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‘Squid Game captured the zeitgeist’: Emmys history maker benefited from good timing, Korean social media says of show’s awards
- The first non-English-language show to earn a major Emmy award, Squid Game took home the best drama series actor and director awards in Los Angeles
- Reaction in Korea was mostly positive, with social media posts noting the show had overcome its subtitling and had a story that fitted the global mood
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Squid Game didn’t just have a big night at the Emmys. It had a historic one.
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After earning 14 nominations in July, as well as prizes from the Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice Awards earlier this year, Netflix’s brutal blockbuster capped off its run on Monday by becoming the first Korean series, and the first TV series not in English, to win a major Primetime Emmy Award.
While it lost to Succession for best drama series, the Korean show, about a deadly game of survival in which contestants with money troubles compete for a cash prize, earned series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk the Emmy for drama series directing, Squid Game’s first prize of the night. He is the first Asian and first South Korean to take home the award. He was also nominated for writing.
Lee Jung-jae received the best drama acting Emmy for his lead performance as Seong Gi-hun. Earlier in the night, Jung Ho-yeon lost out to Ozark’s Julia Garner for supporting actress, while supporting actor nominees Park Hae-soo and Oh Yeong-su were defeated by Succession’s Matthew Macfadyen.
Monday night’s haul added to the four Emmys Squid Game picked up at last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony: special visual effects in a single episode; stunt performance; production design; and guest actress Lee You-mi for her memorable performance as contestant Ji-yeong.
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One of Netflix’s most-watched shows, Squid Game has already been greenlit for a second season, so it will have a chance to increase its Emmy take in future.
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