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How the world’s most popular TV show is made

How the world’s most popular TV show is made

Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote Squid Game, the biggest Netflix series ever, in the depths of despair. He’s back for season two. What can we learn from its success?

Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in a scene from the upcoming second season of Squid Game. JuHan Noh

Sam Buckingham-JonesMedia and marketing reporter

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For the most successful show in Netflix’s history, there is a lot in Squid Game that flies completely over anyone watching outside of where it comes from, South Korea.

One example: early on in the dystopian drama, which pits hundreds of desperate people against each other in a series of life-or-death games, there is a reference to a place called Yeouido. Korean viewers would recognise it as one of Seoul’s main financial districts, but one character reveals he’s never heard of it. It is a subtle point, and a mere second in the show, but it reinforces that this is a person from a lower class. Anyone not from Korea would miss it entirely.

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Sam Buckingham-Jones
Sam Buckingham-JonesMedia and marketing reporterSam Buckingham-Jones is the media and marketing reporter at The Australian Financial Review. Connect with Sam on Twitter.

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/how-the-world-s-most-popular-tv-show-is-made-20240918-p5kbmn