Netflix‘s breakout hit Korean drama ‘Squid Game’ has won its first ever award for ‘Best Series’. The series won the ‘Breakthrough Series Award’ at last night’s Gotham Awards 2021. Squid Game won the award in the long format (over 40 minutes) series category. FX Network’s ‘Reservation Dogs’ won the ‘Breakthrough Series’ Award in the short format (under 40 minutes) category.
Squid Game has enjoyed worldwide craze ever since it released on Netflix in September 2021. The Squid Game craze refuses to subside even now, more than two months after its release. The win at Gotham Awards is likely to be the harbinger of many more awards in the future.
The Emmys, Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, among others, all recognise TV and streaming series in multiple categories. The Best Series award is definitely the crowning glory of awards for any series. The way Squid Game has caught the attention of the world, it is a given that it will win many more awards going forward.
Squid Game is about a group of 456, desperate-for-money people who are lured into playing a set of games with the carrot of massive prize money that runs into millions of dollars – 45.6 billion won or $38.5 million, to be specific.
When the players begin playing the seemingly harmless children’s games, they realise that the stakes of losing a round are deadly and dangerous. As the participants go higher up in the game, the games get increasingly brutal, gorier and bloodier. The body count rises dangerously until only one player remains – the winner.
All this is done only for the entertainment of a few rich people who are bored with the usual entertainment their money can buy. Squid Game is an indictment of capitalism, rich-poor divide, social imbalance and the clout that the rich enjoy.
The emotion behind the story of Squid Game, coupled with its violence porn have made it a hit all over the world. A sequel to Squid Game is in development at Netflix.