Squid Game: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 174 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	Your Score
6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 174 Ratings

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Squid Game

Now Playing: Squid Game

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: September 17, 2021

Summary: The South Korean drama series features a group of indebted people who are invited to compete in (deadly) series of children's games to win millions of dollars.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

Season 1 Episodes

5.3
S1:E9. One Lucky Day
Air Date: September 17, 2021
6.3
S1:E8. Front Man
Air Date: September 17, 2021
6.0
S1:E7. VIPS
Air Date: September 17, 2021

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Andrew Crump

Oct 7, 2021

Hwang knows how much convincing he needs to do to bring his viewers on board with the premise; unlike the cop, the audience will buy into “Squid Game’s” world without a fuss, a credit to Hwang’s skills as a filmmaker and writer. Forget the negative connotations the phrase “bingeworthy” stirs up. In the binge era, this show is as good as they come. Read full review

Kelly Lawler

Oct 1, 2021

Superb acting performances heighten the drama, particularly from Lee, who makes Gi-hun irresistibly likable despite his many flaws. All of the characters undergo enormous trauma and transformation, and the actors rise to the challenge of portraying believable emotions in an unbelievable setting. A big part of the series' success lies in its dramatic and eye-catching aesthetic. ... What makes it so well-suited for binge-watching is how well Hwang uses pacing and cliffhangers to make the series absurdly addictive. Read full review

Polygon Quinci LeGardye

Sep 24, 2021

Hwang and his team take immense care with all of the players, laying out how they’re stuck in a horrible system, and just trying to make it through, at any cost. Squid Game is exciting, and startling, and tense, but that care is what really makes it worth watching. Read full review

Joel Keller

Sep 24, 2021

Squid Games 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. Read full review

Rebecca Onion

Sep 24, 2021

The fate of the more sympathetic characters among them is where the drama lies. The ins and outs of the games are thrilling. When the team of scrappy protagonists—male and female, young and old—tugs and tugs at a rope, trying to drag a much stronger, all-male team over a precipice, I cheered for every step back they took, even though them winning would mean a bunch of other people would get crushed to death. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Matt Roush

Oct 21, 2021

Ultraviolent and terrifically gripping thriller. [25 Oct - 7 Nov 2021, p.9]

Mike Hale

Oct 11, 2021

“Squid Game” has nothing to say about inequality and free will beyond pat truisms, and its characters are shallow assemblages of family and battlefield clichés, set loose upon a patently ridiculous premise. ... [The violence] is more than mildly sickening in its scale, its graphic presentation and its calculated gratuitousness. Read full review

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User Score

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6.8

User Reviews

KelvinSelimor

Nov 9, 2022

Squid Game. Season 1. Best series of 2021! The creator and the whole team did a real miracle! Showing each character and relationship so interestingly that it is impossible to stop watching. Even the games themselves go a bit into the background, although they are also very interestinglySquid Game. Season 1. Best series of 2021! The creator and the whole team did a real miracle! Showing each character and relationship so interestingly that it is impossible to stop watching. Even the games themselves go a bit into the background, although they are also very interestingly scary. Although the last episode reduces the degree of tension, this does not make the series even a bit worse. Looking forward to continuing...… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Drealgrin

Oct 16, 2021

Capitalism has failed, but its failure does produce some fantastic criticism of it's intrinsic cruelty and apathetic nature.

Engaging from the first episode to the last, a perfect representation of the apathy and cruelty of the wealthy while they play their games with those who areCapitalism has failed, but its failure does produce some fantastic criticism of it's intrinsic cruelty and apathetic nature.

Engaging from the first episode to the last, a perfect representation of the apathy and cruelty of the wealthy while they play their games with those who are struggling, and the inevitable failure to fight against the wealth and power of those with untold fortunes because the game is rigged for the success of the most amoral from the start.

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a bloody good time.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

LuissDt

Apr 13, 2022

The Squid Game is a game that divided the world but manages to be dramatic and engaging enough to be a game that everyone wants to see.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Fixer84

Mar 17, 2023

A series that has now become iconic, which has launched, in the collective imagination, the importance of Korean serial productions on Netflix. Which is a big plus.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ThisGuy1

Oct 4, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Interesting show. Anyone who says it's concept is original or new, hasn't seen enough film or TV (I guess that makes me a bit of a bum). It's very similar in concept to films like Cheap Thrills, 13 Sins, Would You Rather, etc. but on a larger scale like Battle Royale, The Purge series, or Hunger Games... throw in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for aesthetics and you have Squid Game.

Still, few things are truly original nowadays. The biggest criticism I have of the show is that: Moments outside of the games or the violence were not memorable. The scenes away from the compound were low points.

Some people are criticizing the acting. I agree there are some very cringe worthy scenes from Jung jae-Lee and most scenes with Joo ryeong-Kim were laughable. However, Hae-soo Park and Yeung-su Oh both had terrific performances.

All-in-all, this was good enough to watch and I'd recommend it to friends if they asked. I'd likely check out a second season. However, I still have it at a 6 or 6.5 out of 10. 7+ scores are for rewatchable shows - this really wasn't a show I'd consider re-watching.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

Murphy2k

Oct 12, 2021

I love the aesthetics of this series, and it's something quite fresh. The Korean performances are something you need to adapt to, but I found it very entertainment, and totally recommend it

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

mohamad_joudaki

Oct 16, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. very bad series. im thinking is worst serise all the time and offer you dont watching that… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

SEE ALL 32 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

69

Series Overview
Season 1

69
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 5.3
  S1:E9. One Lucky Day
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 6.3
  S1:E8. Front Man
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 6.0
  S1:E7. VIPS
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 9.5
  S1:E6. Gganbu
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 5.3
  S1:E5. A Fair World
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 8.8
  S1:E4. Stick to the Team
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 8.5
  S1:E3. The Man with the Umbrella
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 7.5
  S1:E2. Hell
  Air Date: September 17, 2021
- 8.2
  S1:E1. Red Light, Green Light
  Air Date: September 17, 2021