about this update.
Squid Game: America to Start Filming in February 2026
Image Credit: Netflix (via YouTube/Netflix, screenshot by Shashank Shakya/Beebom)
It has come to light that Squid Game: America is set to begin filming in February 2026, in Los Angeles . This reveal came to us via a listing on the Film and Television Industry Alliance website , where a filming date is mentioned to be February 26, 2026.
The listing of the TV show includes several names, including David Fincher listed as the director, original Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk, and producer Kim Ji-yeon as producers, Dennis Kelly as screenwriter, and the only cast member mentioned on the webpage as of now is Cate Blanchett, whom we saw in the Squid Game finale post-credit scene . The new webpage also comes with a brief description that reads-
“A US version of the Korean hit series, the spinoff is set in the same world but we get to see how the games are handled in America.”
So, as of now, the only thing we know is that this series will pick up exactly where the final season of Squid Game ended, where we saw the recruiter, played by Cate Blanchett, playing ddakji with a man. It’s hard to say if we will see any returning characters with this one.
Shashank Shakya is an entertainment writer at Beebom. He has completed his Bachelors (Honors) in English Literature and is a published author. Shashank boasts incomparable knowledge about the Marvel and DC universe, along with other branches of entertainment with substantial experience in the field of writing.
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Squid Game was the first survival TV show to become hugely popular in 2021. It quickly surpassed even the most popular shows on Netflix and became the most-watched series on the platform. Now that the saga has ended on a tear-jerking note, I’m pretty sure there are fans who would want to know what other shows have the audacity to give the same feel. Well, here, I’ve listed five of the best TV Shows like Squid Game that can fill the void.
1. Alice in Borderland
Image Credit: Robot Communications Inc. (via YouTube/Netflix, Screenshot By Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: December 10, 2020
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, Dori Sakurada, Sho Aoyagi, Riisa Naka, Yuri Tsunematsu, Hayato Isomura
Alice in Borderland is one of the must-watch shows for everyone who liked Squid Game. Despite boasting a different narrative style and themes, this survival thriller drama series shares way more similarities with Squid Game than any other show in existence.
Like Squid Game, Alice in Borderland also forces its characters to participate in deadly games. However, the only difference here is that the one to survive in the Squid Game will go home with the huge cash prize that will give them financial freedom, while in Alice in Borderland, the characters get to extend their visas by winning the game. Squid Game makes players play some childhood games with deadly twists, and Alice in Borderland makes its characters go through some of the most complex games that test their intellect, physical strength, decision-making, and more.
Alice in Borderland Season 1 was released before the pilot season of Squid Game, but it didn’t receive the initial traction it deserved due to a lack of marketing. However, the success of Squid Game popularized the genre, and AIB got the attention it deserved. It has blessed us with two seasons so far, and the third season is set to be released on September 25, 2025.
2. The 8 Show
Image Courtesy: Netflix
- Release Date: May 17, 2024
- Director: Han Jae-rim
- Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Chun Woo-hee, Park Jeong-min, Lee Yul-eum, Park Hae-joon, Lee Joo-young, Moon Jeong-hee, Bae Seong-woo
In Squid Game, we see 456 players forced to play the life-or-death games; on the other side, The 8 Show features only eight players who must do everything to win the game of survival. With each round, they are rewarded with more time to live. Both TV shows shed light on wealth disparity and human desperation. They particularly illustrate what extreme pressure does to an ordinary person.
The thriller series was released in 2024 and mostly garnered positive reviews. It also remained on Netflix’s Top 10 chart for three consecutive weeks.
3. Death’s Game
Image Credit: Saram Entertainment (YouTube/ Prime Video Singapore, Screenshot by Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: December 15, 2023
- Director: Ha Byung-hoon
- Cast: Seo In-guk, Park So-dam
Death’s Game and Squid Game are polar opposites, but again, it is a television series that comes from a South Korean production, and it also explores themes of societal pressure, survival, and morality. When the main protagonist Choi Yee-jae loses all hope and tries to commit suicide, Death itself stops him.
The invisible supernatural entity then punishes him by giving him 12 chances to live his life. If he fails to survive in even one of his lives, he will be sent to hell, and if he prevents his death, even if in his one lifetime, he can continue living his ordinary life.
4. All Of Us Are Dead
Image Credit: Kim Jong-hak Production (YouTube/Netflix, Screenshot By Aparna Ukil/Beebom)
- Release Date: January 28, 2022
- Director: Lee Jae-kyoo and Kim Nam-soo
- Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon
Regardless, All of Us Are Dead and Squid Game are both set in Korea, which allows international fans to become familiar with the country’s culture.
5. 3%
Image Credit: Boutique Films (YouTube/ Netflix, Screenshot by Aparna Ukil / Beebom)
- Release Date: November 25, 2016
- Director: César Charlone, Daina Giannecchini, Dani Libardi, Jotagá Crema, Philippe Barcinski
- Cast: João Miguel, Bianca Comparato, Michel Gomes, Rodolfo Valente, Cynthia Senek, Vaneza Oliveira, Rafael Lozano, Viviane Porto
The first season of 3% was released in 2016, and it was the first Portuguese-language original television series on Netflix. Like Squid Game, this series also explored the themes of classism, wealth disparity, and survival.
3% takes place in a dystopian world that is divided into two parts: ‘Inland’ and ‘Offshore’. The former side includes the poor class, while the latter consists of the elite. So, the 20-year-olds of the Inshore are pushed to go through some tests that will decide their fate. Only 3% who pass the tests get to join the rich, while the ones who fail stay behind to spend their lives in poverty and face dire situations.
Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.
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