It’s hard to believe the absolute chokehold the first season of Squid Game had over the world when it dropped on Netflix. Being a wholly original concept not connected to a larger franchise, it was truly a breath of fresh air and it somehow managed to dwarf everything else that was released around that time — it was all anyone was talking about.
Now, three years on since the release of Squid Game that hype feels like a distant memory, the excitement has died little by little as time ceaselessly continued to march on and new shows took its place atop the Netflix charts. Audiences can be a fickle bunch and despite cries for a second season being loud and clear in 2021, now those demands have been reduced to indifferent grumblings.
On Friday we were finally graced with a trailer for the second season of Squid Game, and yes, people are excited, but the show has also drawn a lot of criticism. In fact, it looks like some people online downright hate the show and it’s for a pretty unfair and downright despicable reason.
Fans are complaining about how long it took
That’s right, it seems like the main complaint people have against a second season is that it took too long to make.
Took ya 3 years bruh
— N🐜 (@lockedupAE) September 20, 2024
Took wayy too long
— Cody (@RRevine) September 20, 2024
The general consensus seems to be that Squid Game’s 15 minutes of fame have long since passed and it’s time to move on.
just put the fries in the bag man please
— 4KT WHO YOU HATE (@royal_bobby24) September 20, 2024
Might need to go back and rewatch season 1 because I forgot the plot of this whole show all the way down to the characters names lol
— AUX (@TokyoAux) September 20, 2024
Others have set their expectations way too high.
waited three whole years, this shit better be emmy worthy
— sb🐐 (@ITISMESB) September 20, 2024
I’m fed up with “annihilation” movies and tv. Cheaply made, cheap writing, cheap actors, cheap thrills, RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE VIEWER RATES and subscriptions. Entertainment producers make more profits than petroleum producers.
— Norman Buntz (@normanbuntzhsb) September 20, 2024
It’s all quite brutal, especially when you consider the fact that we’ve only got this small teaser to go off of right now, where we only hear one line of dialogue and see a glimpse of the new set. How can anyone confidently claim that the writing and acting are “cheap” based on a 40-second teaser?
You can’t rush perfection, not that I’m saying it’s going to be perfect, these people could very well be right in their assumptions, maybe season 2 will suck, but to hate on a show simply because it took a long time to make is kind of insane. Who really cares how long it’s been? It’s a TV show, not some food item that will go bad if you don’t use it within a certain time frame.
The show’s creator has set a high expectation
Let’s also bear in mind, that the first season was somewhat of a passion project that reportedly took 12 years to make and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk faced rejection countless times before Netflix finally took a chance on his idea. He could not have foreseen how big of a phenomenon it would go on to become and he’s likely been under a lot of pressure for the past few years to try and come up with a follow-up to his creation that wouldn’t disappoint fans.
He’s presumably been working on the show’s third and final season which was also announced in August. Oh, and the creator barely received any money from Netflix for his hit show by the way so can we just cut this guy some slack?
Personally, I don’t even think we needed a second season, but Squid Game reportedly boosted Netflix’s net worth by almost $1 billion so a follow-up was inevitable. People were begging for a second season at the time, and sure, it’s a little late, but why don’t we just wait and see what Hwang Dong-hyuk has cooked up for us before burning his kitchen down?