The Korean-language Netflix drama broke through in a big way at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
After a celebrated debut season, Squid Game made history by earning 14 Emmy nominations. The Netflix drama became the first Korean-language series to break through at the Primetime Emmy Awards, with nods in the top categories, including Outstanding Drama Series.
“I feel so happy and honored that Squid Game became the first non-English language series to be nominated for the Emmy Awards. I hope that Squid Game’s Emmy nominations will open up even more opportunities for the whole world to enjoy and appreciate each other’s content beyond the barriers of culture and language,” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk said of the show's historic nominations.
Other notable nominations include Lee Jung-jae for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Park Hae-soo and O Yeong-su for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Jung Ho-yeon for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and Lee You-mi for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
"First, I would like to share my sincere gratitude. It is a tremendous honor to be nominated together with these brilliant actors," Jung-Jae said. "I would like to share this honor with the Squid Game fans around the world, who showed us endless love and support, and the Squid Game team, who worked very hard to make everything possible."
Squid Game also picked up noms in writing and directing categories.
The news came on Tuesday, when JB Smoove and Melissa Fumero revealed the full list of nominees for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The recognition for Squid Game comes after a historic run during the past 2021-2022 awards season, with wins at the Critics' Choice Television Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The series was also nominated for multiple British Academy Television Awards and Television Critics Association Awards.
“Season 1 was, like, kind of the best in the history of Netflix,” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk told ET, explaining that it’ll be hard to top despite being renewed. “It's such pressure for me, you know, and I’d like to please people [who are] waiting for season 2.”
And they’ll indeed have to wait, with the series not slated to return to Netflix until 2023 or 2024.
The 74th Primetime Emmy Awards will be handed out live Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock.
RELATED CONTENT:
