Squid Game is one of those buzzy, must-watch series, like Tiger King, The Bear, and Ted Lasso —although it has a very different tone and approach to story than those big hits. Now the Netflix series is among the contenders for the 2025 Golden Globes, but no one can hold back their confusion.
Squid Game has gotten a nom for Best Television Series – Drama. Although of course a popular and well-crafted show would be recognized in this way, fans shared the reason why they’re perplexed on X: Squid Game season 2 hasn’t premiered yet! How can a season that won’t be released on Netflix until Dec. 26, 2024 be in the same category as Slow Horses, Shōgun, Mr and Mrs. Smith, The Diplomat, and The Day of the Jackal, which viewers have already seen?
Deadline has the answer: the, well, deadline for a TV show to get a 2025 Golden Globe nom is Dec. 31, 2024. So, since Squid Game season 2 won’t be on offer until Dec. 26th (a Boxing Day gift for those who celebrate), it counts! Still, no one can blame people for wondering how this could happen.
Confusion aside, anyone who watched the thrilling, terrifying, emotionally devastating, and absolutely unforgettable first season likely agrees that there’s no way that Squid Game season 2 can be bad. If fans had gotten the chance to watch it already, they might even say that of course it should win the Golden Globe.
And no one can deny the mark it made on pop culture in 2021. According to CNN, season 1 was the “biggest-ever series at launch” for Netflix. As of mid-Oct. 2021, 111 million Netflix accounts had seen it. Since the show had just been released on Sept. 17, 2021, those viewership numbers are awe-inspiring. Even if people hadn’t been staying home more than usual that year because of, well, you know what, Squid Game‘s clever commentary on classism and fast-paced tension would have likely still been a hit with viewers.
Squid Game creator/showrunner Hwang Dong-hyuk, who said he actually had some teeth fall out because of the pressure of working on season 1, told The Hollywood Reporter he has “nightmares” about season 2. He said, “Will the games be as entertaining as in season one? Are the characters as charming?” He also said the new episodes focus on the main character who fans got to know last season and explained, “I was thinking about Gi-hun’s unfinished quest.” Hwang compared it to The Matrix when Neo decides between a red and blue pill. That sounds intriguing.
If fans weren’t already counting down the days until Dec. 26 (even though that sadly means Christmas is over), there’s another reason to get excited for the second season. Lee Byung-hun told BBC.com, “People will see more of the Front Man’s past, his story and his emotions.”
As long as season 2 has the same fascinating characters, scary tone, and gripping twists as the first season, there’s no reason why Squid Game shouldn’t take home the Best Television Series – Drama Golden Globe. Before clearing your plans for Dec. 26 to watch as many episodes of Squid Game season 2 as possible, it’s a great time to remember all the winners and the rules of the game… but there will likely be some big surprises, too. This is Squid Game, after all, and anything can happen.